INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR WATER LAW (AIDA)

www.aida-waterlaw.org

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

AIDA Announces Winners of Inaugural Water Law Excellence Awards

The only international awards dedicated to recognising excellence in water law honour three distinguished recipients

Rome/Oslo — April 2026 — The International Association for Water Law (AIDA) today announced the recipients of the inaugural AIDA Water Law Excellence Awards, the first and only international awards programme dedicated exclusively to recognising outstanding contributions to water law at all levels of governance. The awards will be formally presented at the AIDA World Water Law Congress, hosted by the University of Oslo, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and the Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA) in Oslo, Norway, on 24–26 June 2026, under the theme “Water Law and Governance in Times of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss.”

Joint Recipients: AIDA Global Water Law Excellence Award

The jury unanimously awarded the AIDA Global Water Law Excellence Award jointly to Professor Patricia Wouters and Dr. Salman M.A. Salman. Professor Wouters, previously at the University of Dundee and then Founding Director of the International Water Law Academy at the University of Wuhan, China, is recognised for her academic leadership and doctrinal influence in transboundary water law, water security, and international cooperation. Dr. Salman, former Lead Counsel at the World Bank, is recognised for his operational impact in water law reform, institutional development, and the negotiation of international agreements. The jury concluded that both candidates had reached an equivalent and exceptional level of achievement, representing two complementary dimensions of excellence.

Recipient: AIDA Early-Career Water Law Award

The jury unanimously selected Eloïse Pelletier, a legal professional specialising in environmental protection and water in armed conflict, who holds an LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights with highest honours. Her research on the protection of water resources in conflict contexts was recognised for its originality, rigour, and relevance.

About the Awards and the Selection Process

The AIDA Water Law Excellence Awards are the only international awards programme focused exclusively on water law, broadly defined and at all levels of governance. They are open to all professionals regardless of AIDA membership. Nominations were evaluated through a rigorous, multi-stage process overseen by an independent Awards Committee and scored by expert juries based on predefined criteria.

About AIDA

The International Association for Water Law (AIDA) is a global community of lawyers and non-lawyers active in the field of freshwater resources, dedicated to advancing knowledge, dialogue, and the evolution of water law and governance at all levels. For more information, visit www.aida-waterlaw.org.

Media Contact

International Association for Water Law  |  info@aida-waterlaw.org  |  www.aida-waterlaw.org

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The University of Geneva  and the Geneva Water Hub are  inviting water professionals to apply for the 9th edition of their Certificate of Advanced Studies in Water Governance: Frameworks and Negotiations (22 June - 3 July, 2026, Geneva). 

In a world facing increasing environmental, climatic, and political challenges, the effective management of water resources is more critical than ever. This blended, modular programme is designed for professionals acting at strategic levels who wish to anticipate, innovate, and lead in the field of water policy and governance.

Programme Details:

Dates: June 22 to July 3, 2026

Location: Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Application Deadline: April 21, 2026

Format: A blended programme comprising one MOOC, four face-to-face thematic modules, and a final thesis (10 ECTS credits).

The number of participants is limited to 15 to ensure a high-quality, interactive learning experience. For more information, please consult https://www.unige.ch/formcont/en/courses/caswatergovernance

As noted in the December 2025 issue of AquaForum, we regret to announce that our dear colleague and friend, Prof. Paul Stanton Kibel, passed away this past November 2025. For more than a decade he was involved with, and committed to, our Association, and took up the position of Projects Chair of the AIDA Executive Council with great results.

He participated (as a presenter) at two World Water Congresses (Recife, Brazil and Edinburgh, Scotland) for which AIDA organized the law track panels. He also contributed a chapter on dams and fisheries to The Greening of Water Law Handbook that AIDA produced for the United Nations Environment Programme. Paul was Water and Natural Resource Counsel at the Water and Power Law Group PC. He was Professor Emeritus at Golden Gate University School of Law, where he had taught Water Law and California Environmental & Natural Resources Law, and co-directed the Golden Gate University Center on Urban Environmental Law. He was also a Visiting Professor in Water Law at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. Prior to joining the Water and Power Law Group, Paul was a partner with the water and natural resource practice group at Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley LLP, and worked for the California State Coastal Conservancy’s Office of Counsel and Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund. He previously co-chaired the Natural Resources Subsection of the California State Bar Real Property Section, and served as a faculty advisor to the California Water Law Symposium. His publications include the books Rivertown: Rethinking Urban Rivers (MIT Press, 2007) and Riverflow: The Right to Keep Water Instream (Cambridge University Press, 2020), and articles on water law in the Stanford Environmental Law Journal, Ecology Law Quarterly, Virginia Environmental Law Journal and Berkeley Journal of International Law. Dear Paul, you will be greatly missed!!!

