Global and regional hydropolitical problems in the context of international cooperation and security
International Conference Baku, November 25, 2014
Collection of speeches and articles
According to the reports of the international organizations, the global problem of shortage of fresh water from 2025 will became the political and social-economic means of pressure for a number of countries of the world. Presently, 700 million persons suffer from lack of water all over the world. In case we fail to step in settlement of this problem, their number will reach 3 billion persons. So, 40% of the world population depends on transboundary water resources controlled by two or more countries. As per the UN statistics, only within the last 50 years, 500 political confrontations and 37 armed clashes were taken place for taking control over the fresh water resources. Presently, we observe amongst the world states a new type of polarization, i.e. the efforts made by these states possessing rich water reserves and those suffering from lack of these resources to establish coalitions. Despite, UN, the European Economic Commission and other international organizations have adopted about 20 documents regarding effective use the transboundary water resources, the majority of these conventions were not carried into effect up to present. Approximately 70% of the world water reserves are formed on the account of the transboundary water courses.
Despite the Republic of Azerbaijan has already joined these conventions, the other states of the region objecting to sign some of these international documents carry out an independent policy as to using the transboundary water courses. Due to the fact that the international legal norms pertaining to the water reserves in the region are approved unanimously, pollution of the transboundary Araz, Kura and Alazan Rivers with industrial and domestic wastes is extending and the construction of hydraulic facilities serving to increase or decrease the water volume in rivers is planned. The fact that
Armenia has changed the course direction of the transboundary Rivers flowing to Azerbaijan and using the Sarsang water reservoir located in the occupied territory as hydro-diversion means against the civilians and the ecology of the region prove that the aforementioned matter is of political nature. On November 25, 2014, an international conference was held on “Global and regional hydro-political problems in the context of international cooperation and security” in Baku organized jointly by the Center for Strategic Researches under the President of Azerbaijan Republic and the Institute of Geography named after academician Hasan Aliyev of National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. This event was devoted to the matters to avoid using the transboundary waters and a lack of water as political-economic means of pressure, the conflicts taken place and predicted on the basis of fresh water all over the world, intensification of international law and drawing up of the related recommendations in this direction. In addition to the Azerbaijani scholars, the conference was joined by the experts and specialists from Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, Georgia, USA, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Nederland and Bosnia.
Their speeches were heard and effective exchange of idea was made. The reporters highlighted the necessity of the efforts aimed at effective use and protection of the water reserves in Central and Middle East, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Southern Caucasus and estimated them as an important factor for international peace and mutually convenient cooperation. They declared that monopolization of water sources and wastefulness observed in the course of use these reserves, the climate changes, demographic growth, geopolitical and geo-economic interests, politicization of the water reserves resulted in the fact that they have been turned into political means of pressure. In the modern period, this tendency manifests itself more acutely in the global and regional scale. As to the
shaped situation, it is a severe danger not only for separate states, but also peace and security all over the world, including ecological security. At the same time, using of water reserves by one state against another as a means of pressure was strongly condemned and utilization of hydraulic facilities in the territory under occupation and the transboundary water resources by Armenia against Azerbaijan Republic as hydro-political means of pressure was considered in the international law context. In the conference it was accentuated that the world’s water reserves are universal blessing and its monopolization, pollution and utilization as hydro-political and hydro-diversion means is prohibited. The participants of the event have expressed their anxiety as regards the struggle intensified day by day for monopolization of the water reserves and control over them, new political and economic polarization taken place as a result hereof, including confrontations, zones of conflict and military-political unions. It was recommended that the related international organizations have to speed up their activity in this direction, combine the efforts of the world countries in preventing of the conflicts arisen for the control over fresh water resources, at the same time these states have to do their upmost to cause the recognition of international principles and norms related to utilization of transboundary water courses and their protection by all states of the world and joining the international convention concerning transboundary water resources by all states. At the end of the event, the Baku Declaration addressed to the UN, its qualified institutions and the World Water Counsel was adopted unanimously.
