{"id":33655,"date":"2026-03-11T12:27:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/?p=33655"},"modified":"2026-03-20T14:20:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T18:20:29","slug":"lecture-explores-banks-role-in-promoting-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/index.php\/2026\/03\/11\/lecture-explores-banks-role-in-promoting-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Lecture Explores\u00a0Banks\u2019 Role in Promoting Sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"A
The World Bank’s Christina Leb spoke about her institution’s role in the development of sustainable water policies across borders.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As she began her lecture in Stetson Law\u2019s Great Hall, Christina Leb<\/strong> noted the opulence of the venue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is probably the most fantabulous hall I\u2019ve ever spoken in,\u201d said Leb, who is senior counsel at the World Bank\u2019s Environmental and International Law Department (LEGEN).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was there to talk about the key role organizations like hers play in the development of sustainable water governance, especially in places where bodies of water cross international boundaries. Her talk, which drew a sizeable audience of students, was the February 2026 installment of Stetson\u2019s Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demystifying a complex topic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Leb detailed her experience working at a multilateral development bank supporting the creation and implementation of international water laws and sustainable water resources management \u2013 and how the very nature of water presents a challenge to doing so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to remember that water is in constant flux,\u201d she said. \u201cThe hydrological cycle determines the availability of water over land. Water evaporates over land, over the ocean, rains down through the mountains, across landscapes, and percolates into the soil.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparing the principles of international water law to the principles of international environmental law and international law in general, Leb said there is a general duty among participating nations to cooperate, prevent significant harm, and settle disputes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 300 transboundary river basins in the world, and even more transboundary aquifers that provide freshwater to multiple countries. There are delicate wetlands and watersheds connected to the water supply upon which millions depend. Pollution in one country can contaminate another\u2019s drinking water. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A
Left to right: Associate Professor Klara Van der Ploeg, World Bank Senior Counsel Christina Leb, and Law Professor Royal Gardner. Van der Ploeg helped bring Leb to campus to deliver a Foreman Biodiversity Lecture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Organizations like the World Bank, which seek to lift populations out of poverty around the globe, can help motivate nations to protect the water resources they share with other nations by requiring sustainability practices as a condition of funding. Yet shifting political, economic, and environmental circumstances can present a challenge when it comes to creating a lasting agreement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example she cited was the Indus Basin Treaty, which was developed in 1960 when India and Pakistan were divided into two separate countries. The World Bank brokered this water-sharing agreement. Following a 2025 attack in India\u2019s Kashmir region, India suspended the treaty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u201cInternational treaties are a product of their times, and when negotiating a treaty, it\u2019s very important as a lawyer to make them flexible in the long term,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cTo build in clauses that allow negotiation, because in most cases, the relationships between countries and\u00a0their water needs evolve over time\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0the treaties will become outdated one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice to aspiring international law practitioners<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Asked how a law student can best position him or herself for work within such initiatives, Leb said it is best to seek out professional experience through internships as well as attending relevant conferences where they can meet and interact with leading professionals in the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUltimately what helped me was having a network of people,\u201d\u00a0Leb said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As she began her lecture in Stetson Law\u2019s Great Hall, Christina Leb noted the opulence of the venue.  \u201cThis is probably the most fantabulous hall I\u2019ve ever spoken in,\u201d said Leb, who is senior counsel at the World Bank\u2019s Environmental and International Law Department (LEGEN).   She was there to talk about the key role organizations like hers play […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":33656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[577,3],"tags":[27,1958,166,1933,2603,2631,1190],"class_list":["post-33655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-news-1","tag-environmental-law","tag-international-environmental-law","tag-international-law","tag-news","tag-news-and-stories","tag-news-top","tag-stetson-today"],"yoast_head":"\nLecture Explores\u00a0Banks\u2019 Role in Promoting Sustainability - 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