GEF

Unit 4  |  The Global Water Crisis 113 Principle 3 recognizes the essential role of women in protecting and distributing water, a pronounced dynamic in developing countries. This principle further emphasizes water as a social resource that cannot be separated from issues of human rights and equality. Principle 4, recognizing water as an economic good, has been sharply contested by developing countries and environmental organizations. In response, the United Nations (UN) formu- lated an official comment recognizing that water is a universal human right in addition to being an economic good. In 2007, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made the following statement: “It is now time to consider access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, defined as the right to equal and non-discriminatory access to a suffi- cient amount of safe drinking water for personal and domestic uses—drinking, personal sanitation, washing of clothes, food preparation and personal and house- hold hygiene—to sustain life and health. States should prioritize these personal and domestic uses over other water uses and should take steps to ensure that this suf- ficient amount is of good quality, affordable for all and can be collected within a reasonable distance from a person’s home.” The global water crisis, while presenting many challenges, also provides enormous opportunities for cooperation and collaboration. In addition to governments, a wide range of non-governmental organizations and civil society groups are coming together in order to develop solutions to water scarcity, waterborne disease, and poor water infrastructure. Community activists, teachers, and business leaders are rec- ognizing the global water crisis as a historic opportunity to fundamentally rethink how we distribute, manage, and use our most basic resource. CIVIL SOCIETY A community of citizens with no direct involvement with the government, linked by common interests and collec- tive activity.