The right to water is a theme that (Re)sources has carried and defended since 2005, as a founding right of human development.
The right to water was previously explicitly included in two existing global conventions: the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly declared that "the right to clean water is a fundamental human right". Since 2002, the right to water has been implicitly included in this covenant (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ICESCR 1966). The right to water is internationally recognized as a fundamental right (Article 11 of the Covenant - General Comment No. 15). The Comment gives an official interpretation of the Covenant but this interpretation is not formally binding on the States Parties.
The Johannesburg Declaration extended this right to sanitation at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The right to water was finally recognized at the international level by the United Nations on 28 July 2010 and by the Human Rights Council in September 2010. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in which it declares that the right to safe, clean and potable water is a "fundamental right, essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life and all human rights". The resolution calls on states and international organizations to "provide financial resources, capacity building and transfer of technology through international assistance and cooperation, particularly to developing countries.
On 21 November 2013, the resolution adopted by consensus at the United Nations General Assembly gave a new strong political signal in favour of the right to water. There is now a legal act that proves the recognition of the right to water and sanitation at the international level.
(Re)sources has tirelessly promoted the right to water since the creation of its network in :
calling for a definition of the right to water and sanitation
by making the right to water and the right to sanitation indissociable
calling for a legal framework for their implementation at the international level
by calling for a solvent and responsible debtor of the right (no right without a debtor).
by calling for the creation of systems to evaluate the performance of water and sanitation services in order to verify the effectiveness of the actions taken.