Digital publication of the opening lecture by Pr Laurence Boisson de Chazournes

Laurence Boisson de Chazournes

Water in international law : between singularity and plurality

Essential to human life and activity, freshwater has become a concern of international law. Its regulation, initially devoted to rivers shared by several States, has gradually shifted to other sources of water. Today, the increasing scarcity of water, the need for a sustainable distribution of its uses, its use as a weapon of war, its vulnerability to environmental degradation and the prevention of disputes are all issues that call for the mobilization and reinforcement of international law.

Boisson de Chazournes L., L'Eau en droit international : entre singularité et pluralité, Paris, Collège de France, coll. " Leçons inaugurales ",^no 317, 2023.

Laurence Boisson de Chazournes is Professor of International and Organizational Law at the University of Geneva. An expert on numerous official bodies, she is also an arbitrator and advocate at the International Court of Justice. She is visiting professor at the Collège de France's annual Avenir Commun Durable chair (2022-2023), created with the support of the Collège de France Foundation and its major sponsors the Covéa Foundation and TotalEnergies.