Implementing the right to water
03.07.2012
Thanks to actions led in many Latin American countries, especially in Bolivia, the right to clean drinking water and sanitation for all has been recognised as a human right.
The United Nations General Assembly on 28th July 2010 recognized “the human right to water and sanitation” and “acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights”.
However, there is a gap between what was declared and what has actually been put into action. Today, around 884 million people are without access to safe drinking water and more than 2.6 billion lack access to basic sanitation.
During the workshops and agoras on 9th March, we focused on the following questions:
– Getting the right to water recognized by all national and international institutions
– Tools we may use so that the right to water for all is implemented
– Key levers for encouraging citizens to participate in the decision-making process on the right to water?
– What is water’s role and what kind of solidarity should be promoted
Friday, 9th March, four workshops were dedicated to the theme of implementing the right to water:
– The right to water recognized by all
– Right to water and implementation
– Citizens’ information and education on the right to water
– The status of water, towards a right of water