UN declares water, sanitation as human rights

Access to clean water and sanitation was declared a human right Wednesday after a vote aimed at helping the world’s neediest, passed unanimously at the United Nations.

Although the motion passed with 124 countries voting in favour of the resolution drafted by Bolivia, Canada was among the 41 nations to abstain on the issue.

In June, Bolivia’s draft resolution indicated that global water rights would "entitle everyone to available, safe, acceptable, accessible and affordable water and sanitation."

Maude Barlow, chairwoman of Food and Water Watch – a Washington-based group – who previously sat as a senior adviser to the United Nations General Assembly on the water issue, said Wednesday’s vote was groundbreaking.

"We’re absolutely thrilled," said Barlow, who also serves as national chairwoman of the Council of Canadians. "This is a historic day and I think every now and then, the human species advances somewhat in our evolution and today was one of them.

"It’s important to note that even the countries that didn’t vote in favour are bound by this resolution, so it’s an extremely important day."

Barlow said Canada’s non-vote was disappointing, given the scope of the water problem across the globe, but said that disappointment is overshadowed by happiness over the new right.

"I was very sad that my country – faced with the kind of statistics that were presented by the Bolivian ambassador when he introduced the resolution – that my country wouldn’t have felt they needed to vote on this historic day in favour," Barlow said. "They abstained and gave no reason and that was the only bad and sad note for us."

Melissa Lantsman, press secretary for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, said Wednesday that Canada’s sovereignty over its vast water supply is a key issue for government.

"We continue to assert that international human rights obligations in no way limit our sovereign right to manage our own resources," Lantsman said.

"We remain of the view that the general right to water is not codified under international human rights law and . . . currently there’s no international consensus among states regarding the existence, scope or content of a possible right to water. Canada alongside (40) others, abstained in that regard."

According to the Council of Canadians, however, that reason may not hold its weight. In a news release following the vote outcome, the national group said "as a result of this vote, the human right to water and sanitation is now explicitly and formally recognized in international law."

Barlow said the vote’s passing does not force the hand of countries to provide their own water, but rather to begin working on programs to help ease the global water crisis, both internationally and within each country’s borders. Barlow said that will provide many First Nations communities with official leverage to get better water resources.

"Canada, whether it voted for or against it, is not on the hook for sharing its actual water," Barlow said. "The resolution is very clear in that it doesn’t . . . touch the sovereign right of Canada or any other country over its water.

"What it does do is it requires each country’s government to start implementing a program toward this new right. In Canada, that would mean First Nations communities that are in very serious trouble in terms of the quality of drinking water and sanitation now have a new tool and argument to say that Canada must provide clean water and sanitation."

"There will be some pressure on the so-called first-world countries, which is why some abstained, so I think there will be more of a moral argument that (richer countries) should help finance this reality in countries when the nations themselves cannot pay for it."

On Tuesday, NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar came down on the government over the UN water resolution.

"There was a time when Canada was a world leader for human rights, but it’s now standing in the way of progress" Dewar said in a news release. "Access to safe drinking water is a major step in relieving human suffering, particularly for the two billion people living in the water-stressed regions of the planet."

Barlow also said possible inclusion of the word "access" to water and sanitation was a key point of debate, and said the fact the resolution does not include "access" makes it even more useful.

"It recognizes the human right to drinking water and sanitation for all people and that’s very important because it means governments have to provide the water even if people cannot pay for it . . . it’s an important distinction (not to include ‘access’)," she said.

Insiders previously indicated that some countries, including Canada, were in favour of leaving "access" in the resolutions’ language.

In the language of diplomats, having to provide "access" would oblige governments to do no more than deliver water as a marketable commodity – not as a core right that would have to be given to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

The final resolution "Calls upon States and international organizations to provide financial resources, capacity-building and technology transfer, through international assistance and co-operation, in particular to developing countries, in order to scale up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all."

According to the UN, nearly one billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion are without basic sanitation. The international body says 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year from diseases linked to water and sanitation.

Despite the vote, Barlow said the impact won’t be immediately evident, but said over the long term, if action isn’t taken, the crisis will continue to worsen.

"Everything won’t be fine the day after tomorrow," she said. "The statistics on water are just awful, and the fact is we are a planet that’s running out of clean water.

"All countries, whether they’re water-rich or water-poor are going to have to start building plans to protect their water. Even if you live in a country with a lot of water, there are going to be water refugees really soon and there’s not going to be anywhere in the world where there isn’t a demand on the dwindling water supplies."