Business, Human Rights and the Right to Water

A new Institute for Human Rights and Business draft report entitled "Business, Human Rights and the Right to Water: Challenges, Dilemmas and Opportunities" has been issued.  That's right - the RIGHT to water. 

http://www.institutehrb.org/reports.html

The draft report raises several questions:

1. What is the scope of a company‟s responsibility to respect the human right to water?

2. Does this responsibility extend to providing infrastructure – or water – to communities where it

operates?

3. If a company is a water service provider, does it extend only to its customers?

4. Does business have a role, or should business have a role, in providing water to the most

marginalised communities, who cannot or will not pay on principle?

5. Does the corporate responsibility to respect human rights change when a company operates in a

country where an overwhelmingly large proportion of the population lives below the poverty line?

6. Do the responsibilities of business change if a State is unwilling or unable to provide water?

7. What is the advocacy role of business? Can a company be expected to act as a champion of the

community, and lobby the government, encouraging it to fulfil its duty to protect, regardless of

capacity?

8. What precisely should businesses be reporting in terms of water and human rights?

9. What are the implications of reporting in a closed society, where the right to information is not

respected, and where there is limited, or no, political participation?

10. Is there a role for business in supporting citizens and communities to understand and demand their

right to water be fulfilled (by state - ultimate duty bearer)

11. Given the greater burden on women and girls in accessing water, is there special emphasis that

should be placed on gender issues (particularly for service providers)?

Notably, the draft report notes that some companies have recognized that water is a human right and the report advocates a "rights-based approach" by business to water issues.  

Businesses are coming under increased scrutiny as 1) users of water (beverage industry, agriculture, water-intensive industries like chip manufacturers; 2) providers of water (bottled or utilities); and 3) enablers of water (water treatment companies, pipe manufacturers).  Privatization of water resources can not be avoided in this discussion. 

At a recent event at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) State Department Special Coordinator for Water Resources Dr. Aaron Salzberg noted that in terms of the privatization the US Government position is "agnostic" - in some cases it has worked, in other cases it has not.