2021/2187(INI) Access to water as a human right - the external dimension
Lead committee dossier:
Progress: Procedure completed
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | AFET |
URBÁN CRESPO Miguel ( GUE/NGL)
|
OCHOJSKA Janina ( EPP),
VOLLATH Bettina ( S&D),
RAFAELA Samira ( Renew),
SATOURI Mounir ( Verts/ALE),
KANKO Assita ( ECR)
|
| Committee Opinion | DEVE |
BIJOUX Stéphane ( Renew)
|
Dominique BILDE ( ID),
Miguel URBÁN CRESPO ( GUE/NGL),
Beata KEMPA ( ECR),
Janina OCHOJSKA ( PPE)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54, RoP 57
Legal Basis:
RoP 54, RoP 57Subjects
Events
2022/10/05
EP - Results of vote in Parliament
Documents
2022/10/05
EP - Decision by Parliament
Details
The European Parliament adopted by 550 votes to 22, with 66 abstentions, a resolution on access to water as a human right: the external dimension.
The right to drinking water and sanitation is a human right
Parliament reaffirmed the right to drinking water and sanitation as a human right, both rights being complementary. The right to water should be guided by a logic grounded in the public interest and common public and global goods. Adequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and the right to health and life depend on each other and are an essential precondition for public health and human development.
The resolution emphasised that establishing the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right could lead to further progress by (i) giving greater political priority to this area, (ii) improving the implementation and monitoring of related measures, (iii) ensuring more efficient funding , and (iv) promoting the empowerment and participation of the general public, in particular the most marginalised populations, especially in developing countries.
Stressing that the recognition of the right to water and sanitation by the international community must be accompanied by protection and enforceability mechanisms, Members called on the EU to promote protection mechanisms at international, regional and national level to ensure that respect for the right to water and sanitation is not optional for states but an enforceable right . Member States are called upon to set an example by ratifying relevant conventions, such as the Protocol on Water and Health and the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. Developing countries are also encouraged to accede to the two global UN water conventions.
Parliament stressed that certain development models that favour large-scale projects have a negative impact on the availability and quality of water in all countries, increase competition for access to water and exacerbate other water-related conflicts. In this context, it stressed the importance of investing in sustainable water solutions, such as the rehabilitation of aquatic ecosystems, recycling of wastewater, desalination of seawater in coastal areas, and improving sewage systems, irrigation and agricultural practices.
Human rights defenders
The resolution underlined the importance of the work of environmental rights defenders and the need to support them proactively and to protect their lives and integrity, especially for those who protect the right to water. Members called on the EU to support the work of environmental rights defenders and civil society organisations. They expect EU delegations to prioritise their support for environmental human rights defenders, to respond systematically and forcefully to any threats or attacks against them or their relatives and to report back to Parliament on the action taken in such cases.
Rights of indigenous peoples
Given the important role of indigenous peoples in the sustainable management of natural resources and the preservation of biodiversity, Parliament called on the EU and its Member States to recognise and protect the rights of indigenous peoples to customary ownership and control of their lands and natural resources. It stressed the importance of ensuring that full and effective human rights impact assessments are carried out and that the affected population and civil society groups are consulted in good faith and, where appropriate, indigenous peoples have given their free, prior and informed consent to any mega-projects, including infrastructure projects, extractive industries projects and energy production projects.
Women's and girls' rights
Parliament noted with concern that gender inequalities seriously undermine women's rights, including the specific needs of women and girls for menstrual hygiene and health. It stressed that affordable access to water and adequate sanitation and hygiene services is an essential prerequisite for public health and human development, including the right to education for girls. It stressed that the WASH sector in developing countries should be given high priority in the EU's development policy.
Ensuring fair access to water
The Council, in its 2018 conclusions, condemned the use of water as a weapon of war. Members recalled that the intentional deprivation of water leading to the extermination of civilians is a crime against humanity under the Statute of the International Criminal Court and may also be considered a war crime. They called on the occupying powers to take immediate measures to guarantee access to and fair distribution of water to people living in occupied territories and to ensure that they have control over their water resources.
The resolution stressed the importance of integrated water resources management and the need for greater complementarity between humanitarian, development and peace actions in order to address urgent needs and to intervene earlier to address root causes and prevent the onset of humanitarian water and sanitation crises.
The role of business
Companies worldwide must ensure that their activities do not interfere with or abuse the human right of access to clean water. Members called on the EU and its Member States to constructively participate in the work of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, with a view to establishing an international binding instrument to regulate the activities off transnational corporations and other companies in international human rights law.
