4.3.1. Le droit à l'eau et la participation du public

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En provenance du cours de University of Geneva

Droit International de l'Eau Douce

18 notes

University of Geneva

Droit International de l'Eau Douce

18 notes

Au cours des dernières décennies, le droit international a connu des développements majeurs afin de tenir compte des multiples facettes que revêt la gestion et la protection des eaux douces. L’adoption d’instruments universels, régionaux et de bassins souligne l’importance d’étudier l’évolution de la réglementation internationale relative à l’eau et d’identifier les grands principes en ce domaine. Aussi, ce cours vise à offrir les bases nécessaires pour appréhender et examiner la régulation qui s’applique eaux douces transfrontières notamment aux fleuves, aux lacs et aux aquifères. Il présente les principes et les normes juridiques qui régissent l’utilisation, le partage, la gestion et la protection de ces ressources. Le MOOC est composé de 5 modules pouvant être visualisés dans un ordre quelconque, car abordant chacun un thème différent. Cependant, l’ordre des modules suit une certaine logique pédagogique et facilite la compréhension du MOOC pour des personnes ne connaissant pas le sujet. Chaque module s’accompagne d’un questionnaire d’évaluation/quiz. Le MOOC suivra un parcours unique donnant droit à un certificat pour les apprenants ayant obtenu une moyenne supérieure à 80% aux quiz. A la fin du cours, l’apprenant sera à même entre autres : 1) de décrire les enjeux liés à la régulation des eaux douces transfrontières ; 2) d’expliquer l’évolution de la réglementation internationale relative aux eaux douces transfrontières ; 3) de rappeler et d’interpréter les principes et les règles qui régissent la régulation des ressources en eau ; 4) de comprendre le rôle des mécanismes de règlement des différends liés aux eaux douces transfrontières dans le développement du droit international de l’eau douce (ou de comprendre le rôle des cours et tribunaux internationaux dans la résolution des conflits sur l’eau douce) Ce MOOC a été développé par la Plateforme pour le droit international de l’eau douce qui fait partie du Pôle Eau de Genève. Il a été accompagné par la Cellule MOOC de l’Université de Genève. A côté des chercheurs et des enseignants de la Plateforme, plusieurs experts internationaux ont également participé. Ce MOOC fait partie des trois cours soutenu par le Pôle Eau Genève et l’Université de Genève en compagnie des MOOCs en « Gestion et politique de l’eau » (www.coursera.org/learn/gestioneau) et en « Services écosystémiques : une méthode pour le développement durable » (www.coursera.org/learn/ecosystem-services). Ce cours est financé par le Programme Global Eau de la Direction du développement et de la coopération suisse (DDC).

À partir de la leçon

Module 4: Les principes du droit relatif aux eaux douces transfrontières II

Ce module explique le contenu des principes généraux qui régissent le partage des eaux et de la réglementation relative aux mesures projetées sur les eaux douces transfrontières. Il rappelle les fondements théoriques et le contenu du principe de l’utilisation équitable et raisonnable, de l’obligation de ne pas causer de dommages significatifs et du principe de coopération. Les contours des règles relatives à la notification, à la consultation et à la négociation en cas de mesures projetées sont examinés. L’interaction entre ces principes sera aussi présentée. Un quiz clôturera ce module et équivaudra à 25% de la note finale. Pour le réussir, vous devez avoir au moins 80% de réponses correctes.

4.3.1. Le droit à l'eau et la participation du public9:41

4.3.2. Etude de cas: La participation du public dans le cadre de la Commission mixte internationale (Etats-Unis/Canada)7:06

Rencontrer les enseignants

Laurence Boisson de Chazournes
Professor
Department of Public International Law and International Organization, Faculty of Law
Makane Moïse Mbengue
Professor
Faculty of Law and Institute of Environmental Sciences
Mara Tignino
Reader
Department of Public International Law and International Organization, Faculty of Law
Komlan Sangbana
Associate Researcher
Faculty of Law and Institute of Environmental Sciences

[MUSIC] [MUSIC]

[MUSIC] The rights of

individuals and communities and their consideration within the management and protection of

transboundary water resources are linked to an "evolutive" interpretation

and application of international water law.

