World Forum Backs Water as 'Basic Need'

Over the weekend, ministers from over 100 countries discussed, among other issues, the 'right to water' and sanitation, recognising that the issue had received "significant attention" in recent years and is crucial to achieving the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals.

Meanwhile, the final declaration, which is legally non-binding but carries significant political weight, recognises "water as a basic human need" but not as a right.

Several countries have already protected the right to water as a constitutional right in national legislation. Many ministers argued that the Istanbul declaration "does not sufficiently recognise" acces to water and sanitation as a human right.

French Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said France, together with Spain, wishes to go "as far as possible" in recognising access to water as a human right, while ensuring coherence at European level.

However, others argued that it was "premature" to insert a specific reference to existing human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation before the publication of the report of the UN Human Rights Council's independent expert , Catarina de Albuquerque. Her report is due by the end of 2011.

According to AFP, the United States, Brazil and Egypt were among countries opposed to including a reference to the right to water in the final declaration.

French State Secretary for Ecology Chantal Jouanno underlined that the right to water does not mean that it should be free of charge.

Maude Barlow, the UN's special adviser on water issues, also argued that water as a human right and pricing are compatible. But pricing would need to be done in a particular way, she said. One such way would be to price water based on a 'bloc pricing' model, under which a certain amount of water would be available to all for free - or very cheaply - to safisfy basic drinking and sanitary needs, after which prices would increase. "So, if you want to fill up your swimming pool, you need to pay for it," Barlow explained.

Japan, for example, has a three-level bloc pricing system, and many communities are already starting to use that system, "so it is possible," she said.

And who pays for this "right"? Milt Burgess - 04/04/2009 - 21:30

Maude Barlow is not "the UN's special adviser on water issues", she was just appointed by the President of the UN General Assembly as his senior advisor on water for the (duration of the) 63rd Session. That's all and rather less than she claims. Terry - 02/04/2009 - 04:33

Interestin topics ... lovely picture! Agata - 01/04/2009 - 16:46