Status of the Watercourse Convention

as of 22 February 2013

Article 36(1) of the Convention provides that "The present Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations."

The Convention was open for signature from 21 May 1997 until 21 May 2000.  States, however, may continue to ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Convention indefinitely. As of 22 February 2013, there were 30 Parties to the Convention, and an additional 4 nations that had signed but not yet ratified the treaty.

PARTICIPANT	Signature (S)	Ratification (R)	Acceptance (A)	Accession (a)	Approval (AA)
Benin				5 July 2012
Burkina Faso				22 March 2011
Chad				26 September 2012
Côte d'Ivoire	25 Sep 1998
Denmark				30 April 2012
Finland	31 Oct 1997		23 Jan 1998
France				24 February 2011
Germany	13 Aug 1998	15 Jan 2007
Greece				2 December 2010
Guinea-Bissau				19 May 2010
Hungary	20 July 1999				26 Jan 2000
Iraq				9 July 2001
Italy				30 November 2012
Jordan	17 Apr 1999	22 June 1999
Lebanon				25 May 1999
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya				14 June 2005
Luxembourg	14 Oct 1997	8 June 2012
Morocco				13 April 2011
Namibia	19 May 2000	29 Aug 2001
Netherlands	9 Mar 2000		9 Jan 2001
Niger				20 Feb 2013
Nigeria		27 Sep 2010
Norway	30 Sep 1998	30 Sep 1998
Paraguay	25 Aug 1998
Portugal	11 Nov 1997	22 June 2005
Qatar				28 Feb 2002
South Africa	13 Aug 1997	26 Oct 1998
Spain				24 Sep 2009;
Sweden				15 June 2000
Syrian Arab Republic	11 Aug 1997	2 Apr 1998
Tunisia	19 May 2000	22 Apr 2009
Uzbekistan				4 Sep 2007
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	22 Sep 1997
Yemen	17 May 2000

 

DECLARATIONS AND RESERVATIONS  (Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made upon ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.)

Hungary

"Declaration: The Government of the Republic of Hungary declares itself bound by either of the two means for the settlement of disputes (International Court of Justice, arbitration), reserving its right to agree on the competent body of jurisdiction, as the case may be."

Netherlands - 17 February 2010

"Declaration: The Kingdom of the Netherlands declares, in accordance with paragraph 10 of Article 33 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, that it accepts both means of dispute settlement referred to in that paragraph as compulsory in relation to any Party accepting one or both means of dispute settlement."

Syrian Arab Republic

"Reservation: The acceptance by the Syrian Arab Republic of this Convention and its ratification by the Government shall not under any circumstances be taken to imply recognition of Israel and shall not lead to its entering into relations therewith that are governed by its provisions."

Denmark - 30 April 2012

"Declaration: Until further notice, the Convention shall not apply to the Faroe Islands and Greenland."

OBJECTIONS  (Unless otherwise indicated, the objections were made upon ratification, acceptance approval or accession.)

Israel - 15 July 1998

"Declaration: In regard to the reservation made by the Syrian Arab Republic upon ratification:
In view of the Government of the State of Israel such reservation, which is explicitly of a political nature, is incompatible with the purposes and objectives of this Convention and cannot in any way affect whatever obligations are binding upon the Syrian Arab Republic under general international treaty law or under particular conventions. The Government of the State of Israel will, in so far as concerns the substance of the matter, adopt towards the Syrian Arab Republic an attitude of complete reciprocity."