Benefit of Recognising Water as a Human Right

Recognising water as a human right has significant impact for law, policy, advocacy and programmes on water. General Comment No 15 has not only clarified the scope and contents of the right to water, but has also encouraged adoption of increased number of laws protecting this right. In addition, recognition of the right to water has stimulated community action to demand access to safe and affordable water services. For example:

• The right to water has been adopted by the Belgium Government in a Water Resolution in April, 2005
• Development organisations and NGOs throughout the world are increasingly relying on the right to water as a policy imperative

The realisation of the right to water is monitored by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other human rights mechanisms: monitoring bodies call upon states to take the steps necessary for the full realisation of the right or to modify laws or practices which impede realisation.

At the national and international levels the right to water requires that:

• Access to adequate safe and affordable water must be protected as the right of every human being in law, policy and practice, so that access to water is lifted out of the sphere of charity into the realm of legal entitlements
• Human rights principles, such as non-discrimination, equality, accountability and participation, should become the framework for policy and action and should be applied at every level of the management of water
• The principle of the universality of human rights be recognised to that everyone, without discrimination, enjoys the right to water; this in turn requires specific targeting of those suffering discrimination in access to water, such as women, those living in poverty and other disadvantaged groups
• States should be held accountable for meeting their legal obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to water; this includes the obligation to bring about the legal reform essential to ensure the protection of the right to water at the national level and the practical implementation of the right in state policy and action
• Community empowerment and participation should be encouraged at every stage of planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of water policies and programmes and the building of human and institutional capacity should be promoted

• Provides an international legal framework providing standards on access to water which can, for example, be used to assist in the peaceful resolution of watershed disputes and conflicts over the use of shared water
• Necessitates further consensus on the identification of minimum water requirements and the development of appropriate indicators for monitoring violations and measuring progress towards full realisation of the right to water