Marleen van Rijswick receives the KWR 2023 Honorary Fellowship for her dedication to the fundamental right to water

On 5 November, Marleen van Rijswick – professor of European and national water law at Utrecht University and affiliated to the Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law –  received the distinction of KWR Honorary Fellow 2023. Van Rijswick has been working with KWR for over a decade and she is receiving her Honorary Fellowship because of the accessible way she speaks out on the fundamental right to water. In addition, Van Rijswick demonstrates the unifying power of legislation and regulations.  After all, legal instruments are not primarily meant to create obstacles, but to be used for the common good. ‘The law can be perceived as inconvenient. But the law is more than that. It also functions as a safeguard’, she said.

On the crystal plaque Van Rijswick received on the occasion, it reads: ‘For tirelessly contributing to the fundamental right to healthy water for people and nature’. KWR director Mariëlle van der Zouwen said of her merits, Marleen van Rijswick demonstrates how legislation acts as a catalyst for a more sustainable society, with water law serving as the bridge between scientific knowledge and practice.

Discussions on the law around water protection often revolve around barriers it creates, says Van Rijswick, for example focusing on everything that is not allowed by law because of the Water Framework Directive. That’s not what it should be about. We need to talk about why it’s important to protect our sources. Subsequently there are legal instruments that are meant to be used in the public interest. For example, permits for an activity somewhere, or charges levied for pollution. 

For a long time, I have been trying to engage with other disciplines to move together towards sustainable water and soil systems.

It came as a surprise to Van Rijswick that she, as a lawyer, received the Honorary Fellowship. I have immense admiration for the type of research KWR does. The quality of the work is also excellent and that’s extremely important to me. I need to be able to have complete confidence in the expertise of researchers to think in greater depth about, for example, how the law can contribute to protecting water quality.

Essentially, the law is the link between scientific knowledge and what people do. I always find it very satisfying to look for ways to cooperate with other people because, when it goes well, you can achieve concrete results. But my work on establishing connections is not very visible to the outside world. So it’s special to receive this award from KWR. Someone noticed after all! She looks forward to continuing her good collaboration with the knowledge institute.