Hidro-diplomacia y soberanía nacional en el acuífero guaraní: ¿fracaso de un intento de gestión transfronteriza por intereses geopolíticos divergentes?

The Guaraní aquifer system is a body of groundwater that is shared between Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. It represents an important source of renewable drinking water. Economic development, population growth and exacerbation of pollution are putting pressure on the aquifer. In response to these problems, the four governments concerned have attempted to develop an adequate legal and institutional framework to guarantee effective and sustainable management. The four parties signed the Guaraní Aquifer Agreement on August 2, 2010. Nine years after the treaty was signed, it has resulted in a simple legal framework, as it has not given rise to a true forum for cooperation. This article analyzes the institutional and legal tools available to the parties, as well as the geopolitical interests that have prevented the establishment of an integrated, sustainable and efficient management of the waters of the Guaraní aquifer system.