Tackling water scarcity
Parliament recalled that water supply and sanitation are services of general interest and not mere commodities. It stressed the exhaustible nature of water and called on the Commission and Member States to act preventively against a global water shortage and to help countries outside the EU to take measures to combat it. Member States are invited to adopt legal provisions to prevent water from being subject to financial speculation on future markets and to promote an appropriate governance framework for water and sanitation services within a primarily human rights-based approach.
Documents
2022/10/04
EP - Debate in Parliament
Documents
2022/09/20
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details
The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted an own-initiative report by Miguel URBÁN CRESPO (GUE/NGL, ES) on access to water as a human right: the external dimension.
Members reaffirmed the right to drinking water and sanitation as a human right , as both rights are complementary. Member States should ensure universal, clean and affordable access to sufficient, safe drinking water and improved access to water for sanitation and hygiene. The right to water should be guided by a logic grounded in the public interest , and common public and global goods.
The report stressed that establishing the right to drinking water and sanitation as a human right could lead to further progress:
- giving greater political priority to this area and improving the implementation and monitoring of related measures;
- ensuring more effective financing and promoting the empowerment and participation of the general public, particularly the most marginalised populations, especially in developing countries;
- prioritising support for the provision of drinking water and sanitation in EU funding and aid programming.
The EU is called upon to promote protection mechanisms at international, regional and national level so that respect for the right to water and sanitation is not optional for states, but an enforceable right . Members also called on the EU and Member States to promote the rights to drinking water and sanitation and their normative development in multilateral and regional fora.
Members stressed:
- the need for anticipatory actions in the field of access to water and sanitation, and the need to have reliable and comparable indicators to measure progress or regression in access to water and sanitation;
- the importance of investing in sustainable drinking water solutions , such as the restoring of aquatic ecosystems, wastewater recycling, desalination of seawater in coastal areas, and improvements in sewage systems, irrigation and agricultural practices.
Human rights defenders
The report highlighted the importance of the work of environmental rights defenders and the need to provide them with active support and to protect their lives and integrity, in particular for those safeguarding the right to water. It called on the EU and its Member States to strengthen protection and prevention mechanisms for environmental human rights defenders. The right to social protest and the right to peaceful assembly should be respected in particular in the context of opposition to projects that compromise the enjoyment of the human right to drinking water.
Rights of indigenous peoples
Members expressed particular concern about the significant impact of certain mega-projects, including infrastructure, extractive industries and energy projects, on the human rights to water and sanitation, including for indigenous peoples. They stressed the importance of ensuring that full and effective human rights impact assessments are carried out and that the affected population and civil society groups are consulted in good faith and, where appropriate, indigenous peoples have given their free, prior and informed consent to any mega-project.
Women's and girls' rights
The report emphasised that affordable access to sufficient water, sanitation and hygiene ( WASH ) is an essential prerequisite for public health and human development, including the right to education for girls. It stressed that the WASH sector in developing countries should be given high priority in the EU's development policy. It called for women and girls to be protected from threats or physical attacks, including sexual violence, when fetching water for domestic purposes and using sanitation facilities outside the home.
Ensuring fair access to water
The Council, in its 2018 conclusions, condemned the use of water as a weapon of war. Members recalled that the intentional deprivation of water leading to the extermination of civilians is a crime against humanity under the Statute of the International Criminal Court and may also be considered a war crime. They called on the occupying powers to take immediate measures to guarantee access to and fair distribution of water to people living in occupied territories and to ensure that they have control over their water resources.
The report stressed the importance of integrated water resources management and the need for greater complementarity between humanitarian, development and peace actions in order to address urgent needs and to intervene earlier to address root causes and prevent the onset of humanitarian water and sanitation crises.
The role of business
Companies worldwide must ensure that their activities do not interfere with or abuse the human right of access to clean water. Members called on the EU and its Member States to constructively participate in the work of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, with a view to establishing an international binding instrument to regulate the activities off transnational corporations and other companies in international human rights law.
Tackling water scarcity
Members recalled that water supply and sanitation are services of general interest and not mere commodities. They stressed the exhaustible nature of water and called on the Commission and Member States to act preventively against a global water shortage and to help countries outside the EU to take measures to combat it. Member States are invited to adopt legal provisions to prevent water from being subject to financial speculation on future markets and to promote an appropriate governance framework for water and sanitation services within a primarily human rights-based approach.
