Dr. Fatima Mohammad Ahmed
Assistant Professor of Public International Law
College of Sharia and Regulations
Taif University, KSA

Abstract:

The right to energy is not only a human right, but it is also a right of peoples, given the importance of energy and its connection to contemporary human life and the well-being of nations. This prompted most countries to stipulate the right to energy in their legislation and international documents, given the importance of this right in the implementation of many energy provisions in general. The development of an energy law, whether at the national level or at the international level, encounters many difficulties due to its complex and specialized nature, and to the diversity of energy sources and uses.
The topic of researching the international legal regulation of energy, therefore, has theoretical and practical importance, given the many questions that arise about many of its aspects which are included in the research in three successive sections related to the concept of the right to energy, its nature and legal basis, and the basic energy system, i.e. the international convention and customary rules regulating energy in general, and the international organizations concerned with the implementation of these rules.
This research paper has revealed that it is not enough to stipulate the right to energy in national and international legislation, but rather measures must be taken to effectively implement this right, and that despite the existence of many bilateral and collective international agreements, and international norms regulating some types of energy and the areas of its exploitation and its use, as there is – so far – no international law that regulates energy of all kinds. Nor is there a global international energy organization, despite the presence of many regional and specialized international organizations, which cannot effectively address the global challenges facing energy in the twenty-first century.
The research ended with a call for international efforts to prepare an international legal regulation that suits modern developments in the field of energy, and conforms to the requirements of sustainable development, environmental protection, and a balance of interests between the sovereignty of countries over their natural energy resources and international investments to reduce international conflicts and to achieve the desired justice.

Key words: energy, human rights, international organizations, balance of interests, sustainable development, international investments.

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