Water is a common good and should be accessible to all, says UN expert. UN expert: Water should be accessible to all Climate and Environment
Aquatic ecosystems and water should be seen and managed as a common good – accessible to all but owned by no one, an independent UN expert said today.
Presenting his report on this topic at the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the right to water and sanitation, stressed that the value of water for life and health is not comparable to the value of water used for economic purposes. He called for priorities and criteria for water management to be set accordingly.
“What is the monetary value of the water needed to keep your families healthy?? Is the value of the water needed to grow avocados for export comparable to the value of the water needed to protect public health??” he asked.
The expert believes that viewing water as a commodity that needs to be managed according to market logic is wrong.
“According to this approach, access to and use of water depends on the ability to pay for it in accordance with supply and demand, and access to relevant information and management remains in the hands of corporations. This is incompatible with a human rights-based approach to water management,” Arrojo-Agudo said.
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The Special Rapporteur said the water resources on which people depend must be managed through a common, human rights-based approach that guarantees non-discrimination.
“These ecosystems are a common natural heritage, and we must ensure that they are self-sufficient – for the benefit of all, including future generations,” the expert stressed.
The Special Rapporteur called on governments to develop agreements that would enshrine shared global responsibility for tackling the climate crisis and caring for water resources as a common, global good.
“This is a democratic challenge that states must take up to realize the human rights to water and sanitation,” he said.