Draft opinion “Acces to water as a human right - the external dimension”
Final compromise amendments
COMP 1 ( AM 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 51, 61, 62, 92 and 123, 37 and 94)
1. Reaffirms that access to
safe, clean, accessible and affordable water
and
sanitation are vital
imperatives and fundamental
human rights ( AM 11 Bijoux, 12
Roose, 13 Ochojska) as recalled in the context the UN General Assembly’s
resolution 64/292 of 28 July 2010 (
AM16 Noichl and 17 Holveny);
1 a.
Stresses that access to water needs a multi-sectorial, multi-stakeholder
approach, a strong commitment to work with all partners concerned and good
governance (
AM 123 Noichl);
1 b.
Notes that access to water is intrinsically linked to health and education (AM
51 Roose), especial y for women (AM 94, Noichl), protection and restoration of
water-related ecosystems (AM 62 Roose) and is also connected to access to
land, land ownership rights ( AM 92 Noichl), which need to be defensible in court
(AM 94, Noichl),and food security (AM 61 Roose); acces to energy and security (AM
37 Roose);
1 c.
stresses that improved water supply and sanitation, and better management
of water resources, can boost countries’ sustainable (Noichl) economic growth
and can contribute greatly to poverty reduction (
AM 15 Kempa);
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COMP 2 ( AM 33, 34, 38 and 49)
2. Calls on the EU to promote a
human rights-based approach to access to water and
sanitation in its external action in accordance with the UN-declared Water Action
Decade 2018-2028 and during the
next World Water Forum, in Dakar, the high-
level international conference on water in Dushanbe in 2022 and the high-
level UN conference on the Water Action Decade in New York in 2023 (
AM 33
Bijoux) in order to keep in with SDG
6 on safe drinking water and sanitation to
enable all countries to reach all the targets under this goal by 2030 (
AM 38
Noichl)
for al in a non discriminatory manner while eliminating inequalities in
access to water for vulnerable and marginalized groups (AM 49 Ochojska);
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COMP 3 (AM 3, 42, 47, 64, 74, 81, 82 and 83)
3. Is concerned that access to drinking water
and sanitation (Ochojska) -
due either
to physical scarcity, pollution (Roose) or lack of sufficient infrastructure (
AM 47
Mihaylova and AM 3 Roose)
and poor governance (AM 82, Roose) - is severely
restricted in developing countries (only one person in two enjoys such access) and
extremely limited in sub-Saharan Africa (only one person in eight in rural areas);
3 a. Stresses that Africa’s rapidly growing population and changing urban
context necessitates urgent actions to build water resilience (AM 42 Holveny and
AM 82 Roose), highlights the deep inequalities in access to basic infrastructure
which place disproportionate water-related burdens on the urban poor (AM 81);
3. a bis Points out that clean water, good hygiene and sanitation services are
crucial for sustainable growth and to build the resilience of the most vulnerable
communities; (64) Calls therefore on the EU to step up its technical and financial
(AM 83 Roose) support to contribute to making cities in developing countries
more resilient to water shocks, including trough sustainable urban planning,
while providing better integration of rural citizens moving to urban settings ( AM
81 Roose);
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COMP 4 (AM 9, 14, 21, 24, 39, 43, 45, 56, 64, 67, 68, 69, 71, 91, 124, 125 and 126)
4. Calls urgently, following the COVID-19 pandemic and given the increasing number
of climate change-related natural disasters,
including the increased magnitude and
frequency of floods, droughts (AM 69, Comin) , the increased water temperatures
and the decrease in dissolved oxygen (AM 45 Noichl) , the raising of sea levels
(AM 39 Bijoux) and the deterioration of water quality due to increasing pollution
and contamination (AM 21 Roose, AM 45, Noichl) resulting i.e. from agricultural
run-off, untreated industrial and municipal wastewater (AM 21, Roose), the and
deforestation (AM 9 Roose),that access to water and sanitation are made a priority
in developing countries in particular in the least developed countries and small island
developing states, including in
humanitarian context (
AM 67 Roose),
as it is one of
the key element of human development (
AM 64 Ochojska);
4 a. Stresses that there is a lack of financing and of public investment (
AM 124
Noichl) regarding water
and sustainable infrastructure (Noichl) in developing
countries.
