Achieving ethical responsibilities in water management: A challenge

• The role of international water law in global water issues is discussed.
• Ethical principles on water rights and water governance and management are derived from general ethics.
• A broader role of international institutions is required to improve the current condition of water issues.
• Quantitative indicators to monitor progress in water management goals are pointed out.

The problems of water management, including water scarcity, ecosystem degradation, and water related disasters are expected to be exacerbated by global trends such as climate changes, population growth, urban sprawl, and food uncertainty. In particular, population growth and climate change may have a considerable impact on agricultural water management goal of ensuring enough food for world's population. Such a situation calls for a new awareness on the role of international water law and for a full recognition of common ethical principles which must be applied at a world-wide and local levels. The aim of the paper is twofold: first, to review the recent efforts at reinforcing a legislative framework on water cooperation as well as on water rights, and second, to identify a set of ethical principles which can improve water governance and management at different levels. These principles – either drawn from the evolution of key-concepts within the “water box” or derived from general environmental and social ethics – represent the basics for achieving ethical responsibility in integrated, sustainable, and equitable water resource development, particularly for agricultural use.