AIDA World Water Law Congress 2026
Water Law and Governance in Times of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
24 - 26 June 2026 | University of Oslo, Norway
Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
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Daily Overview |
| 7:59am | Please note: This programme is preliminary and subject to change. |
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| 8:30am - 9:00am |
Registration Location: Foyer of Domus Academica |
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| 9:00am - 9:55am |
Plenary Session 2: Plural Water Rights and Food Security of Disadvantaged Groups in the Context of Climate Change Location: Gamle Festsal Chair: Anne Hellum Participants: Mr. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo (Special rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water) Dr. Barbara van Koppen (IWMI), Dr. Patricia Kameri- Mbote (UNEP), Dr. Jessica Troell (ELI)
Commentator: Professor Bill Derman, NMBU |
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| 10:00am - 11:00am |
Plenary Session 3: Deep Ecology and the Future of Water Governance Location: Gamle Festsal Chair: Karen V. Lykke Participants: Professor Deborrah Curran (University of Victoria), Professor Jill Robbie (University of Glasgow), Professor Erik Gomez-Baggethun (NMBU) and Professor Gro Ween (University of Oslo) |
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| 11:00am - 11:20am |
Coffee Break Location: Hallway Domus Academica |
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| 11:20am - 12:50pm |
Special Session 4: How to Govern the Hydrological Cycle: Relevant Legal Frameworks and Emerging Issues Location: Gamle Festsal Chair: David Devlaeminck Christina Leb, Owen McIntyre, Ana Maria Daza Clark, Susanne Schmeier, Zaki Shubber and Mara Tignino
How to Govern the Hydrological Cycle: Relevant Legal Frameworks and Emerging Issues Presentations of the Symposium International Law and the Governance of the Global Hydrological Cycle International Water Law Beyond the Watercourse: Exploring the application of international water law erga omnes Consideration for the Hydrologic Cycle in Trade and Investment Law How to Institutionalize the Governance of the Global Hydrological Cycle? Dealing with the Uncertainty of the Hydrological Cycle Environmental modifications techniques for peaceful purposes : legal challenges |
A4: Securing Water in an Era of Scarcity & Geopolitical Change Location: Auditorium 4 Chair: Philippe Cullet Regulating Unsustainable Global Water Footprints and Transnational Corporate Water Use – Regime Interactions of International Water Law and Corporate Sustainability Legislation Water Security and Legal Uncertainty in selected countries of Latin America: Risks and Challenges of Recent Trends in Water Law "Sleeping with an Elephant": The Columbia and Beyond - Current Trends in International Water Governance, a Canadian Perspective Governing Water under Climate Uncertainty: Empirical Pathways toward Juridical Differentiation in Semi-Arid River Basins Water Resource Management in Israel: An Integrated Framework for sustainable management of resource scarcity |
B4: Justice-Driven Approaches to Water Governance: Equity, Rights, and Inclusion Location: Auditorium 5 Chair: Heping Dang Advancing Equitable Water Governance through Global Dialogue – Towards Principles for Responsible Governance of Water Tenure Breathing Life into the Human Right to Water and Sanitation: South Africa’s Constitutional Mandate and Pragmatic Reform Tools Reconciling Hydrologic Change, Water Use, and Biodiversity Protection: Gendered Dimensions of Fisheries Governance in Malawi Climate Justice and Transboundary Freshwater Governance in C40 Cities: Legal Pathways for Equitable and Sustainable Water Futures Climate justice and the Right to Water: Need for Decolonising Water Governance for Equitable and Inclusive Access and Allocations |
C4: Rethinking Water Governance: Markets, Participation, and Policy Innovation Location: Auditorium 6 Chair: François Touchais FAO’s water tenure assessment methodology as a legal analytical tool Popular participation and restoration of an exposed fjord Water as a Catalyst for Peace: Ethical Governance and Justice in Times of Climate Uncertainty The Water-Trade Connection: Tackling Water Insecurity through Virtual Water Trade Policy Changes to Lower Transaction Costs and Increase Prior Appropriation Water Transfers |
| 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
Lunch Break Location: University Library |
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| 2:00pm - 2:40pm |
Keynote 2: On global water issues from a scientific and policy perspective Location: Gamle Festsal Professor Jay Famiglietti, Arizona State University |
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| 2:50pm - 4:20pm |