Documents
2022/09/12
EP - Vote in committee
2022/03/03
EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2022/01/19
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/11/08
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/10/28
EP - BIJOUX Stéphane (Renew) appointed as rapporteur in DEVE
2021/10/07
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/10/07
EP - Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
2021/03/04
EP - URBÁN CRESPO Miguel (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in AFET
Documents
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T9-0346/2022
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Committee report tabled for plenary: A9-0231/2022
- Committee opinion: PE699.231
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE703.204
- Committee draft report: PE699.318
- Committee draft report: PE699.318
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE703.204
- Committee opinion: PE699.231
Activities
- Miguel URBÁN CRESPO
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Clare DALY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Peter POLLÁK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Juozas OLEKAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Beata KEMPA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Samira RAFAELA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Mick WALLACE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Stéphane BIJOUX
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Bernhard ZIMNIOK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Janina OCHOJSKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Chris MACMANUS
Plenary Speeches (1)
Votes
L'accès à l'eau en tant que droit de l'homme - aspects extérieurs - Access to water as a human right – the external dimension - Zugang zu Wasser als Menschenrecht – die externe Dimension - A9-0231/2022 - Miguel Urbán Crespo - Proposition de résolution (ensemble du texte) #
2022/10/05 Outcome: +: 550, 0: 66, -: 22
The Left
NI| Amendments | Dossier |
| 383 |
2021/2187(INI)
2021/12/20
DEVE
126 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 (new) -1. 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[1]; [1] UN Water, 2021.
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 i (new) -1 i. Whereas healthy ecosystems enable to improve water quantity and quality, while increasing resilience to climate change;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Calls for coordinated and coherent water management in developing countries with regard to its various uses (agriculture, energy production, industry, etc.), and calls on the European Union to provide better support to developing countries for sustainable water management, in particular by means of technical assistance in developing new technologies at an affordable cost or adapting agricultural practices and crops to drought;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Calls for coordinated and coherent water management in developing countries with regard to its various uses (agriculture, energy production, industry, etc.), and calls on the European Union to provide better support to developing countries for sustainable water management, including support with regards to developing innovative solutions for the creation, management and maintenance of water points, handwashing facilities and the promotion of healthy hygiene practices;
Amendment 102 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Calls for coordinated and coherent water management in developing countries with regard to its various uses (agriculture, energy production, industry, etc.), and calls on the European Union to provide better support to developing countries for sustainable water management particularly support to agricultural sector for sustainable irrigation systems and investments in wastewater management, reservoirs, wetland restoration and in water storage systems;
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Calls for coordinated and coherent water management in developing countries with regard to its various uses (agriculture, energy production, industry, etc.), and calls on the European Union to provide better support to developing countries for sustainable water management, points to the need to frame implementation plans at multiple levels for water source protection and 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;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7 a. Recalls that the role of agriculture and industry, as 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; emphasises in this context that the EU agriculture and industry has to limit themselves to the resources available in the EU and leave the use of third country resources to third countries;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7 a. Notes that agriculture uses about 70% of the world's fresh water; calls on the Commission to prioritize, in the framework of the bilateral dialogue with the governments of partner countries, the development of sustainable agricultural techniques that ensure efficient use of water and to provide the necessary funding to make this possible;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 b (new) 7 b. Recalls the need for sustainable irrigation and sustainable production patterns, such as reducing food waste on the whole supply chain, as agriculture uses a lot of fresh water; consequently there is a need for optimising and reducing the use of fresh water in agriculture all along the production line;
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 b (new) 7 b. Urgent attention should be given to ensuring that the push for economic development through exports of water- intensive food and clothing do not imperil current and future generations' access to water, especially in the context of the growing unpredictability of water in relation to climate change;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 c (new) Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 d (new) 7 d. Stresses the need to reduce the use of pesticides, especially for protecting the groundwater;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms that access to
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 e (new) 7 e. Stresses the need to include water rights into trade agreements with third countries and legally binding obligations for EU companies in third countries to comply for example, with the drinking water directive also abroad;
Amendment 111 #
8.
