(2008-1560-F) United Nations

The materials in FOIA 2008-1560-F are a selective, not necessarily all-inclusive, body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. The records in FOIA 2008-1560-F concern the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Non Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. This document was adopted by the UN General Assembly on May 21, 1997. In 1970, the UN had requested that the International Law Commission (ILC) prepare guidelines on water use. The ILC completed its study in 1994, and three years later the UN adopted the Convention with a vote of 106 to 3. It is the only treaty governing shared fresh water resources. One of the primary emphasis of the treaty is conservation of those international water resources. The Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses has not yet entered into force, having only received ratification from 16 countries. Automated Records Management System (ARMS) Emails responsive to this FOIA consist primarily of compilations of media stories from the public sphere and multiple-issue mass e-mails circulated to a wide variety of recipients, all of which concern the United National and the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. The NSC Cables, Emails, and Records Management Systems (RMS) also contained documents responsive to this FOIA. These cables are largely updates on the Convention on the Law of the Non Navigational Uses of International Watercourses as it moved from the ILC to the UN General Assembly, and later discussion of its implementation.