Public Law Studies Quarterly

Water Cooperation Policy: A Legal Strategy for International Peace and Security

Document Type : Article

Authors

Mostafa Fazaeli 1
Mahnaz Rashidi 2

1 Associate Prof. International Law Department. Faculty of Law. University of Qom, Qom, Iran‎

2 Assistant Prof., Law Department, Faculty of Human Science, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2022.340520.3056
Abstract
The conceptual evolution of peace and security has extended the term beyond the narrow concepts of war and military threats; to the extent that today the establishment of peace and security in the international community is considered dependent on the provision of human needs and a dignified life. A humanitarian approach to the concepts of peace and security, on the one hand, and the inevitability of having access to sufficient and safe water to meet human needs, on the other, raises the idea of exploring the relationship between water resource management and international peace and security. Therefore, the main question of the research is: what is the relationship between water and international peace and security and what is the political-legal mechanism for achieving international peace and water security. Using a descriptive-analytical method in this paper, based on library data and review of the views of political thinkers and international instruments, show that water and international peace and security are closely related to each other so that water, on the one hand, can be a factor in establishing international peace and security, but on the other hand, if this valuable material is not properly managed, can be a stimulus for disrupting peace and security at various national, regional and international levels. Meanwhile, the water cooperation policies of governments facilitate and supply water security in the international community, and international law can regulate, strengthen and guarantee this cooperation. 

Keywords

water
peace
international security
water cooperation
international law
Subjects

  1. English

    1. A) Books and book sections
    2. Leb, C. (2013). Cooperation in the Law of Transboundary Water Resources. New York: Cambridge University Press.
    3. Leb, C. (2019). Implementation of the General Duty to Cooperate”, In: McCaffrey, Stephen C.; Leb, Christina and Riley T. Denoon (eds), Research Handbook on International Water Law. Cheltenham, Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
    4. McCaffrey, Stephen C (2001). the Law of International Watercourses. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    5. Tignino, M. (2018). “Water in the Practice of the United Nations Security Council: Trends and New Perspectives”, in: Tignino, Mara and Bréthaut, Christian and Laura Turley (eds), Research Handbook on Freshwater Law and International Relations, Cheltenham/ Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

     

    1. B) Articles
    2. Brown, O. (2005). The Environment and Our Security_ How Our Understanding of the Links Has Changed., International Conference on Environment, Peace and Dialogue among Civilizations, Tehran, May 9-10: 1-10.
    3. Elhance, A.P (2000). Hydropolitics: Grounds for Despair, Reasons for Hope. International Negotiation, 5, 201-222.
    4. Engerer, H. (2009). Security Economics: Definition and Capacity. Economics of Security Working Paper, 5, 2-28.
    5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2019). Land and Water Governance to Achieve the SDGs in Fragile Systems, Background Paper Prepared for the Plenary Session on Land and Water Governance., Cairo.
    6. Gleick, P. H (1993). Water and Conflict: Fresh Water Resources and International Security. International Security, 18(1), 79-112.
    7. Leb, Christina (2009). Changing Paradigms: The Impact of Water Securitization on International Water Law. IL Politico, 74, 2 (221).
    8. Leb, C. (2014). One Step at a Time: International Law and the Duty to Cooperate in the Management of Shared Water Resources. Water International, 40 (1).
    9. Magsig, Bjørn-Oliver (2020). Water Security: A Litmus Test for International Law. RECIEL. 29.
    10. Oranye, N. P. & Aremu, A. W. (2021). The Duty to Cooperate in State Interactions for the Sustainable Use of International Watercourses. Discover Sustainability, 2(45), 1-8.
    11. Soltani, R., & Moradi, M. (2017). The Evolution of the Concept of International Peace and Security in light of UN Security Council Practice (End of the Cold War-Until Now). Open Journal of Political Science, 7.
    12. Soubeyran, A., & Tomini, A. (2012). Water Shortages and Conflict”, Revue d'économie politique, 122.
    13. Wolf, Aron. T (1998). Conflict and Cooperation along International Waterways. Water Policy, 1, 2.
    14. Wolfers, A. (1962). Discord and Collaboration: Essays on International Politics, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
    15. Cooley, J.K (1984). The War over Water. Foreign Policy, 54, 3-26.

