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International Agreements and Action

The document discusses several international agreements and meetings around increasing access to safe drinking water. Specifically, it mentions the Millennium Development Goals which aim to reduce the proportion of people without access to water by half by 2015. It also discusses the Second World Water Forum in 2000 and the Fourth Forum which noted governments should have the primary role in providing water access. Finally, it outlines four foundations for success laid out in the 2006 Human Development Report: making water a human right; developing national water strategies; supporting national plans with international aid; and creating a global action plan.

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José Emmanuel Dávila Flores
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39 views2 pages

International Agreements and Action

The document discusses several international agreements and meetings around increasing access to safe drinking water. Specifically, it mentions the Millennium Development Goals which aim to reduce the proportion of people without access to water by half by 2015. It also discusses the Second World Water Forum in 2000 and the Fourth Forum which noted governments should have the primary role in providing water access. Finally, it outlines four foundations for success laid out in the 2006 Human Development Report: making water a human right; developing national water strategies; supporting national plans with international aid; and creating a global action plan.

Uploaded by

José Emmanuel Dávila Flores
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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International Agreements and Action

The Millennium Development Goals, a number of targets to help alleviate


poverty around the world by 2015, includes the aim to reduce by half the
proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water. A
number of international meetings have taken place in recent years.

For example, March 17-22, 2000, saw the Second World Water Forum, which
tried to address many issues. The types of topics addressed included the
following:

 Water as a human right


 Water Management—not water scarcity—as the problem
 Call for a new Water Ethic; That water is a management problem, a
cultural problem, rather than a resource problem in most cases
 Governments should participate in people’s projects rather than
people participating in governments’ projects
 Water culture—and gender. Female involvement will be important.
Women are often more sensitive to cultural and other issues which will
be important.
 Privatization—water should maintain a common property resource,
common heritage of all.

The fourth Forum also noted in its final ministerial declaration that
governments should have the primary role in providing water access and
related improvements. (This does not preclude the use of private companies
contracted to provide the service, but highlights the importance of
democratic accountability over the provision of such service.)

The aforementioned 2006 Human Development Report notes that dealing


with causes rather than effects is also cost-effective. Every $1 spent in the
[water] sector creates on average another $8 in costs averted and
productivity gained. The report also lays out four foundations for success,
recognizing that these are no ready-made blueprints:

1. Make water a human right—and mean it.


2. Draw up national strategies for water and sanitation.
3. Support national plans with international aid.
4. Develop a global action plan.

Urgently resolving key issues such as access to safe water, efficient and
sustainable use is likely to involve a number of actors, including
governments, corporations, activists, and local people who directly feel the
implications of decisions made in fancy corporate offices and luxurious
international meeting venues. Without understanding or common goals, the
environment, the lives of people, and prospects for a healthy future are at
risk.

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