Translated with AI
Access to safe drinking water and sanitation remains a pressing issue for billions of people around the world. It is not just an inconvenience – it is a matter of life and death, as Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif reminded the Human Rights Council.
“There is nothing more fundamental than water,” she said. “Yet more than 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 3.4 billion lack access to adequate sanitation.”
Every year, she says, about 1.4 million people die from infectious diseases caused by contaminated water and poor sanitation, such as cholera, diarrhea and typhoid, with death rates in some low-income countries nearly 500 times higher than in developed countries.
The Deputy High Commissioner also stressed that in conflict situations – from Ukraine to Gaza and Sudan – water facilities are deliberately destroyed and access to clean water is blocked. Climate change is having an equally devastating impact: droughts are becoming longer and storms that destroy water infrastructure are becoming more powerful. Developing countries in debt crisis often do not have the opportunity to invest in water, while in developed countries water bills are becoming an unbearable burden for many families.
Vulnerability and Inequality
These challenges, the UN representative said, hit vulnerable groups particularly hard. People with disabilities often lack access to adapted toilets. Women and girls are exposed to violence and health risks, having to travel long distances to find water or privacy. Lack of sanitation in schools forces girls to miss school during their periods, jeopardizing their education. Indigenous peoples and those living in urban slums are more likely to rely on contaminated water sources and are particularly vulnerable to climate disasters.
Al-Nashif noted that human rights must be the basis for finding solutions. This approach requires the responsibility of states – they are obliged to invest in equal access to sufficient, safe, physically accessible and affordable water supply of adequate quality. In addition, the participation of affected communities is necessary. At the same time, it is important to protect human rights defenders who promote these issues from attacks. Cooperation is also required from all parties – governments, businesses, civil society, international organizations. Business, in particular, should follow the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The Deputy High Commissioner named the reform of the financial architecture, including measures to reduce the debt burden and support countries in investing in water infrastructure, as an important area of international cooperation.
Work of the Human Rights Office
She also cited examples of the work of the UN Human Rights Office: in Guatemala, workshops were organized for indigenous women on their rights and participation in discussions on a new water law. In Guinea, the rights to water and sanitation were integrated into local development plans.
“Water is a public good, not a commodity,” Al-Nashif said. Without water, she said, the human rights to life, health, food, work and a healthy environment are at risk. The Deputy High Commissioner called for the upcoming UN Water Conference to be used as an opportunity to consolidate political will and place human rights at the centre of water governance.
