Eight UN experts, one message:
“Progress and equality must go hand-in-hand with cooperation for water”
GENEVA (22 March 2013) – A group of UN human rights experts on water
and sanitation, food, extreme poverty, environment, health,
discrimination against women, violence against women and the promotion
of an equitable, democratic international order marks World Water Day,
which this year is devoted to Water Cooperation.
“In all we do, whoever we are and however we live – water is central
to our lives. We need water every single day to meet basic needs: for
drinking and cooking, for our personal hygiene, to grow the food we eat,
to keep us healthy. Water is essential for the health of ecosystems.
And water is also needed for industry and for tourism, among others.
Increasingly, water is subject to allocation through market
mechanisms, with the risk that the poor will be priced out. It is
crucial to ensure cooperation between the competing users of water, to
ensure that the human rights of all are realized and also that the most
marginalized and vulnerable are not negatively affected by unequal
resource allocation at every turn, by every decision on water resource
allocation.
Human rights require that considerations of the needs of marginalized
and vulnerable individuals and groups are prioritized, and that the
necessary resources are affordable to those who need them.”
Water and sanitation
“On the missions that I undertake for the UN,
I systematically witness the negative effects of climate change,
increased water scarcity for the most vulnerable people and often a
complete neglect of peoples’ right to water in face of other water uses,
as agri-business, large-scale industry and tourism. It is clear that
individual people’s rights must come first and to make this happen,
different users must come together, cooperate and make sure that the
available water reaches everyone in conditions of quality and
affordability.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to water
and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque
Food
“Freshwater resources are essential for agriculture to
sustain the world population with adequate and nutritious food. However,
while 70% of all water resources are used for agriculture, all too
often this precious and frequently limited resource is not equally
shared between all those who need it, but is rather distributed
according to who can afford to pay the most, or who owns the land under
which it is located.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food,
Olivier de Schutter
Extreme poverty
“Persons living in poverty are disproportionately
affected by limited access to water and are often forced to inhabit
areas in which access to water is restricted owing to cost, lack of
infrastructure, denial of services to persons without secure tenure,
poor resource management, contamination or climate change. Access to
clean water is key to reducing many aspects of poverty and States must
take measures to ensure that persons living in poverty are not charged
higher rates for water services owing to consumption levels.” The UN
Special Rapporteur on human rights and extreme poverty, Magdalena
Sepúlveda
Environment
“Improved water resources and wastewater management
are key to ensuring a safe and healthy environment. Overexploitation of
many of the surface water resources and great aquifers upon which
irrigated agriculture and domestic supplies depend has resulted in more
and more countries facing water stress or scarcity. Within those
countries, it will be those living in remote areas, the marginalized and
vulnerable who are most negatively affected by this water scarcity.”
The UN Independent Expert on human rights and the environment, John Knox
Health
“Safe water and adequate sanitation are key underlying
determinants of health. We have seen too often when inadequate access to
water and sanitation has undermined the realization of the right to
health by threatening life, devastating health, eroding human dignity
and causing deprivation. International cooperation is essential to
improve water supply, manage water resources and treat waste-water.
Better water management, including the protection of water ecosystems,
through enhanced cooperation between all stakeholders is also crucial in
preventing, controlling and reducing water-related diseases. These are
indispensable steps to ensure the human right to health for everyone
everywhere.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Anand
Grover
International order
“With the growth of the world population, the
global climate change and the need for a greater healthy environment,
access to water resources has become a crucial condition for the
realization of an equitable international order, where the needs of the
peoples are effectively addressed. In this regard, the need for
international cooperation, including in joint effort with relevant
non-state actors, is paramount to ensure water is made available to all
without discrimination. Water is a human right, an enabling right, not a
mere commodity.” The UN Independent Expert on the promotion of an
equitable and democratic international order, Alfred de Zayas
Discrimination against women and violence against women
“States
must pay attention to the gender dimensions of water supply and
distribution since women are intrinsically linked to water resources
because of their roles and responsibilities in using and managing water,
in particular in rural areas. Since women and girls often cook, clean,
farm, and provide health care and hygiene for their households, they are
on the front lines of their communities’ water issues. They often have
to travel considerable distances to collect water, facing an enhanced
risk of sexual and other forms of violence. Women’s voices must be heard
at local, national and international levels if global equity is to
prevail in the water-scarce world we are living in.” The UN Working
Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in
practice, Ms. Kamala Chandrakirana, Chair-Rapporteur; and the Special
Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Rashida Manjoo
“Let us celebrate this International Year of Water Cooperation by
appreciating the services we have – and ensuring that those without
access to this resource, to this incomparable service, gain access –
without prejudice - through cooperation between the many different
parties with a claim to this planet’s most precious elixir, in all we
do, whoever we are and however we live.”
For more information log on to:
Water and sanitation:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/Pages/SRWaterIndex.aspxFood:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx Extreme poverty:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/SRExtremePovertyIndex.aspx Environment:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Environment/IEEnvironment/Pages/IEenvironmentIndex.aspxHealth:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Health/Pages/SRRightHealthIndex.aspxInternational order:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IntOrder/Pages/IEInternationalorderIndex.aspx Discrimination against women:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WGWomen/Pages/WGWomenIndex.aspxViolence against women:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/SRWomen/Pages/SRWomenIndex.aspx
For further information and media requests, please contact Ms. Madoka Saji (+41 22 917 9107 /
msaji@ohchr.org)
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 /
xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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