The General Assembly formally recognised the right to water and sanitation by supporting the Resolution initiated by Bolivia on 28 July 2010. The Resolution 64/ 292 acknowledges that clean drinking water and sanitation are integral to the realisation of all human rights.
By a vote 122 in favour, none against and 41 abstentions, the General Assembly has adopted Resolution 64/ 292 recognising water and sanitation as a basic human right.
The Resolution welcomes the important work carried out by the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation and welcomes her presentation of an annual report to the General Assembly. The Resolution also calls upon States and international organisations to provide financial resources, help build capacity and transfer technology to help other countries to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.
The right to sanitation is importantly recognised, however it is recognised as part of the same right as the right to water.
In the introduction to the resolution the representative of Bolivia recognizes the health risks of sanitation as being far worse than the lack of safe water, and he quotes the Independent Expert discussing sanitation as evoking the concept of human dignity.
The majority of the abstaining countries argued that the resolution went against the ongoing ‘geneva process’ and the work carried out by the Human Rights Council. For the full proceedings of the vote please see the UN General Assembly’s press release.
