Bridging the Gap between International Investment Law and the Right of Access to Water

The focus of the present contribution, in line with that of the present volume, is on the relationship between different sets of rules, notably between the body of international investment law and that of human rights related to environmental values, with specific regard to the right of access to water. The present analysis aims primarily at emphasizing the potential on the topic under consideration of the harmonization principle as it has been advocated by the International Law Commission (ILC) in its study on the issue of the ‘fragmentation’ of international law, according to which “when several norms bear on a single issue they should, to the extent possible, be interpreted so as to give rise to a single set of compatible obligations.