FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2008

UN President Endorses Right to Water

United Nations, New York – A high level endorsement of the right to water from United Nations President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is being met with praise from Maude Barlow, a leading Canadian water rights advocate.

“We should recognize that the right to water is a human right, and water cannot therefore be treated as a commodity that is bought and sold,” said President d’Escoto in his speech. “The right to water should unite us in building a new model of sustainable human development.”

“President d’Escoto’s endorsement of water as a human right is a call to action,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and recently appointed Senior Advisor on Water Issues to the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations. “This is a wonderful opportunity to advance a more democratic and transparent method of policy making around water at the global level than now exists. Water is a commons, a public trust, and a human right.” 

Maude Barlow publicly called upon all member states of the United Nations to take up the challenge of the UN President by swiftly working towards a UN Convention that safeguards water as a human right.

President d’Escoto’s speech can be read in full at: http://www.un.org/ga/president/63/statements/cremarkshumanrights101208.shtml

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For More Information:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685