No Consensus on Water as a Human Right

A ministerial meeting tacklingthe world's water problems fell short of producing a clearlydefined programme of action in its final declaration, which wasreleased here in this central Japanese city on Sunday.KYOTO, Japan, Mar 24 (IPS) - A ministerial meeting tacklingthe world's water problems fell short of producing a clearlydefined programme of action in its final declaration, which wasreleased here in this central Japanese city on Sunday.

Alsomissing in the final text seeking to achieve water security waslanguage recognising the right to water as a human right.Furthermore, the ministerial declaration omitted mention of theneed for a global mechanism to monitor the progress being madeto solve water-related problems, particularly the lack of safedrinking water and adequate sanitation.

Both the human rightsaspect of access to water and the need for a mechanism tomonitor water programmes received mention during a week-longinternational conference on water that preceded the two-dayministerial meeting here. During the Third World WaterForum (TWWF), policymakers, water experts, engineers,company executives, activists and non-governmentalorganisations (NGOs) debated a range of issues, from water andclimate, water supply and sanitation, waste water, water foragriculture, the issue of impounding water through dams andpotential conflicts that could arise due to water.

As it is, thedeclaration endorsed at the ministers' meeting, which attractedrepresentatives from over 100 countries, identifies key areaswhere urgent work is necessary. Among them are exploring newways of financing water projects, including private sectorparticipation. The other significant themes in the declaration arethe need for community-based approaches in managing water,the recognition that cooperation is a must among countries thatshare rivers to avoid future conflicts and that countries mustimprove the ''efficiency of agriculture water use.''

Some themesat Third World Water Forum proved to be thornier than others,not least what critics called the too-heavy focus on the role of theprivate sector in access to a basic good like water. Indeed, thesethemes included the debate on how to finance water projects inthe developing world -- both for safe drinking water and forirrigation and hydroelectric power -- and the need to buildlarge dams. In the end, the declaration states that ''allsources of financing, both public and private, national andinternational, must be mobilised and used in the most effectiveand efficient way''. It adds that it ''takes note'' the report ofthe World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure, whichbacks greater private sector involvement in water services inthe developing world and calls on governments to reformlaws to ensure the water companies are guaranteed security.

According to a World Bank report released during the ThirdWorld Water Forum, the developing world will need annualinvestments in the water sector to rise from 75 billion to 180billion U.S. dollars to achieve water security and providesanitation for the world's poor. But NGOs at the Kyotoforum, which ran from Mar. 16-22, issued a statement to theministerial meeting denouncing the efforts underway to privatisewater.

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