[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] Ladies and gentlemen. Hello. This sequence will focus on the importance of the practice of notification and consultation over any measures planned along a transboundary watercourse. So I have already spoken about the principle of cooperation and the extremely important role that it plays in water management. You will remember that, according to the formula used by the International Court of Justice, water is a shared resource. So, this obligation to cooperate, as you know, the obligation to cooperate has different facets. And one of the facets is that for any planned measure intended by a State, whether it is a dam, an irrigation station or an industrial installation, the State must notify the other riparian States. The idea is that all riparian States should be notified before the project is authorised so that they can evaluate any potential damage to the watercourse. This is the the ultimate information transmission tool and is a means of cooperation which has an important role in preventing damage to the environment and damage to transboundary watercourses. Once notification has taken place, other riparian States will consider the information provided and will raise any concerns and enter into consultations or negotiations. We will look at this in another sequence. So when we talk about notification and consultation, I think we should turn to the reference legal instrument: the 1997 Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. This Convention has made it possible to codify and to develop certain aspects of the practice of notification and consultation. The list of provisions is exhaustive and is important for understanding notification and consultation. If I go back to notification, what does that mean? This means that any State considering a planned measure (as it is called in the 1997 Convention) will have to inform the other riparian States. Even if the planned measure will be carried out by a private actor, this is still the case. The private actor will not notify the other riparian states. This would be done by the State (the State who wishes to authorise the measure) and they will transmit this information to the other riparian States. That is one aspect I would like to emphasize. Ultimately, the State has to give notification about any proposed measure or planned project. And again, I think that the rule codified in the 1997 Convention is important. It states: these are the measures likely to produce, to cause significant damage. So you see there is a threshold of severity. Damage is possible and as such there is a severity threshold beyond which there should be a notification. And the obvious next question is, what constitutes significant damage? And this is a difficulty encountered in water law, encountered in international environmental law. And it is true, points of view differ on this concept. Here we see how important lists are. For example, which planned measures are likely to cause, to have harmful effects at a significant, substantial level? This allows us to understand when notification needs to occur. We also see the importance of the standards agreed on by the States of an international watercourse. For example, knowing which measure might produce significant damage or which could cause significant damage. Another aspect that I would like to emphasize is the fact that the State wishing to authorise the project or planned measure will have to notify the other riparian States. However, what happens if the State doesn't do this? Then the jurisprudence (notably the arbitral tribunal in the Lake Lanoux case) clearly says that the State that should be notified has the right to request that the State contemplating authorization communicates and provides the necessary information. In the Lake Lanoux example, between Spain and France, this was the case. France said: This is a project located in my territory and therefore, I will not notify Spain. But the arbitral tribunal said: No. Spain has the right to be notified, Spain has the right to request notification from France. This arbitral sentence from 1957 is very significant when trying to understand the principles behind notification and consultation. So, the rules are important. What type of information should be given to the other riparian States? Take a look at the provisions of the 1997 Convention. Here it says that all the important technical information related to the planned measure must be communicated. So that's an important aspect. Another aspect concerns any possible societal damage or environmental damage and in these cases, among the information in the notification, there must be an environmental impact assessment report. This point is underlined by the 1997 Convention but it was truly established by the International Court of Justice in its judgment on the pulp mills. A notification had to be made by Uruguay to Argentina and Argentina demanded to see the impact study. And the court said, well yes, the impact study has to be transmitted to the riparian States at the same time as the notification. So you see, there is a whole set of rules. Another aspect must be stressed about notification. Up until now, I have only spoken bilaterally or plurilaterally, referring to how the notifying State relates to the other riparian States. If there is a basin organization, the notification can be done through the basin organization and then the collective body can disseminate information to other riparian States. An example of this procedure taking place through a basin organization is the Mekong River Basin Treaty. Now we have spoken about the notification system, and you understand that once the riparian States receive the notification they are able to study, analyze the information received. Eventually, they can communicate their concerns to the State behind the planned measure. Once these concerns are communicated, the State behind the planned measure will be able to enter into consultations, or even conduct negotiations with the States who raised concerns. The legal aspects of the consultation and negotiation process will be dealt with in a seperate sequence which will be presented by Mr. Komlan Sangbana. I will conclude this sequence by stressing to you the importance of notification. It is one facet of cooperation, cooperation which is necessary between riparian States. Notification, and I think this should be pointed out, is really an instrument for preventing possible harm to rivers or damage to the environment. And it is always important to remember what was said by the International Court of Justice in its judgement on the Pulp Mills when it spoke of this pivotal prevention role, the role played by notification. Thank you. MUSIC