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UN report boosts campaign for public water
The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report’s recognition of the critical role of public finance and the public sector in delivering water to the world’s poorest communities has further undermined the case for water privatisation in the developing world, the World Development Movement said today.
WDM head of policy Pete Hardstaff said:
“As this report makes clear the private sector does not offer a ‘magic bullet’ solution to providing water for all. Let’s hope this is the last nail in the coffin of the idea that wide-scale water privatisation is the solution to the global water crisis.
“We welcome the report’s recognition of the central role that government and public finance have to play in making sure that all sections of the community get access to safe, clean, affordable water. We finally seem to have moved away from the myth that the private sector has buckets of money to invest in water for the poor.
“Making the human right to water a reality requires radical policies. With less than a decade left to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, it is clear that we must now focus on improving the performance of the public sector.”
Key features of the report:
- the responsibility of governments to implement a meaningful right to water
- access to a basic minimum of water (20 litres per day) free to the poorest
- recognition that public investment is essential to boost access
- recognition that aid will need to grow
- the positive example of public sector models like Porto Alegre
ENDS
Information for editors
[1] The UNDP report adds valuable weight to the growing consensus that water privatisation policies fail. Research conducted by WDM demonstrates how private companies have failed in invest in regions like sub-Saharan Africa even though this is where the need for investment to boost connections is most urgent. WDM has highlighted the failure of water privatisation projects in Tanzania.
[2] WDM is a campaign leader on the issue of water rights for the world’s poor.
It is critical that the human right to water becomes a reality for the billions of people without access to clean water. See http://www.wdm.org.uk/campaigns/aid/index.htm
[3] The UNDP report contains valuable evidence that the Porto Alegre (Brazil) experiment where innovative community based consultation, progressive tariff regimes, the active role of women and the recycling of water revenues has dramatically transformed the water supply and sanitation systems in the city.
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