Successes and Failures of International Organizations in Dealing with International Waters

Conflict among riparian countries prevents them from making the best use of their shared water resources. A modality is needed in the global community to deal with international water bodies in a much better way. International organizations are expected to serve as a mechanism to mitigate conflicts among riparian countries. However, international organizations have so far achieved very limited success in acting in such a role. An international organization could act flawlessly as a mediator in a transboundary water system only when some critical conditions are met. This paper aims at delineating some prerequisites for international organizations to be successful in their involvement in an international water system. Four cases where international organizationshave either succeeded or failed in dealing with transboundary water issues, were reviewed. It was found that the following critical conditions need to be met for international organizations to succeed in their involvement in international water bodies: (a) willingness of riparian countries to cooperate, (b) involvement of decision makers at the highest level of basin countries, and (c) neutrality as a third party with financial assistance as 'stick and carrot'.