     

    1. C) Documents
    2. Climate Diplomacy (2018). “UN Security Council Holds First Debate on Climate and Security Since 2011”, retrieved 05/06/2019, from https://www.climate-diplomacy.org/news/un-security-council-holds-first-debate-climate-and-security-2011.
    3. Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development, )1992(.
    4. Guterres, António (2018). Remarks to Security Council on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: The Root Causes of Conflict- the Role of Natural Resources, UN Doc. S/ PV. 8372.
    5. ILA (1982). Rules on the Water Pollution in an International Drainage Basin, from Report of the Sixtieth Conference, Montreal Conference Report.
    6. Kofi, Annan (2005). Executive Summary: In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All (United Nations General Assembly). 2005, retrieved from: www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/pdfs/larger_freedom_exec_summary.pdf.
    7. Report of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Threats (2004), Challenges and Change, A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility, 2004.
    8. Report of the Security Council Commission established under Resolution 446 (1979). UN Doc. S/14268, (1980).
    9. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, (1992).
    10. Second World Water Forum (2000). “Ministerial Declaration of the Hague on Water Security in the 21st Century”.
    11. Stockholm Declaration, (1972).
    12. The Commission on Global Governance (1995). “Our Global Neighborhood”, Chapter Three—Promoting Security, Retrieved from: http://www.gdrc.org/u-gov/global-neighbourhood/chap3.htm.
    13. The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, (1975). Retrieved from: https://www.osce.org/helsinki-final-act?download=true.
    14. ul Haq, Mahbub (1997). Speaking at the Launch of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
    15. UN Doc. A/RES/2625, (1970).
    16. UN Doc. A/RES/64/692/Corr. 1: “Water, Peace and Security: Transboundary Water Cooperation (corrigendum)”, (2010).
    17. UN Doc. A/RES/64/692: “Water, Peace and Security: Transboundary Water Cooperation”, (2010).
    18. UN Doc. A/RES/66/290, (2012).
    19. UN Doc. S/23500, UN SCOR, 3046th Meeting: “Note by the President of Security Council”, (1992).
    20. UN Doc. S/PV/7818, (2016).
    21. UN Doc. S/PV/7959, (2017).
    22. UN Doc. S/RES/2417, (2018).
    23. UN Doc. S/RES/446, (1979).
    24. UN Doc. S/RES/465, (1980).
    25. UN Doc. S/RES/93, (1951).
    26. UN Doc: A/RES/70/1, (2015).
    27. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (1948).
    28. World Bank Group (2018). “MENA Development Report: Beyond Scarcity, Water Security in the Middle East and North Africa”.

     

    1. D) Websites
    2. English Oxford Living Dictionary. (n.d.), retrieved 20/10/2018, from: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/security.
    3. Golmohammadi, Vali (2021), Water Scarcity in the Middle East: Beyond an Environmental Risk”, Observer Research Foundation, retrieved 2022. 05. 25, from: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/water-scarcity-middle-east-beyond-environmental-risk/#_edn2.
    4. Jerome, Sara (2015), “A Brief History of Water Conflict”, Water Online, retrieved from https://www.wateronline.com/doc/a-brief-history-of-water-conflict-0001.

     

    References In Persian:

    1. A) Books
    2. Dadmehr, H. (2015). Accreditation in International Law and International Relations. Tehran: Majd Publication Institute (In Persian).
    3. Rashidi, M. (2020). Water Security in International Law. Tehran: Majd Public Institute, First Edition (In Persian).
    4. Sotudeh, M. Theories of International Relations, An Introduction to Transcendent International Relations.Tehran: Publishing Organization of the Institute of Islamic Culture and Thought, First Edition (In Persian).
    5. Vakil, A. S. (2013). Human Rights, International Peace & Security. Tehran: Majd Publication Institute, Second Edition (In Persian).

