Sviluppi nel diritto internazionale in materia di uso e protezione delle risorse idriche: la Convenzione di New York sui corsi d’acqua internazionali

The article deals with a recent multilateral treaty concluded in the field of international water law, the Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on 21 May 1997. An analysis of some selected provisions of the Convention, most directly connected with the topic of the environmental protection of international watercourses, is provided. In particular, the articles on the substantive principles of equitable utilization and the duty not to cause significant harm, the articles on the protection and preservation of ecosystems and the pollution of international watercourses and the articles relating to the cooperation, information and notification among riparian States, are considered. The provisions considered reveal the rather cautious approach maintained by the New York Convention in respect of the most progressive principles of international environmental law. However, it can be assumed that, from a general point of view, the New York Convention is in line with the growing awareness