The “nexus” is a potentially very appropriate approach to enhance resource efficiency and good governance in transboundary basins. Until now, however, evidence has been confined to isolated case studies and the nexus approach remains largely undefined. The methodology presented in this paper, developed for preparing a series of nexus assessments of selected river basins under the Water Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), is a timely contribution to this ongoing debate. The nexus assessment of a transboundary basin has the objective of identifying trade-offs and impacts across sectors and countries and to propose possible policy measures and technical actions at national and transboundary levels to reduce intersectoral tensions. This is done jointly with policy makers and local experts. Compared to an Integrated Water Resource Management approach, the water energy food ecosystems nexus approach concurrently considers multiple sectors and their evolution. This offers the opportunity to better involve key economic sectors—energy and agriculture in particular—in the dialogue over transboundary water resource uses, protection and management.

Much has been written on hydropolitics, or on the interplays between transboundary water resource issues and politics. This article builds on recent calls for more research on the role of discourses in shaping hydropolitics. We propose a conceptual framework, inspired by critical discourse analysis, for the systematic investigation of how discursive practices construct and enact actors’ power positions in transboundary basin governance. Our framework’s added value lies in the typology of discourses we develop – that is, dominant, institutionalized, hegemonic and sanctioned – for a more precise analysis of discursive hydropolitics. We formulate a research agenda to operationalize our perspective on discursive hydropolitics and lay the groundwork for future empirical research.

The no-harm principle is at the heart of the several international conventions focusing on the uses, allocation, management and protection of transboundary water resources. However, in the framework of these agreements, the meaning of “no-harm” remains rather vague. Through an analysis of six emblematic cases brought before the International Court of Justice and arbitration tribunals, we elucidate the various facets of this principle. In doing so, the paper identifies four facets. The first is characterized by concerns related to the protection of territorial integrity rather than those related to the protection of the environment. The second facet focuses on the principle of equitable and reasonable use of water, which testifies to the willingness to anticipate possible harms and to define conditions for cooperation between neighbouring countries. The third facet explores the use of three instruments and emphasizes their importance to clarify the very nature of harm: the conduct of environmental impact assessment, the consultation of local populations and the insurance of minimum environmental flows. The fourth facet develops a preventive perspective on harm by unravelling the duty to take appropriate measures to prevent and mitigate risks deriving from the obligations of notification and consultation.

Les stations touristiques sont des lieux urbains caractérisés par des spécificités telles que les fluctuations de la population ou de forts pics de consommation des ressources. Ces caractéristiques ont une incidence sur la gestion des infrastructures de réseau d’eau qui approvisionnent les résidents annuels mais qui doivent également être capables de desservir des populations parfois sept à dix fois plus importantes l’espace de quelques semaines. Cet article analyse les stratégies d’une commune touristique pour la gestion de son réseau d’eau dans un contexte aussi spécifique. Il s’agit notamment de comprendre comment ces collectivités fonctionnent avec des dispositions juridiques définies généralement à un niveau institutionnel supra-communal et rarement adaptées au fonctionnement d’une station touristique. À l’aide d’une étude de cas menée à Crans-Montana (canton du Valais, Suisse), nous montrons comment la mise en œuvre d’un Arrangement de Régulation Localisé (ARL) par les communes permet de concrétiser les dispositions légales tout en permettant aux acteurs de réinterpréter, de contourner ou de compléter les règles en vigueur pour la mise en œuvre d’un arrangement local performant.