The issue of management of international rivers has proven to be a difficult subject to deal with at major international fora. Even though the subject has become increasingly important since the 1970s, international organizations are conspicuous by their absence in this area in terms of playing an active role in facilitating operational agreements. The paper briefly y reviews developments in this since 1972. It provides a historical background to how the Register of International Rivers was prepared in 1976 and published in 1978. This document is widely quoted, but one would be hard pressed to identify a single reference in recent years that is correct. This probably indicates that very few people have actually read it, but are quoting the text from secondary and tertiary sources.
By Asit K. Biswas, 1999. Article published in International Journal of Water Resources Development, Volume 15, Issue 4, pages 383-386. DOI: 10.1080/07900629948673