Latin America; in English (pdf) - Transboundary Freshwater Dispute ...

In the semi-arid “backlands” of Brazil’s northeast, severe droughts force farmers to relocate about once each decade. With his backyard
mandala farming system, Senhor José Correa, 52, subsistence farmer and ranch hand in the settlement of Santo Antônio de Cajazeira, can
produce a variety vegetables, herbs, fruit, poultry, and fish. Photo credit: CRS/Luiz Claudio Mattos/USAID.
of conservation while respecting the sovereignty
of each signatory nation (Ware 1980). The Treaty
itself has not been considered a success, because
there have been many difficulties in completing its
mandate, due in large part to little cooperation
between the basin-states (Samanez-Mercado
1990). With this in mind, in 2002, the Amazon
Cooperation Treaty Organization was created in
order to help implement the 1978 Treaty. Up to
2005, in its short existence, the organization has
worked to sign agreements between countries
and with the United Nations to address the
sustainable development of the region (Elias
2004). It is hoped that the creation of the
organization, using the underlying framework of
the Treaty, will help move the nations forward in
the goals of the original agreement.
Another aspect of the international treaty
system is to examine the votes to the United Nations
Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses
of International Watercourses, which was voted
upon by nations in a period between 1997 and
2000. Of the thirteen nations on the continent, no
one voted against the Convention nor was anyone
absent from the voting (see Map 7). Even though
some nations depend on water originating from
neighboring countries more than others do, they all
depend on this type of water to some extent (see
Map 6) and, as a result, would not vote against
an international treaty based on “no significant
harm” and “equitable utilization” (UN 1997).
3.2.2.3 Regional Efforts—South
American Technical Advisory
Committee (SAMTAC)
With such a high number of international river
basins carrying the majority of the water on the
continent, and all countries in South America
sharing freshwater with one or more countries, a
regional approach appears to be the most
effective way to manage the transboundary
waters. As regions share climatic, cultural, political,
social, and environmental similarities, there
is much to gain by working together. Basins
can learn from one another and apply experiences
from one basin to the next.
Regional approaches have been slow in
developing worldwide, however, and this shows
Chapter 3. Hydropolitical Vulnerability, South America — 59