Special Session 5: Strengthening Water Law through Collaborative Environmental Compliance Assurance Location: Gamle Festsal Chair: Eléonore Maitre-Ekern Uta Wehn, Gitte Kragh, Line Barkved,Neha Mungekar, Pauline Tawil, Steven Loiselle, and Sven Teurlincx
Strengthening Water Law through Collaborative Environmental Compliance Assurance Presentations of the Symposium N/A |
A5: Groundwater Governance in a Changing Climate: Bridging Local and Transboundary Challenges Location: Auditorium 4 Chair: Gabriel Eckstein Offshore Freshened Groundwater: Legal Ambiguities and Governance Pathways for Climate Change Adaptation From Principles to Practice: Closing Legal Gaps for Transboundary Aquifers in Southern Africa Can Local Groundwater Management Really Work? Integrating Law and Hydrogeology in the Governance of Transboundary Aquifers under Changing Conditions: Insights from the Guaraní Aquifer The State as a promoter of a tool for an integral management of water use in the economic sector and its transnational impact. |
B5: Safeguarding Biodiversity in Water Law: From Environmental Flows to Basin Governance Location: Auditorium 5 Chair: Juliane Albrecht "Comparative study of environmental flows: different approaches for similar problems" Mangrove Conservation for Climate Adaptation and Resilience: A Critical Assessment of Legislative, Administrative, and Judicial Action in India Judicial Water Conflicts in Chile (2015-2025): Legal Trends and Governance Lessons for a Thirsty World Water Law and Governance in Times of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss: Lessons from the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) |
C5: Multilevel Governance and Policy Coherence: Aligning Water, Biodiversity and Climate Location: Auditorium 6 Chair: Helle Tegner Anker The Role of Policy Coherence and Institutional Integration in Coastal Biodiversity Protection Calibrated Coupling at EU Borders: A Multi-Level Toolkit for Climate-Resilient Transboundary Water Governance Identifying obligations for Member States under EU marine nature conservation law for the protection of carbon-rich coastal ecosystems Global Review of Freshwater Ecosystem Conservation through a Multi-Governance Lens The role of law and governance in enabling a resilient and circular freshwater system |
| 4:20pm - 4:40pm |
Coffee Break Location: Hallway Domus Academica |
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| 4:40pm - 6:10pm |
Special Session 6: Sectoral water conflicts and water justice in South Asia – Multi-scalar aspects Location: Gamle Festsal Chair: Philippe Cullet Birsha Ohdedar, Lovleen Bhullar and Nate Palmer
Sectoral water conflicts and water justice in South Asia – Multi-scalar aspects Presentations of the Symposium Water Justice in South Asia – Need to address Sectoral Water Conflicts Multi-scalar conflicts – South Asian perspective Water security, human rights, and climate change in borderlands: The case of the two Punjabs Sectoral water conflicts: An ecological perspective |
A6: Working with Nature: Law and Governance for Ecosystem-Based Water Management Location: Auditorium 4 Chair: Amy Hardberger Integrating Nature-Based Solutions and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation into Water Governance: The Role of Forests and Natural Resources in Enhancing Climate Resilience and Biodiversity Conservation in South Asia Identifying Pathways and Navigating Barriers for Freshwater Landscape-Rehydration in Australia Scale challenges for sustainable water governance in federal rivers: A case study of the transboundary Colorado River Basin Water and Biodiversity in Tension: Towards Ecosystem-Based Management of Wetlands between Québec and Francophone Africa |
B6: Responding to Water Scarcity: Law, Policy Instruments, and Governance Approaches Location: Auditorium 5 Chair: Owen McIntyre Community Stewardship under State Ownership: Water Law and Governance in Rural Costa Rica Legal instruments for regulating water scarcity in Germany: Status quo and need for further development Mandatory Urban Landscape Water Conservation: Movements and Results Rethinking the Right to Water in Europe and Sustainable Consumption Managing Water Sustainably in the Era of Climate Change |
C6: Transboundary Water Governance in a Fragmented World: Law, Cooperation and Allocation Location: Auditorium 6 Chair: ROBYN STEIN Bringing Afghanistan In: Challenges to Water Cooperation in Amu Darya Basin Are Water Resources a “Common Concern of Humankind”? Exploring the Legal Notion and its Effects on the Law of International Watercourses Differing Legal and Institutional Pathways for Transboundary Water Justice: exploring the law-science interface in courts versus implementation committees DROUGHT MANAGEMENT THROUGH HYDROLOGICAL PLANNING: THE SPANISH-PORTUGUESE EXPERIENCE AS AN EXAMPLE OF CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION. REALLOCATING WATER AND PROTECTING MINIMUM RIVER FLOWS: THE EXPERIENCE OF WESTERN CANADA |
| 7:00pm | Congress Dinner Location: Clarion Hotel Oslo |
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