Webinar: Water Policies to Support Investment in Human Rights & Nature

23rd July 2025 | 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM GMT

Register Here

Human Right 2 Water is co-hosting with the African Development Bank and the Water Research Commission. Throughout this webinar we will hear from project managers from both organisations, and it will explore how the human rights-based approach (HRBA) principles can be integrated practically to protect both people and ecosystems.

What to Expect:

• Practical strategies for integrating HRBA in project design and policy-making
• Real-world case studies from across Africa
• Insights from leading water engineers and researchers

The International Association for Water Law (AIDA) and the Permanent Forum for Binational Waters (PFBW) are proud to announce the release of their joint Policy Brief: Emerging Policy Themes for Interconnected Waters: Integrated Approaches for the Connection Between Surface Water and Groundwater.

This publication by the AIDA and PFBW joint Environment Working Group for Law Policy addresses one of today’s most critical water governance challenges—the disconnection between hydrological systems and regulatory frameworks for surface water and groundwater.

Drawing directly from the two series of expert Coffee Breaks hosted in November and December 2024—“Hydrologic Realities and Delusions at the Domestic Level” and “Hydrologic Realities and Delusions at the International Transboundary Basin Level”—the Policy Brief distills the core insights, debates, and recommendations that emerged during these events.

It integrates diverse perspectives from global water experts and provides actionable insights for national and transboundary water policy. Both event recordings are available on the PFBW YouTube channel.

As water scarcity intensifies across many regions, the report calls for an overhaul of outdated legal models that manage groundwater and surface water as separate entities. It delves into urgent topics such as recharge zones, data interoperability, land use regulation, sovereignty, and international legal gaps.

Co-authored by Paul Stanton Kibel, Raquel Neri Barranco, Rosario Sanchez, and Gabriel Eckstein —renowned experts in water law and governance— the report highlights the importance of coordinated, science-informed strategies to ensure water security across the U.S.–Mexico border and other transboundary regions.

This collaborative work reflects the mission of AIDA and PFBW joint Environment Working Group for Law Policy to align scientific knowledge with legal frameworks and institutional action.

It is an essential resource for decision-makers, researchers, and civil society stakeholders shaping the future of water governance.

The full report is downloadable in both English and Spanish here.

Recording of the joint AIDA-GWH webinar on the status of the Indus Water Treaty is now available online

On 10th July 2025, The International Association for Water Law and the Geneva Water Hub hosted a webinar on "India's Suspension of the Indus Water treaty: Underlying Causes and Consequences for Pakistan."  The webinar recording is now available online here. 

The webinar speakers included:

• Dr. Salman M.A. Salman - Former Lead Counsel and Water Law Advisor, The World Bank; Distinguished Honorary Member and Fellow, International Water Resources Association
• Dr. Mara Tignino - Senior Lecturer, University of Geneva and Senior International Law Specialist, Platform for International Water Law, Geneva Water Hub
  
• Dr. Kishor Uprety - Former Senior Legal Adviser, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Former Senior Lawyer, The World Bank

The program was moderated by: Paul Kibel - Professor Emeritus of Water Law, Golden Gate University School of Law; Water and Natural Resource Counsel, Water and Power Law Group

WEBINAR

India's Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty: Underlying Causes and Consequences for Pakistan

10^th July 2025

9am NYC | 3pm Paris | 6:30pm Delhi | 9pm Beijing

REGISTER HERE

Speakers

• Dr. Salman M.A. Salman - Former Lead Counsel and Water Law Advisor, The World Bank; Distinguished Honorary Member and Fellow, International Water Resources Association
• Dr. Mara Tignino - Senior Lecturer, University of Geneva and Senior International Law Specialist, Platform for International Water Law, Geneva Water Hub
• Dr. Kishor Uprety - Former Senior Legal Adviser, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Former Senior Lawyer, The World Bank

Moderator: Paul Kibel - Professor Emeritus of Water Law, Golden Gate University School of Law; Water and Natural Resource Counsel, Water and Power Law Group

You are warmly invited to an engaging presentation by Professor Gabriel Eckstein on the emerging international legal frameworks for managing transboundary groundwater. This session will explore global legal trends, practices, and priorities governing the use, allocation, and protection of cross-border groundwater resources. 

Whether you work in environmental law, water governance, or international development, this is a valuable opportunity to gain insights from one of the field’s leading experts.

 Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2025

 Time: 9:00 – 10:30 AM Eastern Time

 Location: Join us in person or virtually 

Microsoft Teams Join:

Meeting ID: 247 996 805 123 4
Meeting passcode: 7Ha9wZ3U

 Having issues Joining?

