ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a description of the governance regime applicable to the Paraná River Basin, which is characterized by multiple bilateral and multilateral legal instruments, and by Commissions that provide the institutional backbone for the governance regime. The governance system is anchored by treaties and institutions linked to the Paraná River and its tributaries and by the Guarani Aquifer Agreement. None of the countries sharing the Paraná River Basin have ratified the United Nations Watercourses Convention, which could provide a uniform set of rules to consider whether there are cases of conflict between nations. The possibility of normative conflict stems from the highly fragmented nature of the governance system for the basin. However, no major conflicts have occurred throughout the course of the management of the Paraná River and its tributaries. Where tensions exist, these are related to the implementation of energy-related treaties that regulate the sharing of revenues from hydropower in the basin.
