Knowledge Base on International and National Water Laws
International Water Law
National Water Law of Central Asian Countries
Documents of National and International Water Law
ICWC’s Activities in the Field of Water Law

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Knowledge Base “International and National Water Law”

International water law concerns the rights and obligations that exist, primarily between States, for the management of transboundary water resources. Such legal rules and principles are dedicated to preventing conflict and promoting cooperation of shared water resources

International water law has evolved and crystallized through state practice and the codification and progressive development efforts undertaken by the United Nations and private institutions. The treaty practice in this area encompasses a broad range of instruments, from general agreements (which provide basic principles for water resource development) to specific ‘contractual’ type legal and technical arrangements (which set forth detailed operational schemes).

While water users compete for the same resource and struggle for increasing control, they also need to cooperate if they want to make effective use of water and sustain the water’s quantity and quality in the long run. This often occurs in ‘pluralistic’ legal contexts, where formal and informal normative systems sometimes clash.

The Knowledge base contains the generalized information about the international water law and national water laws of the Central Asian states.


International Water Law

General questions of Water Law

Global Water Conventions

Organizational framework and public participation

Development of the International Water Law in regions

Example of the Aral Sea basin

Aral Sea basin: a view from the outside

Prevention and settlement of disputes

Water conflicts at the interstate level and tools for resolving those

Right to Water


National Water Law of Central Asian Countries

Water Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Water Law of the Kyrgyz Republic

Water Law of the Republic of Tajikistan

Water Law of the Turkmenistan

Water Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Ecological aspects of Water Law in Central Asia


Documents of National and International Water Law

General and regional instruments

Guidelines on Water Related Issues

Binding and non-binding instruments in Central Asia region

National water legislation





ICWC’s Activities in the Field of Water Law

Seminars of ICWC Training Center on legal themes

Publications of Scientific-Information Center ICWC on legal themes


 CAWater-Info / Knowledge Base /

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