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The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions

The evolution of the right to water can be traced to the developments of the early 1970s. This Study analyzes the resolutions and declarations of the various conferences and forums that have been held since that time, and the ways in which they hav...

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Main Authors: Salman, Salman M.A., McInerney-Lankford, Siobhán
Format: Online
Language:English
en_US
Published: Washington, DC: World Bank 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/01/5180202/human-right-water-legal-policy-dimensions
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/14893
https://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-5922-3
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author Salman, Salman M.A.
McInerney-Lankford, Siobhán
author_facet Salman, Salman M.A.
McInerney-Lankford, Siobhán
author_sort Salman, Salman M.A.
collection Colección Libros - Series (activas)
description The evolution of the right to water can be traced to the developments of the early 1970s. This Study analyzes the resolutions and declarations of the various conferences and forums that have been held since that time, and the ways in which they have confronted the issue of the right to water. The Study then discusses the evolution of the international legal regime for the protection and promotion of human rights, and pays particular attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The role of each of the committees established to oversee the implementation of the two Covenants is considered in some detail. Particular attention is given to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, its evolution, and its strengthening, and the practice of issuing General Comments. The last two parts of the Study are devoted to General Comment No. 15, which recognizes the human right to water. These parts analyze the extent to which the Comment recognizes a legal right to water, and highlights some policy aspects that are related to, and may affect, this right. The core thesis of this book is that there exists, within the legal framework of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a human right to water because it is a right that inheres in several other rights, and a right without which key provisions of the Covenant would be rendered ineffectual. This conclusion is buttressed also by the interpretative authority that lies with the Committee having evolved from its initial form as a Working Group, to what is now undeniably, a fully-fledged entity, with significant formal authority and legitimacy. Although this conclusion acknowledges that General Comments do not create new rights, it recognizes that General Comment No. 15 extrapolates the normative and practical bases of a human right to water within the fabric of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Together with a number of General Assembly resolutions on the issue, including the Millennium Development Goal related to water, as well as the voluminous body of soft law provisions, the General Comment arguably provides further evidence that there is an incipient right to water evolving in public international law today. Moreover, the Comment has offered a new momentum to efforts aimed at translating those soft law commitments into substantive, precise, and legally binding obligations.
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spelling wb-10986-148932025-04-16T04:17:27Z The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions Salman, Salman M.A. McInerney-Lankford, Siobhán ACTION PLANS AGRICULTURAL WATER AGRICULTURAL WATER USE CIVIL SOCIETY CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS CLEAN WATER COMMUNITY WATER COMMUNITY WATER SUPPLY CONSERVATION DEMOCRACY DRINKING WATER DRY AREAS ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC VALUE ECOSYSTEM ENTITLEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES EXPLOITATION EXTREME POVERTY FRESHWATER RESOURCES INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL LAW INTERNATIONAL RIVERS INTERNATIONAL WATER CONFERENCES INTERNATIONAL WATERCOURSES JURISDICTION LEGAL FRAMEWORK LEGISLATION MONITORING PROGRAM MORTALITY NATURAL RESOURCES NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS POLICY MAKERS POLITICAL RIGHTS POLLUTION POLLUTION CONTROL POPULATION GROWTH PRIVATE SECTOR PROGRAMS PROTOCOLS RIVER RURAL COMMUNITIES SANITATION SIGNIFICANT HARM SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TREATIES TURKEY UNSAFE DRINKING WATER WASTE WATER WATER CRISIS WATER RESOURCES WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT WATER RIGHTS WATER SHORTAGE WATER SHORTAGES WATER SUPPLY WATER USE The evolution of the right to water can be traced to the developments of the early 1970s. This Study analyzes the resolutions and declarations of the various conferences and forums that have been held since that time, and the ways in which they have confronted the issue of the right to water. The Study then discusses the evolution of the international legal regime for the protection and promotion of human rights, and pays particular attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The role of each of the committees established to oversee the implementation of the two Covenants is considered in some detail. Particular attention