Nile Water Rights

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Philine Wehling

   Pages 1-13

3. Part I

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-16

      PDF

   2. Development of International Water Law

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 17-30

   3. Customary Principles of International Water Law

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 31-54

   4. International Agreements on Transboundary Freshwater Resources

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 55-91

4. Part II

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 93-94

      PDF

   2. The Nile and Its Catchment Area

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 95-103

   3. The Treaty Regime for the Nile

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 105-165

   4. Regional Cooperation Initiatives

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 167-180

   5. Agreement on the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 181-217

   6. Implementing the Principle of Equitable and Reasonable Utilization in the Nile Basin

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 219-263

5. Summary and Outlook

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 265-265

      PDF

   2. Toward a Legal and Institutional Framework for Cooperation Along the Nile

      • Philine Wehling

      Pages 267-277

6. Back Matter

   Pages 279-319

   PDF

The book provides a comprehensive assessment of the law governing the use and management of the Nile and considers, more broadly, how international water law can guide the development of a legal and institutional framework for cooperation over shared freshwater resources. It defines the current state of international water law and discusses the content of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. On this basis, it assesses the Nile water treaties and the 2010 Cooperative Framework Agreement for the Nile, and examines their compliance with international law, with a specific focus on the legal consequences of South Sudan's secession from Sudan. Moreover, the book recommends important amendments to the 2010 Agreement. Building on these recommendations, it addresses the implementation of the principle of equitable and reasonable use regarding the Nile, illustrating the extent to which the principle can provide a conceptual framework for regulating water use. The book is a valuable resource for academics and practitioners alike as it combines legal assessment with a discussion of how international water law principles can be implemented in practice.

• Transboundary cooperation on the Nile
• 2010 Cooperative Framework Agreement
• Nile treaties
• South Sudan State Succession
• UN Watercourses Convention
• Principle of equitable and reasonable utilisation
• 1959 Nile Agreement
• International Watercourses Law in the Nile basin
• Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
• water policy

“​Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding international law related to the Nile River basin, including its evolution, current challenges and future prospects.” (Professor Alistair Rieu-Clarke, Chair in Law, Law School, Northumbria University, Newcastle)

 


“A true must-read for anyone interested in the developing Nile River legal and institutional regime and in how to implement international water law principles and guidance at the transboundary river basin level. Most notably, the book operationalizes the principle of equitable use and applies it to the Nile, pointing the way forward for the cooperative management of the river’s resources.” (Stefano Burchi, Chairman of the Executive Council, International Association for Water Law (AIDA))

• International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), Rome, Italy

  Philine Wehling

Philine Wehling is a Legal Officer at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) in Rome. Previously, she worked as a Legal Specialist at the Legal Office of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, providing legal advice and legislative assistance to governments on freshwater resources and agriculture. She further served as a Legal Advisor at the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection in Berlin. Wehling received her doctoral degree in law from the University of Heidelberg. Her doctoral dissertation on international water law was published in the Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law Series and received the Margot-und-Friedrich-Becke Prize in 2018.

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