Water is a matter of life and death. Advanced technology and engineering enable humans to gain better access to it. Nonetheless, the conditions and effort required to reach this goal remain colossal in many countries. Building a lasting infrastructure for adequate treatment before and after use is costly. Therefore, the author believes that a radical change of thinking among people around the world, from the domestic to the large-scale users, becomes a priority. Even if the United Nations entitles all people to justice for water, more responsible and ethical use of it by all interested parties is more important than the spreading of promises, which, in practice, may turn out to be a sham. Only a better understanding that access to water rests on the efforts of everyone, without exception, will reduce overuse, waste, and pollution of the indispensable resource. This volume, while written from a theological, philosophical, and legal perspective (focusing on John Calvin, John Rawls, and Paul Ricoeur), demonstrates that water cannot be merely understood as a human right, but also has to be dealt with from an economic point of view as well as under the authority of the Golden Rule.

... Based on presentations made at the International Conference on the Human Right to Water in Berlin, Germany, 21-22 October 2005.

Currently, it is reported that more than two billion people are affected by water shortages in over 40 countries, with diseases associated with unsafe drinking water and lack of adequate sanitation among the leading causes of death in developing countries. Predictions forecast that by the year 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. This publication, written by recognised experts in this field, explores the genesis of the debate on the right to water and the links between development issues, water resources and human rights. It focuses on the importance of General Comment No. 15 (issued by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2002) which explicitly recognizes a human right to water; and concludes that an incipient right to water is emerging in international law, supported by several soft law instruments, evolving customary international law and an increasing number of domestic law provisions.

Inequities and limitations in access to safe and affordable water and to the decision-making processes that guide water management and distribution affect communities around the world and across the US and, with the added impacts of climate change, present a growing problem of environmental justice. The complex significance of water coupled with the unequal nature of water resource distribution has given rise to the notion of a 'human right to water and sanitation', designed to reinforce and protect human demands and needs related to water. This human right has been recognized at the international level and international law now imposes specific obligations on states related to their populations' access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The recognition and enforcement of the human right to water and sanitation is also of great importance in both developing and developed countries, including in the US. The widespread assumption that safe and affordable water and sanitation services are available to all residents of the US misrepresents reality, which is that many low-income communities, communities of color, and indigenous communities in the US in fact lack access to water for the most basic human needs as well as to basic sanitation. This is in part a result of the fragmented legal framework governing water issues in the US, as well as ineffective laws and regulations that purport to protect safe and affordable access to water and sanitation. Moreover, unlike its increasing foothold at the international level, the human right to water has yet to be meaningfully recognized in the US. This article sets out to assess the potential for the notion of a human right to water and sanitation to promote laws and policies in the US that would ensure water justice across the country, and in particular for vulnerable or disadvantaged communities.

The second edition of Historical Dictionary of Human Rights explores both the theory and the practice of international human rights with a focus on the norms and institutions that make up the “architecture” of the global human rights regime and the tools, processes and procedures through which such norms are realized and “enforced.” Particular attention is given to the contextual political and sociological factors that shape and constrain the operation and functioning of international human rights institutions and their state and non-state actors. This is done through a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 1.000 cross-referenced entries on terminology, conventions, treaties, intergovernmental organizations in the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations, as well as some of the pioneers and defenders. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about human rights.

Formally acknowledging water as a human right could encourage the international community and governments to enhance their efforts to satisfy basic human needs and to meet the Millennium Development Goals. But critical questions arise in relation to a right to water. What would be the benefits and content of such a right? What mechanisms would be required for its effective implementation? Should the duty be placed on governments alone, or should the responsibility also be borne by private actors? Is another 'academic debate' on this subject warranted when action is really what is necessary? Without claiming to prescribe the answers, this publication clearly and carefully sets out the competing arguments and the challenges.

The United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council recognised the human right to water in 2010. This formal recognition has put the issue high on the international agenda, but by itself leaves many questions unanswered. This book addresses this gap and clarifies the legal status and meaning of the right to water through a detailed analysis of its legal foundations, legal nature, normative content and corresponding State obligations. The human right to water has wide-ranging implications for the distribution of water. Examining these implications requires putting the right to water into the broader context of different water uses and analysing the linkages and competition with other human rights that depend on water for their realisation. Water allocation is a highly political issue reflecting societal power relations, with current priorities often benefitting the well-off and powerful. Human rights, in contrast, require prioritising the most basic needs of all people. The human right to water has the potential to address these underlying structural causes of the lack of access to water rooted in inequalities and poverty by empowering people to hold the State accountable to live up to its human rights obligations and to demand that their basic needs are met with priority.