'The Human Right to Water' traces the issue of the right to water through a number of international legal instruments, particularly General Comment No. 15 which recognizes such a right. It analyzes the international legal regime for human rights, and argues that the nexus between development, water and human rights is well established therein. Although the central theme of the Study is General Comment No. 15 issued by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2002 which explicitly recognizes a human right to water, the Study argues that the Comment supports the idea that there...

'The Transit Regime for Landlocked States' assesses the strengths and limits of existing international law related to the free access of landlocked states to and from the sea. The book analyzes whether the provisions of international law satisfy the economic demands of landlocked states, the majority of which are among the world's poorest nations. The book reviews the several principles of international law that dominated the evolution of the rights of access. It discusses both general and specific conventions, as well as treaty regimes emanating therefrom, and examines some restrictions...

That different types of financial services and products continue to spring up in the financial sector of many countries is indicative of the changing landscape of the financial services industry globally. Equally important, as indicators of the evolving trajectory of financial services regulation, are increases in the number of countries where universal banking is practiced and in numbers of parent and subsidiary companies providing different types of financial services and products. This book is written against that background. A central thesis pursued in the book is that until there is a...

'Land Law Reform' examines the wide-spread efforts to reform land law in developing countries and countries in transition, drawing in particular upon the experience of the World Bank and the Rural Development Institute. The book considers the role of land law reform in the development process and analyzes how the World Bank has sought to support these legal changes in client countries. It reviews the experience with reform of laws affecting land access and rights in achieving gender equity, identifies opportunities for reinforcing environmentally sustainable development through land law...

This title examines how regulatory frameworks have addressed the various basic issues related to water resources management, and provides a comparative analysis of those issues. It elicits and discusses what it considers are the essential elements for a regulatory framework for water resources management, and identifies some emerging trends.

'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...

The recent crises underscore the need for modern, sophisticated systems to govern the resolution of business distress, in order to maximize value in the distressed estate and to protect economic institutions. This work analyses how legal systems around the world respond to the general default of business debtors. Inspired by the approach enshrined in the World Bank's Principles for Effective Insolvency and Creditor Rights Systems, it emphasizes the close inter-relationship among various elements of an insolvency regime, examining them not so much as sets of discrete rules as system-wide...

Today, no one doubts the importance of justice and the rule of law to development. Indeed, it is a topic that excites considerable discussion. But what exactly is the nature of the relationship between justice, the rule of law, and development? And how can such a relationship be harnessed to improve the lives of people around the world, sustainably? Volume 5 of The World Bank Legal Review tackles these crucial questions head on. The 32 chapters by distinguished scholars and practitioners off er myriad ideas on the interrelation between development and the rule of law. They also present...

The newly adopted post-2015 development agenda is centered on 17 sustainable development goals to be reached by 2030. This volume of the World Bank Legal Review looks at how law and justice systems can support the financing and implementation of these goals, including the role of the rule of law and economic and social rights. The contributors, including legal scholars, development practitioners, and financial experts, analyze the goals, explore ways in which they can be achieved, and examine ways that recent relevant law and justice programs have worked. A wide array of topics are covered,...