The Baardhere Dam and Water Infrastructure Project in Somalia—Ethiopia's objection and the World Bank response

Unilateral action by riparian states has been, by and large, the dominant approach for planned measures on shared watercourses. In planning and executing such measures, riparian states do not usually undertake any consultations with, or notification to, the other riparians, unless required to do so by an existing agreement or arrangement. The perceived sovereignty over international watercourses and the absence of a globally-binding treaty have been the main reasons for these actions. Despite this situation, the World Bank has, over the years, developed detailed policies and procedures for notification to, and for dealing with objections from, other riparians, for the projects it plans to finance. This paper discusses and analyses those policies and procedures, compares their main features with those of other international instruments, and examines their application by the World Bank to the Baardhere Dam and Water Infrastructure Project in Somalia, to which Ethiopia objected. Citation Salman, S. M. A. (2011) The Baardhere Dam and Water Infrastructure Project in Somalia—Ethiopia's objection and the World Bank response. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(4), 630–640.