to read full report please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Global_And_Regional_Hydropolitical_Probl.pdf
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Global and regional hydropolitical problems in the context of international cooperation and security
International Conference Baku, November 25, 2014
Collection of speeches and articles
According to the reports of the international organizations, the global problem of shortage of fresh water from 2025 will became the political and social-economic means of pressure for a number of countries of the world. Presently, 700 million persons suffer from lack of water all over the world. In case we fail to step in settlement of this problem, their number will reach 3 billion persons. So, 40% of the world population depends on transboundary water resources controlled by two or more countries. As per the UN statistics, only within the last 50 years, 500 political confrontations and 37 armed clashes were taken place for taking control over the fresh water resources. Presently, we observe amongst the world states a new type of polarization, i.e. the efforts made by these states possessing rich water reserves and those suffering from lack of these resources to establish coalitions. Despite, UN, the European Economic Commission and other international organizations have adopted about 20 documents regarding effective use the transboundary water resources, the majority of these conventions were not carried into effect up to present. Approximately 70% of the world water reserves are formed on the account of the transboundary water courses.
Despite the Republic of Azerbaijan has already joined these conventions, the other states of the region objecting to sign some of these international documents carry out an independent policy as to using the transboundary water courses. Due to the fact that the international legal norms pertaining to the water reserves in the region are approved unanimously, pollution of the transboundary Araz, Kura and Alazan Rivers with industrial and domestic wastes is extending and the construction of hydraulic facilities serving to increase or decrease the water volume in rivers is planned. The fact that
Armenia has changed the course direction of the transboundary Rivers flowing to Azerbaijan and using the Sarsang water reservoir located in the occupied territory as hydro-diversion means against the civilians and the ecology of the region prove that the aforementioned matter is of political nature. On November 25, 2014, an international conference was held on “Global and regional hydro-political problems in the context of international cooperation and security” in Baku organized jointly by the Center for Strategic Researches under the President of Azerbaijan Republic and the Institute of Geography named after academician Hasan Aliyev of National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. This event was devoted to the matters to avoid using the transboundary waters and a lack of water as political-economic means of pressure, the conflicts taken place and predicted on the basis of fresh water all over the world, intensification of international law and drawing up of the related recommendations in this direction. In addition to the Azerbaijani scholars, the conference was joined by the experts and specialists from Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, Georgia, USA, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Nederland and Bosnia.
Their speeches were heard and effective exchange of idea was made. The reporters highlighted the necessity of the efforts aimed at effective use and protection of the water reserves in Central and Middle East, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Southern Caucasus and estimated them as an important factor for international peace and mutually convenient cooperation. They declared that monopolization of water sources and wastefulness observed in the course of use these reserves, the climate changes, demographic growth, geopolitical and geo-economic interests, politicization of the water reserves resulted in the fact that they have been turned into political means of pressure. In the modern period, this tendency manifests itself more acutely in the global and regional scale. As to the
shaped situation, it is a severe danger not only for separate states, but also peace and security all over the world, including ecological security. At the same time, using of water reserves by one state against another as a means of pressure was strongly condemned and utilization of hydraulic facilities in the territory under occupation and the transboundary water resources by Armenia against Azerbaijan Republic as hydro-political means of pressure was considered in the international law context. In the conference it was accentuated that the world’s water reserves are universal blessing and its monopolization, pollution and utilization as hydro-political and hydro-diversion means is prohibited. The participants of the event have expressed their anxiety as regards the struggle intensified day by day for monopolization of the water reserves and control over them, new political and economic polarization taken place as a result hereof, including confrontations, zones of conflict and military-political unions. It was recommended that the related international organizations have to speed up their activity in this direction, combine the efforts of the world countries in preventing of the conflicts arisen for the control over fresh water resources, at the same time these states have to do their upmost to cause the recognition of international principles and norms related to utilization of transboundary water courses and their protection by all states of the world and joining the international convention concerning transboundary water resources by all states. At the end of the event, the Baku Declaration addressed to the UN, its qualified institutions and the World Water Counsel was adopted unanimously.
to read full report please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Global_And_Regional_Hydropolitical_Probl.pdf
^
