Un General Assembly

United States Remarks at the General Assembly in 2011

United States views on international law (based on the document “Digest of U.S. Practice in International Law”): On July 27, 2011, U.S. Representative to ECOSOC Frederick D. Barton addressed the plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the issue of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. His remarks are excerpted below and available in full at (internet link) usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/2011/169199.htm.

Developments

The United States is deeply committed to finding solutions to the U.S. world’s water challenges.…

At the September 2010 session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the United States joined consensus on a resolution that affirms “that the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation is derived from [one], the right to an adequate standard of living and [two] inextricably related to the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” Both tenets are drawn from the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and they call upon governments to take steps towards the progressive realization of this human right. In March at the Human Rights Council, the United States supported the renewal of the mandate of the independent expert on this issue.

Details

In the context of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, we believe the following:

á First, governments should strive to progressively realize universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and should seek to expand access, especially for underserved populations. Governments should develop and implement national policies and strategies, where needed, and commit sufficient budgetary resources so that they will be able to advance this goal as quickly as possible.

á Second, governments have an obligation to ensure that access to safe drinking water and sanitation services is provided on a nondiscriminatory basis. Governments also have obligations to provide, or ensure access to, safe drinking water and sanitation to persons in their custody.

á Third, the right to safe drinking water and sanitation can reasonably be interpreted to include access to cooking water. It can also be reasonably understood to mean water in sufficient quantity and quality—although not necessarily potable quality—to meet basic needs regarding personal hygiene.

More about the Issue

Finally, in support of all of this, governments should work towards greater transparency and accountability in water and sanitation service provision and include the public in government decision making. Good governance is fundamental to the achievement of a right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Resources

Hierarchical Display of UN General Assembly

International Organisations > United Nations > UNO