ACTU : The implications of the armed conflict against Hezbollah for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

Mara TIGNINO 

Since the war in Lebanon in 2006, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah are common in South Lebanon. However, since October 2024, these clashes have escalated to the intensity of an armed conflict with an increased number of civilians killed in Israel and Lebanon. On 9 October 2024, the Ministry of Health of Lebanon reported that Israeli attacks in Lebanon had killed at least 2,141 people, including 127 children. According to Amnesty International, Hezbollah has also launched thousands of rockets and missiles at towns in northern Israel, killing at least 16 civilians.

OUVRAGE : M. Tignino, Ö. Irmakkesen, The Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure: An Assessment and the Way Forward

Mara TIGNINO, Öykü IRMAKKESEN

Attacks against water infrastructure and their weaponization have hit the headlines several times in recent armed conflicts. As opposed to the protection of water per se as a natural resource and as a vital human need which is dealt with rather extensively in doctrine, the protection of water infrastructure requires greater scrutiny. This monograph includes the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure, drafted in 2019 under the auspices of the Geneva Water Hub, bringing together rules regulating the protection of water infrastructure under international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international environmental law and international water law. It aims at providing a holistic approach to the issue by clarifying international obligations and developing recommendations in the form of principles.

OUVRAGE : L. Boisson de Chazournes, M.M. Mbengue, M. Tignino, K. Sangbana (eds.), The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses: A Commentary

Laurence BOISSON de CHAZOURNES, Makane Moïse MBENGUE, Mara TIGNINO, Komlan SANGBANA 

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses plays a crucial role in protecting and managing international watercourses and other sources of fresh water. Boisson de Chazournes, Mbengue, Tignino, and Sangbana head a team of experts in this Commentary, examining the travaux préparatoires leading to the Convention and the practice that has developed since the adoption of the Convention in 1997. Tackling the rationale and objectives of the provisions, they offer crucial insights to the Convention's impact on the development of a universal regime for shared water resources.

OUVRAGE : M. Tignino, Water During and After Armed Conflicts: What Protection in International Law?

Mara TIGNINO

In The Protection of Water During and After Armed Conflicts: What Protection in International Law?, Mara Tignino offers an analysis of the principles and rules protecting water in situations of armed conflicts. The monograph also gives insights on the legal mechanisms open to individuals and communities after a conflict. Practice of international organizations and judicial decisions are examined in order to define the contours of the norms dealing with armed conflicts and post-conflict situations.

OUVRAGE : L. Boisson de Chazournes, Mara Tignino (eds.), International Water Law

Laurence BOISSON DE CHAZOURNES & Mara TIGNINO

This collection brings together writings from leading water law experts around the world to assess the law applicable to the uses, management and protection of water resources. Exploring the diverse aspects of this, from human rights to international economic law and peace and security, International Water Law comprehensively covers the multi-level facets of water resource management and protection in its wider scope.

A must for all international water law academics, researchers and practitioners, this title includes all the seminal articles in the area and an original introduction by the editors to provide an invaluable and essential research tool.

OUVRAGE : M. Tignino, K. Sangbana (eds.), Public Participation and Water Resources Management: Where Do We Stand in International Law?

Mara TIGNINO & Komlan SANGBANA

Le principe de la participation du public joue un rôle crucial dans la gestion des ressources naturelles. Il a contribué à façonner les droits des individus et des communautés locales dans la gestion et la protection des ressources en eau partagées. Le principe de la participation du public a été consacré dans plusieurs instruments internationaux tels que la Déclaration de Rio sur l’environnement et le développement et l’Agenda 21. La Convention d’Aarhus de 1998 sur l'accès à l'information, la participation du public au processus décisionnel et l'accès à la justice en matière d'environnement a été déterminant dans l’élaboration de son contenu. Le Protocole sur l’eau et la santé de 1999 à la Convention sur la protection et l’utilisation des cours d’eau transfrontières et des lacs internationaux de 1992, quant à lui, a contribué à souligner l’importance de la transparence du processus décisionnel. Les accords sur les ressources en eau transfrontières incluent de plus en plus souvent ce principe dont les contours peuvent varier d’une commission de bassin à une autre.

ACTU : Près de 140 Etats s'entendent pour limiter les dangers du mercure

Mara TIGNINO

La Convention sur le mercure a été adoptée le 19 janvier à Genève, après une semaine d'intenses négociations, par les quelque 140 Etats présents. Cet accord permettra de réduire les émissions de mercure très toxiques pour la santé et l'environnement au niveau mondial. 

OUVRAGE : L. Boisson de Chazournes , C. Leb , M. Tignino (eds.), International Law And Freshwater. The Multiple Challenges

Mara TIGNINO

Freshwater management is a highly relevant topic of international debate. The increase in water demand caused by population growth and industrial development has rendered hydrologic challenges more complex. Not all water uses compete with each other and many can be satisfied simultaneously, such as the development of infrastructure that generates hydropower and that provides water for food production (irrigation) and flow regulation for navigation. Yet, consumptive water demands that utilize or transform water in a way so that it can no longer be applied to other uses stand in direct competition with each other, such as in cases where biodiversity and individuals have to make space for large infrastructure projects. Such changes to the hydrologic balance that result from human use eventually require new methods and solutions to counter their negative medium- to long-term effects. These challenges are further compounded by the impacts of climate change on the global water cycle requiring new adaptation strategies still. Human interventions in the water flow frequently produce also transboundary impacts. These international effects and the consumptive nature of certain water uses make agreements between States on the utilization of shared water resources necessary.