5th World Water Forum ends without recognizing water as a human right |
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A seven-day focus on the world's water crunch wound up Sunday with a pledge by more than 100 countries to strive for clean water and sanitation for billions in need and fight drought and flood.
The declaration, coinciding with World Water Day, was issued at the end of a three-day ministerial meeting, climaxing the biggest-ever conference on the planet's freshwater crisis.
"The world is facing rapid and unprecedented global changes, including population growth, migration, urbanisation, climate change, desertification, drought, degradation and land use, economic and diet changes," the statement said.
According to the 3rd UN World Water Development Report released by UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization during the forum, more than 900 million people still have no access to drinking water and 2.5 billion people are still deprived of sanitation.
The final statement set out a roster of non-binding recommendations, including greater cooperation to ease disputes over water, measures to address floods and water scarcity, better management of resources and curbing pollution of rivers, lakes and aquifers.
Some countries tried to beef up the statement so that it recognised access to safe drinking water and sanitation as "a basic human right," rather than a "basic human need". The final text is: "We acknowledge the discussions with the UN system regarding human rights and access to safe drinking water and sanitation. We recognize that access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a basic human need." France, Spain and several Latin American countries and Africa have tried to change the text. Numerous countries, led by Latin America, have already enshrined access to water as a right in their constitution.
The World Water Forum is held every three years, and has gained in importance as an arena for debating the globe's amplifying problems of freshwater.
At least 25,000 policymakers, water specialists and grassroots workers took part in this year's event, a record attendance.
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page last updated on 22.03.2009
