May 2011
Dear EarthTalk: Recently the UN
voted to declare access to safe and
clean water a “human right.” Isn’t that
a no-brainer? What are the ramifica-
tions of this declaration? -- P. James,
Boston, MA
In July 2010 the United Nations (UN)
agreed to a new resolution declaring the
human right to “safe and clean drinking
water and sanitation.” One hundred
twenty-two nations voted in favor of
the resolution; 41 (primarily developed)
countries abstained; and there were
zero “no” votes.
The agreement comes on the heels
of a protracted effort on the part of Bo-
livia and 30 other (mostly developing)
nations determined to improve access
to clean water and proper sanitation
systems for the poorer human residents
of the planet.
Bolivia’s Permanent Representa-
FEATURES
tive to the UN, Pablo Solon, cheered
passage of the resolution that he had
campaigned hard for, and stressed the
need to recognize access to safe drink-
ing water and sanitation as a human
right as global supplies of fresh water
get fewer and farther between.
“Approximately one out of every
eight people does not have drinking
water,” Solon told reporters. “In just
one day, more than 200 million hours
of the time used by women is spent col-
lecting and transporting water for their
homes.” According to the declaration,
approximately 884 million people lack
access to safe drinking water.
“The lack of sanitation is even worse,
because it affects 2.6 billion people [or]
40 percent of the global population,”
Solon said, citing a 2009 World Health
Organization and UNICEF study which
found some 24,000 children in develop-
ing countries were dying each day from
preventable causes like diarrhea result-
ing from polluted water. “This means
that a child dies every three-and-a-half
seconds,” added Solon.
The resolution itself carries no regu-
latory weight, but backers view it as
important to raising awareness of the
problem and engendering support for
solutions.
“We are calling for actions…in com-
munities around the world to ensure
that the rights to water and sanitation
are implemented,” said Anil Naidoo of
the Council of Canadians, a group that
has been crucial in the international
struggle for the right to clean water.
“Governments, aid agencies and the
UN must take their responsibilities
seriously,” he added.
Some developed countries—includ-
ing the U.S., Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and several European na-
tions—tried to block passage of the
resolution in hopes of minimizing their
future obligations. As one official from
the United Kingdom put it, these coun-
tries “don’t want to pay for the toilets
in Africa.”
Also, six African countries (Botswana,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Tanzania
and Zambia) and two in the Caribbean
(Guyana and Trinidad/Tobago)—all
former European colonies—joined ef-
forts to try to kill the declaration. But
when it was time to vote, these nations
abstained so as not to go on record as
opposing it.
“This matters because we are a planet
running out of water,” said Maude
Barlow, an expert affiliated with the
Council of Canadians as well as the
Blue Planet Project and Food and Water
Watch.
Indeed, a still-growing human popu-
lation, global warming and other
factors combine to make fresh water
supplies scarcer around the world. A
recent World Bank study predicted
that demand for fresh water will exceed
supply by some 40 percent within just
two decades.
While the UN resolution may not
move any mountains, it is a step in
The Southwest Portland Post • 5
A 2009 World Health Organization
and UNICEF study found that 24,000
children in developing countries die
each day from preventable causes like
diarrhea resulting from polluted wa-
ter. Pictured: An Ethiopian girl drinks
water from a newly-installed hand
pump. (Photo by water.org, courtesy
Flickr)
the right direction for the world’s
increasing number of have-nots.
CONTACTS: United Nations, www.
un.org; Council of Canadians, www.ca-
nadians.org; Blue Planet Project, www.
blueplanetproject.net; Food and Water
Watch, www.foodandwaterwatch.org.
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