The evolving framework for transboundary cooperation in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe focus of this paper is the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, shared by Egypt, Chad, Sudan and Libya, and the agreements and other instruments of cooperation in place among the four countries. These combined instruments bear witness to an evolutionary pattern of cooperation, centred on procedural norms and on a joint institution. In the author’s opinion, the four countries should strive to attain a more mature level of cooperation covering substantive norms and the settlement of disputes. The author recommends the UN Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers (2008) as a basis for such an agreement.