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Some additional suggested changes from Michelle Leighton:
[...]
2. All policy actions
agreed upon at CSD 13 should consider the cross-cutting issues
established at CSD 11 (Poverty eradication, Changing unsustainable
patterns of consumption and production, Protecting and managing the
natural resource base of economic and social development, Gender
equality, and Education etc.) as well as governance, which although not included at CSD 11, is critical for effective and sound water and sanitation management.
II. Providing Safe Drinking Water to All
1. Governments
should seek every means available to protect, respect and fulfill their
human rights obligations relating to the right to water, including
to ensure that water development, management and allocation decisions
address the traditional difficulties women, children, minority groups,
indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups in society have in
exercising their right.
According to the secretary General’s report
‘Governments that are lagging significantly behind in meeting the water
goals and targets may wish to review their national (sustainable)
development strategies with a view to increasing the priority assigned
to providing access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Some
countries (e.g. South Africa
2) have chosen to enshrine a right of access to water in their
constitutions, while others reflect this in national water
legislation.’ [II. Providing Safe Drinking Water to All, Point 5. p. 3]
[...]
5.
We wish to underline
SG’s suggestion that “Where private participation is sought, wide
public consultation is crucial to building consensus on the rationale
for and the form of that participation.’ [II. Providing Safe Drinking
Water to All, Point 7. p. 4]. However, it should be recognized that
consultation alone is not sufficient; public participation should take
place in advance of any consideration of private sector participation.
Moreover, privatization of water services does not relieve governments
of their human rights obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the
right to water. Governments must regulate
and oversee the private sector’s management of water to assure the
respect, protection, and fulfillment of their human rights obligations
toward civil society.
III. Implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
[...]
9.
The role of education
of future generations should be a component of policy interventions as
policy and technical solutions will require a citizenry educated on the
hydrological cycle and the need for sustainable management of water
resources as a basic component of each person, government, private
business, association, etc.
The role of
education as a means of fulfilling government obligations under the
right to water includes for present generations concerning hygienic use
of water and sanitation.
[...]
20.
The full realization
to the right to water transcends national boundaries, and developed
nations have a duty to assist developing nations . The
donor governments need to step up their effort towards the achievement
of the 0.7% target of GDP for ODA; in allocating their ODA resources
national governments should prioritize water management with
crosscutting themes of Poverty eradication, Changing unsustainable
patterns of consumption and production, Protecting and managing the
natural resource base of economic and social development, Gender
equality, Education etc.
According to OECD
analysis of bilateral and multilateral aid to the water sector, the
water supply and sanitation sector receives about 6% of bilateral aid,
and some 4-5% of multilateral aid, despite water and sanitation being
their priority area for funding (75% of the OECD contributions to the
water sector during the last five years went to water and sanitation
sector).
Sustainable management of water resources is fundamental to our future, and it needs increased public
funding commitments not only to water and sanitation but also to
Integrated Water Resources Management. This should be the top priority
to all governments.
Freshwater
management: Policy options and possible actions to expedite
implementation, Commission on Sustainable Development Thirteenth session
11-22 April 2004, Item 4 (a) of the provision al agenda*, Thematic cluster for the implementation cycle 2004/2005– Policy Session: Water
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