Topic

International Conference on Freshwater Sustainable Governance and International Law

Dates

5–7 October 2026

Venue

IIM Calcutta, Joka Campus, Kolkata, India

Freshwater is the defining geopolitical, economic, and ecological issue of the 21st century, and nowhere are its legal challenges more acute than in Asia. Containing more than half of the world's population but facing severe water scarcity, the Asian continent is a critical arena for the development of international law governing shared transboundary rivers, lakes, and aquifers. The management of vital transboundary river systems and the compounding threats of climate change on basin hydrology are placing incredible strain on existing global legal frameworks.

From the hydro-politics of the Mekong, Indus, and Brahmaputra basins to the complex challenges of massive transboundary infrastructure, Asian states are actively generating distinct state practices, regional agreements, and diplomatic mechanisms to govern water resources. These regional developments frequently intersect—and sometimes conflict—with universalist regimes such as the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention and the 1992 UN Water Convention, highlighting a growing fragmentation between global codification and regional implementation.

This event will serve as an authoritative forum to explore how Asian states navigate the allocation, protection, and securitization of freshwater. We encourage participants to examine not only areas of legal contestation and fragmentation, but also the rich history of regional adaptation, institutional resilience, and unique cooperation mechanisms born across the continent. In doing so, the conference will give particular emphasis to the intersection of freshwater governance with sustainable development imperatives, situating legal debates within the broader framework of ecosystem protection, climate resilience, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

INDICATIVE THEMES

To guide potential participants, we suggest the following illustrative—but non-exhaustive—list of potential themes. We particularly encourage papers that center Asian state practice, regional jurisprudence, and continental legal frameworks:

  • Transboundary Freshwater Governance — The evaluation of bilateral and regional river treaties in Asia under stress; the legal rights and obligations of upstream versus downstream states; and the international law governing shared transboundary aquifers.
  • Human Rights, Displacement, and Environmental Justice — The codification and enforcement of the human right to water within Asian domestic and international legal contexts; and the legal protection of ecosystems and vulnerable populations displaced by large-scale transboundary water infrastructure.
  • Climate Change, Basin Hydrology, and the SDGs — The legal implications of shifting glacier melt, extreme weather events, and prolonged droughts on water allocation treaties; the formal integration of climate adaptation mechanisms into rigid, historical transboundary agreements; and the alignment of transboundary water governance with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG 13 (climate action)
  • Universality vs. Regionalism — The legal implications of recent accessions by Asian states to global instruments like the 1992 UN Water Convention, and how these developments interact with non-signatory riparians across shared river basins.
  • Hydropower, Infrastructure, and Investment — The regulatory interface between international water law and international economic law; international investment arbitration related to transboundary dams and water diversion projects; and the impact of foreign direct investment on basin ecosystems.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: By Invitation Only

Expression of Interest with Abstract - Approximately 300 -400 words, with a brief biographical note, indicating the theme addressed – may be submitted before 21 August 2026 to: waterlaw2026[at]iimcal[dot]ac[dot]in

Publication opportunities: Selected papers will be considered for the Asian Yearbook of International Law, the Encyclopaedia of Asian State Practice in International Law, and the Journal of Human Values.

Development of International Law in Asia (DILA) | Centre for Development and Environment (CDEP)
Centre for Management of Human Values (MCHV) | Public Policy and Management Group (PPM)