الزامات حقوق بشری دولت‌ها در بهره‌برداری از آبراه‌های بین‌المللی: مطالعه موردی هیرمند

امروزه بهره‌برداری کشورها از آبراه‌های بین‌المللی با عنایت به نقش اساسی آب در حیات و معاش انسان بسیار پر اهمیت جلوه مینماید. این موضوع اگرچه به نحو خاص تابع رژیم حقوقی منحصر به فردی است اما از جوانب بسیار مهم حقوق بشری نیز برخوردار است. در حال حاضر بحران آب در حوضه آبریز هیرمند بیش از هر زمان دیگر واجد جوانب حقوق بشری است. حق بر دسترسی به آب، حق بر سلامت و در نهایت حق بر حیات از جمله حقوقی هستند که لزوم رعایت و حمایت آنها در ابعاد ملی و بین‌المللی بسیار مدنظر است. این پژوهش نیز با تبیین ابعاد مختلف حقوق بشری مرتبط و همچنین بررسی احکام حقوقی و قضایی بین‌المللی قابل تسری به موضوع و تطبیق آنها از طریق قیاس و استقرا با بحران امروز حوضه آبریز هیرمند از الزامات حقوق بشری و فرامرزی موجود در این قضیه خاص سخن به میان آورده و سپس با تشریح خلاهای حقوقی حاضر، تبیین رویکردهای حداقلی رعایت، حمایت و اجرای حق بر دسترسی به آبرا به‌عنوان راهکار حقوقی بین‌المللی مناسب ارزیابی نموده است.

human rights requirements of states in the utilization of international watercourses: the case of the hirmand river

introductiontoday, given the fundamental role of water in human life, water crises are among the most significant transboundary challenges facing humanity. iran, due to its arid and semi-arid geography, faces particularly difficult water conditions. in some regions, the country relies on transboundary rivers to meet its water needs—often from a downstream position. one of the most important of these is the hirmand (helmand) river basin. a treaty has been established between iran and afghanistan regarding iran’s irrigation rights to the hirmand river. however, despite the treaty’s validity, afghanistan has failed to deliver iran’s annual water allocation of 820 million cubic meters, thereby violating the agreement. the water crisis in iran’s sistan and baluchestan province has now reached a critical level, threatening the lives of its residents. as such, the issue has significant human rights implications. as the artery of sistan and baluchestan province, the hirmand river plays a vital role in supporting both the livelihoods and the health of local residents, making it essential to explore and highlight the human rights dimensions of this crisis. literature reviewthe utilization of international watercourses is governed by a distinct international legal regime. while there is extensive research on this subject, the human rights implications—particularly in iran—have not received adequate attention. referring to all relevant sources, this study aimed to fill that gap by examining the hirmand basin as a case study. the research is considered innovative in its approach, as it explored the overlap between two key international legal regimes. it identified existing gaps and proposed legal solutions to ensure that human rights are respected in the equitable use of international watercourses, with a particular focus on the hirmand basin. materials and methodsthe present study built its arguments by comparing and applying general legal rulings to specific events in the hirmand basin. key methods used to provide legal solutions include historical analogy, priority, and similarity. moreover, the jurisprudence of the international court of justice serves as one of the primary foundations for the legal reasoning presented in this research.  results and discussionfirst, the study focused on the human rights obligations of governments in the management of international watercourses. it explored various dimensions of the right to access water, providing a substantive analysis of its minimum and maximum thresholds as defined in human rights documents. key issues discussed include the multifaceted, fundamental nature of this right as well as its transboundary implications. drawing on international legal sources, the research examined various dimensions and relevant rulings. then, the method of analogy was used to apply and adapt these rulings to contemporary real-world events. second, the research examined the nature of issues surrounding the hirmand basin. given the predominantly rural context of the region, the hirmand water plays a crucial role in the development and livelihood of the local residents. furthermore, the hirmand river water treaty, a binding international legal agreement between iran and afghanistan, underscores the importance of upholding the right to access water. to support the main argument, the analysis relied on relevant international jurisprudence and numerous international opinions to prove the main hypothesis of the study. it appears that the principle of due diligence—recognized as the point of overlap between procedural and substantive rights in international basins—has not been adequately observed in the hirmand basin. moreover, the right to access water in this basin remains questionable. the research identified existing legal gaps by analyzing various aspects of the issue and substantiating the proposed hypotheses.