The World Bank Policy for Projects on International Waterways

'The World Bank Policy for Projects on International Waterways: An Historical and Legal Analysis' discusses the evolution and context of the Bank policy for projects on international waterways. It starts with a brief description of how the Bank faced the challenges stemming from such projects and analyzes the different approaches deliberated by the Bank that led to the issuance of the first policy in 1956. It then examines the main features, as well as the implementation experience, of each of the policies issued in 1956, 1965, and 1985. The principles of international water law prevailing at each stage are reviewed and compared with those of the Bank policy. The book discusses in detail the notification process, the different riparians’ responses, and how objections to Bank-financed projects are handled, as well as the exceptions to the notification requirement. It also assesses how the Bank has dealt with transboundary groundwater, and the linkages of the policy with the policies on disputed areas and environmental impact assessment. The book concludes with an overview of the main findings and lessons drawn from the implementation experience.

Salman M. A. Salman is Lead Counsel with the Environmental and International Law Group of the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank, and is the Bank’s adviser on water law. He has published extensively on a wide range of issues related to national and international water law and policy.