Calls on Member States and international organisations to provide
financial resources in order to help capacity-building and technology transfer to
developing countries to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking
water, hygiene services and sanitation for all; (AM 91 Ochojska), notably for the
most vulnerable (AM 71, Roose);
4 b. Underlines the need for anticipatory actions in the field of access to water
and sanitation (AM 125 Noichl) and the necessity to have reliable and
comparable indicators to measure the progress or regress when it comes to the
access to water and sanitation (AM 126 Noichl);
4 b bis. Stresses the need for increased focus on sustainable, resilient water and
sanitation infrastructure and communities through implementation of disaster
risk reduction components (AM 43, Ochojska) and all necessary water risk
mapping tools and early warning systems); calls on the European Commission
to support the Resilient Water Accelerator (AM 69, Comin)
4 c. Highlights the need to link life saving humanitarian responses to the
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development of sustainable water and sanitation systems for all (AM 71 Roose).
Stresses the importance to mobilise financial resources and technical
assistance for facilitating capacity building to meet more urgent necessities in
proving essential water and sanitation services during crises (
AM 68 Mihaylova);
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COMP 5 (AM 20, 55, 60, 72, 73, 95, 101, 103, 108 and 116)
5. Recalls that the Commission mobilised almost EUR 2.6 billion over the period 2014-
2020 for water-related issues, and calls for
steady (
AM 73 Roose) efforts to be
pursued in the context of the Neighbourhood, Development and International
Cooperation Instrument that go beyond 20% of spending on human
development
while ensuring that a consistent part of the 30% dedicated to fight climate
change is allocated to strengthen water and sanitation infrastructures (AM 73
Roose) in order to eradicate water and sanitation poverty (AM 116, Ochojska);
5 a. Calls on the EU to provide better support to developing countries through
investment in the Institutions, capacities, governance structures and processes
(AM 95 Ochojska) to ensure quality and sustainable sanitation and wastewater
management capacities and services, in reducing the risk of water pollution and
contamination (Noichl), in developing wastewater recycling technologies as well
as in developing innovative solutions for the creation and management of water
points, handwashing facilities and the promotion of healthy hygiene practices
(
AM 95 Ochojska; AM 101 Kempa; AM 103 Mihaylova ; AM 108 Noichl);
5 a. bis Cal s on the EU to also invest in the protection and restoration of natural
ecosystems (including forests, floodplains, wetlands, etc.), which often provide
more cost-effective and sustainable water management solutions than
conventional infrastructure remedies, in terms of water storage, water treatment,
erosion control, moderate extreme events (AM 73, Roose);
5 b. Calls on the EU to maximise the impact of aid in the area of human
development by ensuring that WASH services are integrated into al health,
nutrition, education, disability, gender equality programmes and strategies with
water, sanitation and hygiene targets and indicators included (
AM 72 Ochojska);
5 c. Cal s on the EU to support public water management in developing countries
(
AM 55 Urban Crespo) and
stresses the importance for EU water, sanitation and
hygiene ODA to be targeted to the lowest income countries and communities
(
AM 60 Urban Crespo);
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COMP 6 (AM 37, 46, 57, 87, 88, 89 and 90)
6. Draws attention to the major geostrategic dimension
and security issues (
AM 46
Hölvenyi)
related to water, underlines that access to water can give rise to sudden
conflict
and wars about water which might result in millions of casualties (Noichl,
AM 57) and
might lead to an increase in migration, especially forced displacement
due to droughts, food insecurity or famine (
AM 57 Noichl);
6 a.
Notes with concern that in many parts of the world, cooperative
arrangements for transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers are lacking or are too
weak to deal with growing water-related challenges (
AM 87 Roose);
6 b.
Stresses the benefits of better transboundary water cooperation and
stronger governance of water systems (
AM 89 Ochojska)
with the aim to
fostering the water-food-energy ecosystem nexus, avoiding conflicts and
safeguarding sustainable water resources management and ecosystem
protection (
AM 37 and 87 Roose);
6 c. Calls on the Commission
to support water diplomacy and foster (
AM 46
Hölvenyi) regional
water cooperation
, especially in terms of the shared management
of water resources around the 286 transboundary river basins;
furthermore calls for
the development of policies and operational programmes that address security,
food, governance and environment challenges related to transboundary river
basins, in order to ensure a water secure and resilient future in those areas (
AM
88 Mihaylova).
6 d.
Encourages developing countries to join and to strive for the full
implementation of the two United Nations global water Conventions (UN Water
Convention and the UN Watercourse Convention), as important tools to support
water diplomacy, peace and conflict prevention through transboundary water
cooperation (
AM 90 Roose);
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COMP 7 (AM 28/partial y, 36, 40, 59, 79, 85, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 105,
106, 108, 109,)
7.