The right to water was acknowledged, was affirmed,

was defined in General Comment No. 15

adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2002.

Which elements constitute the right to water?

First, there is availability. This means that

water must be

sufficiently and constantly available to individuals and local communities.

Next we have water quality.

The quality must be safe, must not affect the health of the population.

And a third element is accessibility.

Accessibility is linked to the fact

that a well should not be too far from workplaces,

schools or homes.

In the context of accessibility,

there is also economic accessibility, linked to the price of water.

The State is therefore asked to protect its

poorest people and to guarantee access, to exercise the right to water.

The third element of accessibility is about access to information.

Individuals and the local communities must have

access to information on water quality.

So, as I said, the original definition of the right to water,

was found in General Comment No. 15. However, access to water is also included in

other human rights conventions including the

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

the Convention on the Rights of the Child or the Convention

on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

So if we look at access,

the protection of water rights within the framework of human rights,

it is clear that the recognition of the right to water within

the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council in 2010 was very significant.

In addition to this, the right to water was recognised in

the original human rights law instruments and the right to

water is also part of international water law instruments.

In particular, the 1999 Protocol on Water and Health

makes reference to water supply access and to

access to sanitation services without endangering

health or the environment.

We also have the water charters adopted in West Africa.

The charters on the Senegal River, the Niger River

and on Lake Chad explicitly include the right to water.

If we analyse the universal framework,

especially the 1997 Convention,

there is no reference to the right to water

however, in the event of a conflict over use,

special attention must be given to the protection of vital human needs.

The same reference is also found in the Draft Articles on the Law of

Transboundary Aquifers where vital human needs are listed

as one of the criteria to be taken into account when sharing transboundary aquifers.

What are the obligations of States related to the right of water?

First of all, there are obligations « to respect ».

States must not do anything to prevent the right to water being exercised and

positive steps must be taken to protect the right to water.

Secondly, the obligations « to protect » where States

ensure that third parties do not interfere with the right to water

and finally, there are the obligations « to fulfill» that require States to put in place

national legislation which supports,

or does not not prevent, the exercise of the right to water.

An analysis of economic, social and cultural rights

shows that there are immediate obligations for States.

In particular, I must mention the principle of non-discrimination.

The State must guarantee access

based on the principle of equity and universality for the entire population,

and must protect the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

There is also an element of progressive realization,

the realization of the right to water often requires important financial resources

in order to allow access to water especially

in certain places such as rural communities.

There is also an element of justiciability to the right to water.

Indeed, the right to water has been affirmed by

regional human rights courts.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights

linked the protection of the right to water with

the rights of indigenous communities.

There are national cases in South Africa but also

in Botswana where access by indigenous peoples,

the Bushmen population, was recognised by the Court and

access to their ancestral lands and their right to water resources were protected.

So there is a clear link between the right to water and public participation.

There is a clear link between the

right to water and the right to public participation,

and this is included in procedural safeguards,

particularly related to information access,

but also access to justice in environmental matters,

and therefore the right of the population to be part of the

decision-making process for projects which may have an impact on the water

or on the health of the population, is recognised.

And in that context, I would like to mention Principle 10 of the

1992 Rio Declaration, which affirms the principle of public participation.

This principle of public participation was also codified in the

1998 Aarhus Convention on Access to Information.

Public participation was included in the decision-making process

and in the access to justice over environmental issues.

Another dimension of the principle of public participation is the importance of

the opinions of the local population on

projects which may affect water resources, namely

the obligation to conduct an environmental impact assessment study and

to mention the population in this study.

The opinion of the population must be taken into account.

And this can also prevent the risk of conflicts,

because the traditional knowledge of the population

can mean that water resources are saved from pollution

or new sites can be found to locate a project.

A third element in our analysis of the principle of

public participation relates to dispute settlement mechanisms.

Certain cases taken on by arbitral tribunals show how

the legal framework applicable to the dispute is linked to human rights considerations.

This shows just how important human rights and the right to water

are in the context of international economic law.

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