The deadline for the submission of nominations for the Global Water Law Excellence Award 2026 has been extended to 30 January, 2026.

AIDA is pleased to launch the 2026 edition of the Global Water Law Excellence Awards, recognising outstanding contributions to national, regional, and international water law. Two categories are open:

• Senior Award – for lifetime or high-impact achievements
• Early-Career Award – for exceptional emerging scholarship

Professionals, academics, institutions, and early-career researchers are warmly invited to nominate themselves or colleagues.

Deadline: 10 January 2026
Full details and nomination forms: aida-waterlaw.org/awards

Please feel free to share within your networks.

Webinar: Water Policies to Support Investment in Human Rights & Nature

23rd July 2025 | 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM GMT

Register Here

Human Right 2 Water is co-hosting with the African Development Bank and the Water Research Commission. Throughout this webinar we will hear from project managers from both organisations, and it will explore how the human rights-based approach (HRBA) principles can be integrated practically to protect both people and ecosystems.

What to Expect:

• Practical strategies for integrating HRBA in project design and policy-making
• Real-world case studies from across Africa
• Insights from leading water engineers and researchers

The International Association for Water Law (AIDA) and the Permanent Forum for Binational Waters (PFBW) are proud to announce the release of their joint Policy Brief: Emerging Policy Themes for Interconnected Waters: Integrated Approaches for the Connection Between Surface Water and Groundwater.

This publication by the AIDA and PFBW joint Environment Working Group for Law Policy addresses one of today’s most critical water governance challenges—the disconnection between hydrological systems and regulatory frameworks for surface water and groundwater.

Drawing directly from the two series of expert Coffee Breaks hosted in November and December 2024—“Hydrologic Realities and Delusions at the Domestic Level” and “Hydrologic Realities and Delusions at the International Transboundary Basin Level”—the Policy Brief distills the core insights, debates, and recommendations that emerged during these events.

It integrates diverse perspectives from global water experts and provides actionable insights for national and transboundary water policy. Both event recordings are available on the PFBW YouTube channel.

As water scarcity intensifies across many regions, the report calls for an overhaul of outdated legal models that manage groundwater and surface water as separate entities. It delves into urgent topics such as recharge zones, data interoperability, land use regulation, sovereignty, and international legal gaps.

Co-authored by Paul Stanton Kibel, Raquel Neri Barranco, Rosario Sanchez, and Gabriel Eckstein —renowned experts in water law and governance— the report highlights the importance of coordinated, science-informed strategies to ensure water security across the U.S.–Mexico border and other transboundary regions.

This collaborative work reflects the mission of AIDA and PFBW joint Environment Working Group for Law Policy to align scientific knowledge with legal frameworks and institutional action.

It is an essential resource for decision-makers, researchers, and civil society stakeholders shaping the future of water governance.

The full report is downloadable in both English and Spanish here.

Recording of the joint AIDA-GWH webinar on the status of the Indus Water Treaty is now available online

On 10th July 2025, The International Association for Water Law and the Geneva Water Hub hosted a webinar on "India's Suspension of the Indus Water treaty: Underlying Causes and Consequences for Pakistan."  The webinar recording is now available online here. 

The webinar speakers included:

• Dr. Salman M.A. Salman - Former Lead Counsel and Water Law Advisor, The World Bank; Distinguished Honorary Member and Fellow, International Water Resources Association
• Dr. Mara Tignino - Senior Lecturer, University of Geneva and Senior International Law Specialist, Platform for International Water Law, Geneva Water Hub
  
• Dr. Kishor Uprety - Former Senior Legal Adviser, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Former Senior Lawyer, The World Bank

The program was moderated by: Paul Kibel - Professor Emeritus of Water Law, Golden Gate University School of Law; Water and Natural Resource Counsel, Water and Power Law Group