is given to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, its evolution, and its strengthening, and the practice of issuing General Comments. The last two parts of the Study are devoted to General Comment No. 15, which recognizes the human right to water. These parts analyze the extent to which the Comment recognizes a legal right to water, and highlights some policy aspects that are related to, and may affect, this right. The core thesis of this book is that there exists, within the legal framework of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a human right to water because it is a right that inheres in several other rights, and a right without which key provisions of the Covenant would be rendered ineffectual. This conclusion is buttressed also by the interpretative authority that lies with the Committee having evolved from its initial form as a Working Group, to what is now undeniably, a fully-fledged entity, with significant formal authority and legitimacy. Although this conclusion acknowledges that General Comments do not create new rights, it recognizes that General Comment No. 15 extrapolates the normative and practical bases of a human right to water within the fabric of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Together with a number of General Assembly resolutions on the issue, including the Millennium Development Goal related to water, as well as the voluminous body of soft law provisions, the General Comment arguably provides further evidence that there is an incipient right to water evolving in public international law today. Moreover, the Comment has offered a new momentum to efforts aimed at translating those soft law commitments into substantive, precise, and legally binding obligations. 2013-08-07T21:28:55Z 2013-08-07T21:28:55Z 2004 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/01/5180202/human-right-water-legal-policy-dimensions 0-8213-5922-3 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/14893 https://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-5922-3 English en_US Law, Justice, and Development; CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank application/pdf text/plain Washington, DC: World Bank
spellingShingle ACTION PLANS
AGRICULTURAL WATER
AGRICULTURAL WATER USE
CIVIL SOCIETY
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
CLEAN WATER
COMMUNITY WATER
COMMUNITY WATER SUPPLY
CONSERVATION
DEMOCRACY
DRINKING WATER
DRY AREAS
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC VALUE
ECOSYSTEM
ENTITLEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
EXPLOITATION
EXTREME POVERTY
FRESHWATER RESOURCES
INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
INTERNATIONAL LAW
INTERNATIONAL RIVERS
INTERNATIONAL WATER CONFERENCES
INTERNATIONAL WATERCOURSES
JURISDICTION
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
LEGISLATION
MONITORING PROGRAM
MORTALITY
NATURAL RESOURCES
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
POLICY MAKERS
POLITICAL RIGHTS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
POPULATION GROWTH
PRIVATE SECTOR
PROGRAMS
PROTOCOLS
RIVER
RURAL COMMUNITIES
SANITATION
SIGNIFICANT HARM
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
TREATIES
TURKEY
UNSAFE DRINKING WATER
WASTE WATER
WATER CRISIS
WATER RESOURCES
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
WATER RIGHTS
WATER SHORTAGE
WATER SHORTAGES
WATER SUPPLY
WATER USE
Salman, Salman M.A.
McInerney-Lankford, Siobhán
The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions
title The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions
title_full The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions
title_fullStr The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions
title_full_unstemmed The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions
title_short The Human Right to Water : Legal and Policy Dimensions
title_sort human right to water legal and policy dimensions
topic ACTION PLANS
AGRICULTURAL WATER
AGRICULTURAL WATER USE
CIVIL SOCIETY
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
CLEAN WATER
COMMUNITY WATER
COMMUNITY WATER SUPPLY
CONSERVATION
DEMOCRACY
DRINKING WATER
DRY AREAS
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC VALUE
ECOSYSTEM
ENTITLEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
EXPLOITATION
EXTREME POVERTY
FRESHWATER RESOURCES
INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
INTERNATIONAL LAW
INTERNATIONAL RIVERS
INTERNATIONAL WATER CONFERENCES
INTERNATIONAL WATERCOURSES
JURISDICTION
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
LEGISLATION
MONITORING PROGRAM
MORTALITY
NATURAL RESOURCES
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
POLICY MAKERS
POLITICAL RIGHTS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
POPULATION GROWTH
PRIVATE SECTOR
PROGRAMS
PROTOCOLS
RIVER
RURAL COMMUNITIES
SANITATION
SIGNIFICANT HARM
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
TREATIES
TURKEY
UNSAFE DRINKING WATER
WASTE WATER
WATER CRISIS
WATER RESOURCES
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
WATER RIGHTS
WATER SHORTAGE
WATER SHORTAGES
WATER SUPPLY
WATER USE
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/01/5180202/human-right-water-legal-policy-dimensions
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/14893
https://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-5922-3
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