Stresses the need to address the complexity of competing and increasing
demands of water resources (AM 97 Roose); Cal s for
supporting Team Europe
in strengthening (AM 98, Comin) coordinated, coherent
, integrated (AM 99,
Kosa)and sustainable water management in developing countries with regard to its
various uses (agriculture, , food production,,
sanitation and health hygiene (AM 101
Kempa), energy production
, competing demands from industry (Ochojska) etc.),
notably taking into account
a growing unpredictability of water in relation to
climate change (
AM 36 and AM 107 Ochojska;
7 a.
Reminds that coordinated, integrated and sustainable water resources
management policies should be transparent, inclusive, and should encourage
multi-stakeholder participation across all sectors and at all levels (
AM 97 Roose);
Highlights the importance to conduct Human Right Impact Assessment for
agricultural and energy investments projects (
AM 28 Roose);
7 b.
Points the need to reconcile water usage with the application of emerging
technologies for conservation, reduction of water pollution and recycling
wastewater in order to improve the way water is provided, treated and disposed
(
AM 40 and 103 Mihaylova);
7 c.
Cal s on the EU to support sustainable water management
in the agricultural
sector - that mobilizes above 70% of water resources (AM 59 Roose and AM 96
Bijoux), through investing in sustainable irrigation and water storage systems,
optimising and reducing along whole supply chain (Noichl) the use of fresh
water in agriculture, reducing food waste, and fostering agro-ecology by
restoring the wetland as well as through reducing the use of pesticides and
fertilisers where possible that pose a risk of water pollution, especially
groundwater; (
AM 102 Hölvenyi) - includes also AM 106 food waste, 108 on
fertilisers, 109 on pesticide - Noichl)
7 d.
Recal s that access to water is also an energy-use challenge both in terms
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of production and extraction; stresses in this context the importance of
fostering better energy management as well reuse solutions for treated
wastewater to limit fresh water consumption by means of wastewater treatment
(AM 96 Bijoux);
New COMP 7a (AM 78, 93 and 110)
7 e. Highlights that EU trade policy should contribute to achieve the fundamental
right to access to water. Calls for the inclusion of water right provisions with
effective enforceability (AM 78 Roose) into EU trade agreements with thirds
countries (AM 110 Noichl) while ensuring the rights of States to regulate access
to water (Roose). Cal s for an effective accountability mechanism for all water
and sanitation service providers to ensure that they respect human rights and
do not cause human rights violations or abuses (AM 93 Ochojska);
New COMP 7b (AM 63/partial y, 104, 107 and 112)
7 f. Stresses that EU companies investing in development countries should
prevent from putting pressure on local water resources and lands (AM 63,
Roose), especially in agriculture and industry sectors (
AM 104 Noichl), and avoid
water speculation; in the same time, the need for economic development should
not incentivize these countries to focus on water-intensive activities that could
imperil their populations access to water (
AM 107 Ochojska);
7 g. Takes into consideration the potential of private sector in water provision
and cal s for enhanced collaboration with SMEs and locally based businesses
which can apply valuable solutions and innovative approaches in designing,
constructing or rehabilitating existing water services or in other water related
projects (AM 112 Mihaylova);
New COMP 7c (AM 63, 77, and 79)
7 h. Calls on the EU and its Member states to ensure the respect by large
undertakings and their relevant subcontractors (AM 79 Noichl) of a proper
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implementation of due diligence strategies and reporting obligations (according
to EU standards) on cooperation in the field of water activities (AM 63 Roose);
calls for the right of access to water and other basic human rights to be
considered in the legislative proposal on corporate due diligence (AM 77,
Comin);
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COMP 8 (AM 31, 54, 86, 94, 111, 112, 113, 115, 116, 117, ,118, 119, 120 and 122).
8.