     

    1. B) Articles
    2. Abbasi Ashlaghi, M. (2004). The Analysis of Security in the Prevailing Paradigms of International Relations”, Stratejic Studies Quarterly, 7(25), 525-549 (In Persian).
    3. Ashrafi, Dariush (2015). New Interpretation on Peace and International Security and Its Influence on the National Sovereignty. Public Law Research, 15 (42), 83-109 (In Persian).
    4. Askary, P., & Khosravy, Y.(2017). International Law and the Necessity & Importance of Peace Studies. International Relations Research, 6(22), 237-266 (In Persian).
    5. Dawood Mahmud, S., & Salih Waladbagi, A.A. (2022). The Principle of Cooperation in the Use of International Watercourses, with Emphasis on Iran-Iraq International Watercourses. Public Law Studies Quarterly, Vol. 51(4), 1459-1486. Doi, 10.22070/IWS.2012.70 (In Persian).
    6. Ebrahimi, S., Sotoodeh, A. A., & Sheikhoon, E. (2014). A Comparative Study of Islam’s Security Approach with Realistic, Liberal Security Approach. Journal of Political Society of Islamic World, 2 (4), 1-28 (In Persian).
    7. Eslami, Reza and Mortazavi fard, Fatemeh (2015). “Freedom from Fear”, Public Law Research, 16(46), 39-79 (In Persian).
    8. Fazaeli, M., & Rashidi, M. (2019). Examination of States' Obligation to Water Security in International Law. Journal of Legal Studies, 11(2), 193-224 (In Persian).
    9. Ghoreishi, S. Z., Mianabadi, H., & Mousavi Shafaee, S. M. (2019). The Role of Power in Water Diplomacy”, Iran-Water Resources, 15(2), 242-264 (In Persian).
    10. Mianabadi, H., & Ghoreishi, S. Z. (2022). Realism and Liberalism Paradigms in Hydro-political Interactions. International Quarterly of Geopolitics, 18(65), 150-186 (In Persian).
    11. Poorhashemi, S. A., Zarei, S., & Khalatari, Y. (2013). The Cooperation Priciple in International Environmental Law. Public Law Research, 15(39), 61-90 (In Persian).
    12. Qasemi, M. A. (2006). Human Security: Conceptual Bases and Strategic Requirements. Strategic Studies Quarterly, 8(30), 817-833 (In Persian).
    13. Ranjbar Heidari, V., & Jamshidi, E. (2016). Studying the Concept of Environmental Security with an Overview of the Challenges of Environmental in Iran. the Socio-Cultural Research Journal of Rahbord, 5(4), 199-231 (In Persian).
    14. Rashidi, M., Maleki Rad, Z., & Mashhadi, A. (2021). Use of the Water as a Weapon in the West Asia Armed Conflicts from the Perspective of the International Law. International Conference on: International Law and Armed Conflicts in the West Asia, Iran: Qom, 21 and 22th October (In Persian).
    15. Sharifi Tarazkouhi, H., & Mostafa lu, J.(2017). Normative Foundations of the Human Security Doctrine. Security Horizons, 9(33), 105-142 (In Persian).
    16. Vahidi Rad, M. (2014). The Theory of Interdependence and Its Application in Contemporary Iranian History. Kheradnameh, 2(10), 99-114 (In Persian).
    17. Yazdanfam, M. (2008). Developments in the Concept and Theories of International Security. Strategic Studies Quarterly, 10(38), 725-750 (In Persian).

     

    1. C) Websites
    2. Abutalebi, F. (2016). “Water and Security through the Lens of Politics”, Faratab, retrieved 2019. 03.27 from: http://www.faratab.com/news/4051 (In Persian).

    22. Cole, K., & Graham, D. (2015). “A Link Between the Middle East Climate Change and ISIS”, Translated By: Ebrahimi, Atefeh, Humanities Translation, retrieved 05.07.2021 from: http://tarjomaan.com/neveshtar/7383(In Persian).

Public Law Studies Quarterly
Volume 54, Issue 3
Autumn 2024
Autumn 2024
Pages 1907-1930

  • Receive Date 04 April 2022
  • Revise Date 29 May 2022
  • Accept Date 11 September 2022

Home

Journal Process Ethics

Peer Review Process

Submission

Indexing and Abstracting

Contact Us