International Symposium on Land and River Boundary Demarcation and Maintenance in Support of Borderland Development

Bangkok, 7-9 November 2006

In November 2006 IBRU teamed up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand to organise the First International Symposium on Land and River Boundary Demarcation and Maintenance in Support of Borderland Development.

The symposium, the first of its kind, was held in Bangkok and was attended by more than a hundred participants from twenty-four countries. Representatives from fifteen governments made presentations on demarcation and maintenance activities along their boundaries and led round-table discussions on the practical challenges of boundary-making in Europe, Africa, the Americas and southeast Asia. Discussions highlighted the particular challenges posed by river boundaries - which account for around 25% of the world’s total land boundary length - and the fact that boundary commissions rarely have sufficient human or financial resources to fulfil their mandates effectively.

Among the key conclusions of the symposium was agreement that uncertainty over boundary alignment increases the risk of disputes between states and hinders borderland development. Making boundaries visible on the ground may help to eliminate such uncertainty and can provide a foundation for development. However, demarcation should not be seen as an end in itself – it is only part of the ongoing process of boundary-making.

Copies of the conference presentations are available below in PDF format. Note that some of the files are up to 4 megabytes in size.

General presentations

Boundary-making: challenges and opportunities (2.5 mb)
Mr Martin Pratt, Director of Research, International Boundaries Research Unit

Boundary commissions: functions and structures (0.7 mb)
Mr John Donaldson, Research Associate, International Boundaries Research Unit

A typology of borders (0.4 mb)
Professor Lucius Caflisch, Former Legal Councillor of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland

International boundaries in Europe: the national, bilateral and pan-European level (0.9 mb)
Mr Heinz König, Head of Department (International Affairs, State Boundaries), BEV-Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying, Austria

National presentations

Europe

The maintenance of boundary pillars and boundary lines in France (1.2 mb)
Mr Michel Bacchus, Chief Engineer, IGN France

French current legal practice on land and river boundaries: the boundary straightening agreements (0.1 mb)
Ms. Céline Giusti, Sous-Direction du droit international public général, Direction des Affaires Juridique, Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, France

The German border and the work of the boundary commission (3.1 mb)
Dr Herbert Wilmes, German Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy, Germany

Finland’s international boundaries (1.5 mb)
Mr Pekka Tatila, Chief-Engineer, National Land Survey of Finland, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland

Topographic and geodetic provision of the Russian Federation frontier delimitation and demarcation (1.1 mb)
Dr Alexander Borodko, President of the Federal Agency of Geodesy and Cartography, Russia 

Africa

La délimitation et la maintenance des frontières terrestres et fluviales à l’appui de l’aménagement de la région limitrophe: l’expérience du Mali (1.0 mb)
Mr Aguibou S. Diarrah, Direction Nationale des Frontières, Mali

The experience of Mozambique in the field of boundary demarcation (2.2 mb)
Eng. José Elias Mucombo, National Director National Institute for Sea Boundaries Demarcation and President of the Commission of Expert for Continental Boundaries Re-affirmation, Mozambique

L’expérience algérienne en matière de délimitation des frontières terrestres (0.1 mb)
Mr Abdeljalil Belala, Directeur des Affaires Juridiques, Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, Algeria

The Americas

Seeking a balance: U.S. experience in maintaining stable, peaceful borders with Canada and Mexico (3.8 mb)
Mr Raymond Milefsky, Specialist, International Boundaries & Sovereignty Issues, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues, U.S. Department of State

The Canada-United States International Boundary Commission (4.1 mb)
Mr Al Arseneault, Deputy Commissioner, Canada-United States International Boundary Commission, Canada

Limits, demarcation and borderland policies: the Argentine experience (1.3 mb)
Mr Javier Sanz de Urquiza, Director of Limits and Boundaries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Argentina

Land demarcation between Mexico and Guatemala and protection works in the Suchiate river (3.8 mb)
Lic. Alejandro Reyes Huerta, Secretary, Mexican Section of the International Commissions of Borders and Waters, Mexico-Guatemala and Mexico-Belize

The demarcation process of the Brazilian northern frontier
Part 1  (3.6 mb) Part 2 (3.9 mb)
Mr Dauberson Monteiro Da Silva, Head of the First Brazilian Commission for the Demarcation of Limits, Brazil

Asia

Vietnam’s land and river boundaries delimitation and demarcation (2.4 mb)
Dr Hoang Trong Lap, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Frontier Issue, Vietnam

Land and river boundary demarcation and maintenance: the Malaysian experience (2.9 mb)
Mr Ahmad Fauzi Bin Nordin, Director of Mapping Division, Department of Survey and Mapping, Malaysia

China’s practices on boundary demarcation and maintenance (3.2 mb)
Mr Ouyang Yujin, Counsellor, Treaties and Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China

The experience of Thailand in the field of survey of land boundaries 
Part 1  (3.1 mb) Part 2  (3.6 mb) Part 3  (3.7 mb) Part 4 (4.5 mb)
Lt. Gen. Vichit Satharanond, Director General, Royal Thai Survey Department

Summary of presentations and discussions (0.1 mb)

Symposium conclusions (0.1 mb)