Recalls that solutions and programmes are more effective when co-designed
with local knowledge and community participation (AM 111 Roose); Stresses
therefore the need to support small
and locally led projects
that have direct impact
on ensuring and improving populations access to water and sanitation facilities
(AM 112 Mihaylova), including in rural areas
and coastal communities dependent
on marine resources (AM 86 Bijoux );
8 a. Urges to pay particular attention to women and girls in developing countries
(AM 113 Bijoux) because they often face particular barriers in accessing water
and sanitation, whereas most of them are charged to fetch water instead of going
to school and on the other side they are forced to leave school if there is no
access to adequate toilets (AM 116 Ochojska and 117 Noichl);
8 b. Stresses that the lack of access to water can significantly hamper women
and girls rights to education, health, dignity, nutrition, security (Noichl) as wel
as their political and economic participation (AM 119 Noichl); calls the EU to
support women, including those belonging to discriminated minorities (AM 115,
Comin); in defending their rights to water (AM 94 Noichl) and ensure their
participation in the decision-making process on the projects related to the
access to water (AM 115, Comin);
8 c. Recalls that access to safe and improved sources of water is vital for
children who are particularly at risk when exposed to lack of hygiene,
malnutrition and water-related illnesses (
AM 54 Roose, AM 122, Noichl ; AM 118,
Kempa);
8 d. Calls on the EU to ensure the protection in accordance with the principles
of action set out in the EU Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights
Defenders (AM 120, Comin) of environmental human rights defenders, especial y
indigenous human rights and land defenders, who can be endangered,
discriminated, persecuted, criminalised and killed (Noichl), whose role can be
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essential regarding access to water in developing countries (AM 31 Noichl, and
AM 120, Comin i Oliveres);
NEW COMP 8a (AM 32 and 121)
8 d. bis Cal s on the EU to encourage the recognition of ecocide as international
crime (AM 32 Noichl);
8 e. Calls on the Commission to report regularly to Parliament on the
implementation of the EU human rights guidelines on safe drinking water and
sanitation with tangible examples of the activities and impact (AM 121, Comin)
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COMP AM 9 on recitals ( AM 1, 2, 4, 8, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26, 29, 41, 50, 54, 80, 81
and 104)
A. Whereas according to the United Nations, there are about 2.2 billion people
who do not have access to safe drinking water and 4.2 billion people who lack
sanitation services (AM1 Roose, AM 24 Noichl, AM 50 Kosa);
A bis. Whereas 129 countries are not on track to have sustainably managed
water resources by 2030, especial y regions such as Western and Southern Asia
and Northern Africa present very high levels of water stress at more than 70 per
cent, while South Eastern Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as sub-
Saharan Africa saw their water stress levels increase from 2017 to 2018 (AM 26,
Noichl);
B. Whereas, it is estimated that by 2050, 25% of the world’s population will live
in countries where the lack of freshwater will be chronic and recurrent (AM 2
Roose);
C. Whereas between 1970 and 2015, natural wetlands shrank by 35% (AM 29
Noichl);
D. Whereas by 2040, global demand for water should outstrip supply by 40%,
(AM 23 Ochojska);
D. bis Whereas the EU is the largest virtual water ‘importer’ worldwide as
companies in the EU have invested in close to 6 million hectares of land outside
the EU, inter alia, for agriculture, biofuel and livestock production (AM 104,
Noichl);
E. Whereas lack of water threatens food security (
AM 22 Hölvenyi) and
generates
waterborne disease transmitted by contaminated water such as cholera, or
typhoid (AM 20, Comin) or diarrhe ( AM 4 Roose);
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F. Whereas Africa’s urban population is 567 mil ion and continues rapidly
growing and the continent will have the fastest urban growth in the world (AM
22 Holveny and AM 8 Roose);
F bis. Whereas cities across Africa are particularly facing escalating water
challenges due to poor urban planning, unaffordable, unreliable and unsafe
access to water and sanitation and environmental degradation and water
pollution (AM 8, Roose);
G. Whereas according to the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, 2 out 5
children without a basic drinking water service at school lived in Sub Saharan
Africa in 2019 ( AM 54 Roose);
H. Whereas according to recent World Bank report, climate change could lead
up to 216 million people to become internal migrants (AM 81 Roose);
I. Whereas 125 of 154 developing countries include as highest priority areas
freshwater resources and terrestrial and wetland ecosystems in their national
climate adaptation plans in line with SDG 13 (AM 41 Noichl);
J. Whereas the Council's conclusions of 19 November 2021 on water diplomacy
in the EU's external action stresses that 'water is a prerequisite for human
survival and dignity and a fundamental basis for the resilience of both societies
and the environment' (AM 18 Bijoux);
K. Whereas achieving universal safely managed water supply and sanitation
would yield respectively net benefits of 37 US dollars and 86 US dollars billion
per year between 2021 and 2040 (AM 80 Ochojska);
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