Please contact: Tomkeen Mobegi:  tmobegi@worldbank.org

The Geneva Water Hub, together with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Pôle Eau Dakar, will hold the International Conference ‘Water: A Driver of Peace in the Sahel,’ at Dakar, Senegal, on 22-24 September, 2025. The Sahel region is affected by multiple crises, including climatic, security, social and economic ones. In addition to the lack of water supply infrastructure, there is the problem of its protection from armed attack. Groundwater is a key resource for climate resilience, but remains poorly known and undervalued. However, as a vital and irreplaceable resource, water is also a powerful tool for cooperation at local, cross-sectoral and transboundary levels. The conference will explore the role of water as a vector for social cohesion and peacebuilding in the Sahel. The conference will bring together researchers, practitioners and decisionmakers to discuss best practices, legal frameworks and policies for the inclusive and peaceful management of water resources in the Sahel and West Africa regions. The call for papers is available here.

The Bill Lane Center for the American West, the Hoover Institution, and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research invite you to Stanford University’s State of the West Symposium. The 2025 symposium will mark the 11th State of the West program, and will explore the future of the Columbia River Basin, a vital transboundary waterway that has shaped the culture, economy, and environment of the North American West.

The event will be live-streamed, and the details along with the Livestream link will be posted on the Symposium website soon.

State of the West Symposium
Two Countries, One River: History, Health, and Future of the Columbia Basin

Advance registration is required. Register for the event today!

Date:
Friday, May 9, 2025
12:00 PM – 6:30 PM
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Location:
John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Building
Koret-Taube Conference Center, Room 130
366 Galvez Street, Stanford, CA 94305, United States

Complimentary valet parking is available in front of the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center Building. Parking is also available at the Galvez Lot located at the corner of Campus Drive and Galvez Street (about a .2 mile walk from 326 Galvez St, where the SIEPR event is located). Information on how to register your vehicle will be provided closer to the event date. Parking registration must be completed prior to the event to avoid a citation for both complimentary valet parking or parking in the Galvez lot.

Details:  
This year’s symposium will delve into the past, present, and future of the Columbia River Basin, with an emphasis on its bi-national management, Native American and First Nations priorities, environmental sustainability, and climate change. We will hear from leading experts, including policymakers, academics, and Indigenous leaders.

Agenda Highlights:

• Lunch Keynote by Jay Inslee, Former Governor of Washington State
• Panel Discussions on topics ranging from bi-national resource management to Native American priorities in the region
• Closing Keynote by Murray Rankin, Former British Columbia Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
• Reception to follow

The event will be live-streamed, and details will be provided shortly. A recording of the event will also be available online three weeks after its conclusion. We look forward to your participation in this important conversation about the future of the Columbia River Basin.

Advance registration is required. Register for the event today! 
For more information, please contact Tina Lathia at vlathia@stanford.edu 

The recording of the Webinar on "Cooperating Over Shared Freshwater Resources Using International Law," which was held on 16th September 2024, is now available at https://youtu.be/g24MtBWXTTs.

On 16th September 2024 (9am NYC | 3pm Paris | 9pm Beijing), the International Association for Water Law will host a webinar featuring presentations and discussion related to the forthcoming book “Cooperating Over Shared Freshwater Resources Using International Law.” The book, which is edited by Professor Gabriel Eckstein of Texas A&M University, assesses international law for shared freshwater resources—both surface and subsurface waters—explores the regime from different normative, historical, and geopolitical perspectives, and considers its achievements, deficiencies, and potential improvements. The webinar will feature chapters authors and topics appearing in the book.  The webinar is co-hosted with the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, and in partnership with Texas A&M University School of Law, Florida International University Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, and World Scientific Publishing.  To attend the webinar, please register at: https://bit.ly/3zM4S6k

On 15 November, 2023, AIDA member Dr Salman M.A. Salman received from the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank the Alumni Award 2023 in recognition of the contribution he made while working at the Bank and after retirement. One major area of attention for him has been, and is, to ensure that work in the field of international water law tallies fully with the established and evolving principles of international law, and with international practice. For that purpose, he has devoted ample efforts to research and training. Dr Salman is the author of numerous publications on topics relevant to international and national water law, among which it is worth mentioning his book on the World Bank Policy for Projects on International Waterways, published in 2009 (https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/pdf/10.1596/978-0-8213-7953-0). Dr Salman has received seven awards from the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), including the Honorary Member Award and the Crystal Drop Award. Congratulations, Dr Salman!