Participation in Conferences
Platform members regularly participate in international conferences and regional expert meetings. These include, among others, the technical program of the 2010 UNESCO-ISARM Conference on Transboundary Aquifersand the 2011 XIVth IWRA World Water Congress, in which Alessandra Franca, Mara Tignino et Christina Leb participated. Additionally, Mara Tignino participated in a discussion on “Water and International Conflicts” organised by the United Nations Library in February 2011 and Badr Zerdhoud was invited to participate in the Research Forum of the American Society of International Law in November 2011.
Christina Leb also participated in the 12th International Specialised Conference organised by the International Water Association on Watershed and River Basin Management in September 2011. She gave presentations on “The Role of International Law in Cooperation Dynamics” at the 2009 Stockholm World Water Week, and on the question “Is Transboundary Water Law ready for Climate Change” at the 2008 IWA World Water Congress. Mara Tignino also participated in the roundtable on the topic of a “Rights based approach in emergencies: limits and opportunities” at the 5th World Water Forum in 2009.
Furthermore, Mara Tignino presented at several regional conferences, including on the topic of “Rethinking the Legal Protection of Water in Occupied Territories” at the “Water: Values & Rights” Conferencein Ramallah in April 2009, on “Conflict and Cooperation in the Management of Freshwater Resources” at the Bright Conference on “Food & Water: An Increasing Challenge” at the University of Milanin August 2009, and on “Le principe de la participation publique dans la gestion des eaux transfrontières: un principe à géométrie variable” at the University of Laval in October 2009. In September 2010, Mara Tignino participated in a Panel on the Convention on the Law on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses organised by WWF and Green Cross International at the World Water Week in Stockholm. In September 2014, Mara Tignino was invited to speak at the first public Symposium on “International Accountability Mechanisms” organised by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development held in London.
In April 2015, Mara Tignino collaborated with Green Cross International and UNESCO at the 7th World Water Forum, held in Daeugu in South Korea. She participated in the session on « Water Justice and Cooperation : Perspectives and Frameworks for Fostering Cultural Diversity, Society and Nature ». In May 2015, Christina Leb and Mara Tignino also participated in the World Water Congress held in Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. They were invited to intervene in the sessions on « Equity and Water: Questions of Access and Benefit-Sharing », « Getting the Best Out of the Global Water Conventions » and « Incorporating the Science Evidence Base into Water Policy and Law : Catchment, National and Transboundary Challenges and Perspectives ».
In May 2010, Laurence Boisson de Chazournes gave the key note speech at the “Conferência da Terra - Fórum Internacional do Meio Ambiente”, which was held at the Centro de Convenções de Pernambuco in Brazil, and at the conference on the “Right to Water and Water Rights in a Changing World” organised by the Institute for Water Education in Delft in September 2010. She was also invited to participate in the conference “The Environment and Human Rights: the International Community’s Responses to Emerging Local and Global Challenges” held at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington DC in September 2011. In March 2015, she was also invited as a keynote speaker to the Conference on “Managing the Globalization of Sanitation and Water Services: ‘Blue Gold’ Regulatory and Economic Challenges” at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
