The Academy is happy to announce that the International Association for Water Law (AIDA) has selected Professor Patricia Wouters and Dr. Salman MA Salman as recipients of the inaugural AIDA Global Water Law Excellence Award. Selected by anonymous jury, the Award recognizes outstanding contributions to water law at all levels of governance.
Professor Patricia Wouters (PhD), the Founding Director of the UNESCO Centre at the University of Dundee and of the International Water Law Academy, is recognised for her academic leadership and doctrinal influence in transboundary water law, water security, and international cooperation. Patricia is founding Director of the International Water Law Academy, serving as its Director from 2019-2025, and now as Honorary Director. She also founded the China International Water Law programme (Xiamen 2012), the University of Dundee (Scotland) UNESCO Centre for Water, Law and Policy (2007), and the International Water Law Research Institute (University of Dundee, 1997). Professor Wouters has published extensively on international law related to transboundary waters. She has served on numerous advisory boards, including most recently the Board of Governors for the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and provided expert advice to the World Bank, UN agencies, national governments and water-related institutions. One of Professor Wouters greatest contributions has been in educating international water lawyers for the future. She has supervised numerous LLM and PhD students, many of whom have gone on to achieve excellence in the field of international water law.
Dr. Salman M.A. Salman, former Lead Counsel at the World Bank, is recognised for his operational impact in water law reform, institutional development, and the negotiation of international agreements. He is the Chair, University of Khartoum Council, Sudan and a Distinguished Honorary Member, and Fellow, with the International Water Resources Association (IWRA). Formerly, he was the editor of Brill Research Perspectives in International Water Law (2016 – 2021), served as the World Bank Water Law Adviser (1994 – 2009), and was the co-director of the Hague Academy of International Law session on Water Resources and International Law in 2001. He received the IWRA Crystal Drop Award (2017), and the World Bank, Law, Justice and Development Alumni Award (2023). Dr. Salman earned his LLB from the University of Khartoum, Sudan, and holds an LLM and JSD from Yale Law School. He has published widely in the field of water law and policy.
This announcement is a testament to the importance of international water law and the impact of the Academy and its Affiliates. The awards will be formally presented at the AIDA World Water Law Congress, hosted by the University of Oslo, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and the Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA) in Oslo, Norway, on 24–26 June 2026, under the theme “Water Law and Governance in Times of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss.”