Stephen McCaffrey

Stephen McCaffrey, Professor of Law at Pacific University's McGeorge School of Law, is a leading expert in international water law and environmental law. His career spans academic scholarship, UN service, and global legal consultation on transboundary water issues.

• BA, University of Colorado
• JD, University of California, Berkeley
• Dr iur, University of Cologne, Germany

His research focuses on legal frameworks for transboundary water cooperation, sovereignty dynamics in shared water systems, and the interplay between human rights and water access. He has advanced international norms through the 1997 U.N. Watercourses Convention and advised states in the Nile Basin and North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

McCaffrey's publications reveal trends in transboundary water conflict resolution, progressive legal codification, and human rights integration into water governance. His work bridges academic theory with real-world diplomatic applications.

• 2018 Distinguished Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy
• 2017 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate

Active in legal practice, McCaffrey serves as counsel to states in ICJ and PCA cases, including Palestine-Israel water negotiations. He chairs the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL) North American Executive Council and contributes to UNECE's Implementation Committee.