Win! UN General Assembly passes historic Human Right to Water and Sanitation resolution
Council of Canadians celebrates meaningful victory with global water justice movement
On July 28, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly agreed to a resolution declaring the human right to “safe and clean drinking water and sanitation.” The resolution, presented by the Bolivian government, had 122 countries vote in its favour, while 41 countries – including Canada – abstained.
For more than a decade the water justice movement, including the Council of Canadians' Blue Planet Project, has been calling for UN leadership on this critical issue. Right now nearly 2 billion people live in water-stressed areas of the world and 3 billion have no running water within a kilometre of their homes. Every eight seconds, a child dies of water-borne disease – deaths that would be easily preventable with access to clean, safe water.
Maude Barlow, the Council of Canadians National Chairperson and former Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the United Nations General Assembly, said she was thrilled with the outcome of the historic vote, which came with the help and strong support of Council of Canadians members.
“It was a great honour to be present as the UN General Assembly took this historic step forward in the struggle for a just world,” she said.
The result, she added, does not mean Canada will have to share its water with other countries. "Canada, whether it voted for or against it, is not on the hook for sharing its actual water," explained Barlow. "The resolution is very clear in that it doesn't (…) touch the sovereign right of Canada or any other country over its water.
While the resolution is a solid victory for water justice for people around the world, the battle is not entirely won. “This resolution has the overwhelming support of a strong majority of countries, despite a handful of powerful opponents. It must now be followed-up with a renewed push for water justice,” said Anil Naidoo, Blue Planet Project organizer. “We are calling for actions on the ground in communities around the world to ensure that the rights to water and sanitation are implemented. Governments, aid agencies and the UN must take their responsibilities seriously.”
While Canada abstained from the critical vote, Meera Karunananthan, National Water Campaigner for the Council of Canadians, said it does not mean our country can sit idly by. “It is crucial now that communities in Canada use this opportunity to hold our government accountable to the international commitment to recognize water and sanitation as human rights. We must demand legislation at home to ensure that these rights are enjoyed by all peoples of Canada without discrimination. It is time for Canada to do something about the deplorable condition on First Nations reserves that have lacked access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for generations.”
To read our media release about the result of the UN vote go here.
To read more about the urgent need for the human right to water and the Canadian government’s shameful position against it go here.
For additional resources visit our Blue Planet project website. |
PHOTO: Council of Canadians Blue Planet Project organizer Anil Naidoo, Chairperson Maude Barlow, National Water Campaigner Meera Karunananthan are pictured at the UN General Assembly on July 28 before the historic session on the right to water.
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PHOTO: Maude Barlow addressed the United Nations General Assembly on April 22, 2010, speaking about the rights of Mother Earth and the urgent need to declare water a human right. |
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Here’s more about what’s new at the Council of Canadians:
Council speaks out about flawed “free” trade deal with European Union
 The Council of Canadians was in Brussels July 12 to 16 in advance of the fourth round of trade negotiations to raise concerns about the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Members of the European Parliament (MEP).
The Council of Canadians was part of a civil society delegation of the Trade Justice Network to explain to MEPs, labour unions, farmers and other groups about the growing concerns with the CETA deal in Canada. Council staff joined representatives from the National Union of Public and General Employees, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and ATTAC-Quebec as part of the network to present to MEPs.
As federal, provincial and territorial trade negotiators entered a fourth round of trade talks with their EU counterparts, Brent Patterson, Director of Campaigns and Communications for the Council of Canadians, delivered more than 6,000 letters from Council members opposing the deal to the Mission of Canada to the European Union on Avenue de Tervueren in Brussels.
"This action sends a strong message to the Canadian government and to the CETA negotiators here that Canadians have serious concerns about this deal," said Patterson. The letters call for the release of the full draft text of the proposed CETA deal and cross-country public consultations before the next round of negotiations can take place in Ottawa this October.
Under the proposed “free” trade agreement, Canadian corporations are looking for better access to the European market without having to meet stricter EU rules. European negotiators want Canadian services contracts, with the aim of transferring the $100 to $200 billion our local governments spend annually on goods and services into corporate profits.
The deal would put pressure on our provincial governments to privatize public services, including water, transportation, childcare and public health care. The Council is calling for an end to the CETA negotiations. Instead, we support fair trade agreements that protect public services, strengthen social policy and don't undermine locally-sourced procurement policies.
For more information about the proposed CETA deal go here.
To read blog updates about the Council’s recent actions in Brussels go here.
PHOTO: The Council's Brent Patterson delivered more than 6,000 letters from members opposing CETA to the Mission of Canada to the European Union during negotiations in Brussels on July 20.
Take Action! Arctic drilling moratorium needed now
The devastating BP spill off the Gulf of Mexico has awakened our collective consciousness to the serious risks of offshore drilling. Images of oil soaked wetlands, dying birds and animals and firsthand accounts of jobs and livelihoods lost are just the start of what will be long-lasting impacts of this environmental catastrophe.
With the discovery of 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas under melting ice, the Arctic is increasingly being viewed as a final frontier for fossil fuel development. More than 80 per cent of the oil and gas is found offshore. Big oil companies, including BP, are now seeking licences for exploration and drilling in eco-sensitive Arctic waters.
Many commentators report that Canada could face a devastating oil spill like the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico as our country’s regulations are even more relaxed then American rules, which failed to prevent a devastating spill. Bill C-9, the Budget Implementation Act (passed the House of Commons on June 8, 2010), contains several provisions that will gut environmental assessment rules, including giving the Environment Minister power to decide whether or not an environmental assessment is necessary for oil and gas developments and power to shift responsibility for environmental assessments solely to the big oil-friendly National Energy Board (NEB).
Take action!
Send a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Opposition Leaders and Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Natural Resources, Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Fisheries and Oceans, and relevant Opposition critics voicing your concerns with Arctic offshore drilling.
Go here to send your letter now.
The benefits of monthly Council membership
The Council of Canadians’ work often depends on being able to react quickly and effectively to issues – whether it’s mobilizing people to protect Canadian lakes in danger from being turned into toxic mining dumpsites under Schedule 2, pushing for government support of the human right to water, or bringing members and activists together for our annual meeting – our work is made possible by the generous support of our members and donors.
Playing an integral role in sustaining these efforts is the Canada Plan, the Council’s monthly giving program. Stable, monthly donations provide us with the ability to react to urgent events, plan for the day-to-day needs of our core campaigns and fight for strong policies in support of water, climate and trade justice.
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Three World Water Wins: Around the world people are taking control of their water supply
Everybody needs water as much as they need air or food. So what happens when a corporation steps in and turns public water into private profit? It can spell disaster in a poor community or a place where clean water is scarce. Ten years ago, Bolivians made headlines when protests by Cochabamba’s people overturned a private water contract that made water rates catastrophically expensive. Since then, people around the world have been fighting to keep water public. From Canadian towns banning wasteful bottled water, to cities across France reclaiming privatized water systems, there’s a growing global movement of citizens taking back their water.
To read the full article, written by Maude Barlow, Anil Naidoo and Meera Karunananthan of the Council of Canadians, which appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of YES! Magazine go here.
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Founded in 1985 by a handful of citizens including Farley Mowat, Pierre Berton and Margaret Atwood, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s pre-eminent public watchdog organization. By becoming a member of the Council of Canadians your generous support helps give our organization a voice on social, economic and political issues and build a strong, independent and diverse Canada. Join the Council today, and help us prove that a better Canada is possible. Already a member? Share this newsletter with a friend and encourage them to join or donate and become a part of Canada’s largest citizens’ advocacy organization.
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