Amendment 112 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Stresses the need to support small projects, that have direct impact on the access, allocation and storing of water; in this context, underlines the potential of private sector in water provision, and calls for the encouragement of partnership between the EU and developing countries, namely of 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, including those in rural areas, and to pay particular attention to women and the most vulnerable communities as regards access to water and basic sanitation
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Stresses the need to support small projects, including those in rural areas, and to pay particular attention to women
Amendment 114 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Stresses the need to support small projects, including those in rural areas, and to pay particular attention to women and the most vulnerable communities as regards access to water and sanitation, also with a view to supporting the local agricultural sector, to foster generational renewal in this sector and the food self- sufficiency of communities, and thereby to stem the rural exodus, which is a cause of uncontrolled urbanisation, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Amendment 115 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Underlines the high impact that lack of access to drinking water has on women; is extremely concerned that adolescent girls are forced to miss class for long periods, skip about a quarter of school days and in many cases drop out of school altogether because of the lack of santitation facilities at school and the responsabilities that they take for fetching water for their families; calls on the Commission to ensure the inclusion of gender perspective in the management of projects related to the right to access water and to ensure the participation of women in the decision-making process on these projects, including those women belonging to discriminated minorities;
Amendment 116 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Is deeply concerned that women and girls often face particular barriers in accessing water and sanitation and that they shoulder the main burden of collecting household water in many parts of the world, restricting their time for education; calls on the EU and international community to eradicate water and related sanitation poverty;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Stresses the fact that easy access to water and sanitation is linked to the access to education, especially for girls, because on one side it’s often their task to fetch water for the family instead of going to school and on the other side they are forced to leave school if there is no access to adequate toilets;
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Underlines that as children are particularly at risk from water-related diseases, access to improved sources of water can result in better health, and therefore better school attendance, with positive longer-term consequences for their lives;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 b (new) 8 b. Recalls that the lack of access to water and sanitation concerns women and girls specifically when it comes to their overall health, dignity, education, nutrition, security as well as political and economic participation which significantly hampers women’s rights in general; underlines the essential concept of WASH not only in this context;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms that access to water and sanitation is a vital imperative and a fundamental right that needs to be addressed in a context of competing water uses between agriculture, energy, extractive and other industrial activities relying on a large quantity of water resources;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 b (new) 8 b. Recalls the vital role of environmental human rights defenders regarding access to water and their exposure to threats and intimidation; calls on EU Delegations to act to ensure their protection in accordance with the principles of action set out in the EU Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 c (new) 8 c. 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.
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 c (new) 8 c. Stresses that unequal access to water and sanitation has to end urgently, especially for children, who die because of a lack of hygiene and because of malnutrition and water-related illnesses;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 d (new) 8 d. Stresses that access to water needs a multi-sectorial, multi-stakeholder approach, and a strong commitment to work with all partners concerned; therefore access to water and sanitation as a basic right and basic service also needs good governance;
Amendment 124 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 e (new) 8 e. Stresses that there is an essential lack of financing and of public investment, generally but also when it comes to creating sustainable infrastructure;
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 f (new) 8 f. Stresses the need for anticipatory actions in the field of access to water and sanitation;
Amendment 126 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 g (new) 8 g. Recalls that there must be reliable and comparable indicators to measure the progress or regress when it comes to the access to water and sanitation;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms that access to safe, clean, accessible and affordable water is a vital imperative and a fundamental right;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms that access to water is a vital imperative
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms that access to water is a vital imperative and a fundamental right and that improved water supply and sanitation, and better management of water resources, can boost countries’ economic growth and can contribute greatly to poverty reduction;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms that access to water is a vital imperative and a fundamental right which is recognised in the UN General Assembly’s resolution 64/292 of 28 July 2010;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms that access to water is a vital imperative and a fundamental right, in the context of the 64/292 Resolution of the UN General Assembly;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Welcomes the Council's conclusions of 19 November 2021 on water diplomacy in the EU's external action and agrees with them in that 'water is a prerequisite for human survival and dignity and a fundamental basis for the resilience of both societies and the environment';
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Underlines that, according to the World Health Organization, 'by 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas; 1 a _________________ 1a https://www.afro.who.int/health- topics/water 'By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.'
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 a (new) -1 a. Whereas it is estimated that by 2050, 25% of the world’s population will live in countries where the lack of freshwater is chronic and recurrent[1]; [1] The UN global water Conventions: Fostering sustainable development and peace, UN Water, 1 Dec. 20, p.6.
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Recalls that waterborne diseases are a constant threat to health, which entails that people not having access to clean water are regularly exposed to diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, and other diseases transmitted by contaminated water; is worried about the pressure that widespread waterborne diseases entail for fragile healthcare systems in developing countries; calls on the Commission and Member States to step up water sanitation efforts in least developed countries and increase emergency funding for WASH in healthcare facilities;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Notes with concern that while climate change will exacerbate water- related challenges, including increasing the magnitude and frequency of floods, water quality is also deteriorating due to increasing pollution, resulting i.e. from agricultural run-off and untreated industrial and municipal wastewater;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. whereas Africa’s urban population is 567 million and continues rapidly growing and the continent will have the fastest urban growth in the world; notes that the rapid urbanisation will pose serious challenges to secure access to drinking water and to food security;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Highlights the fact that by 2040, global demand for water will outstrip supply by 40%, which means the long- term implications for development, humanitarian and peacebuilding goals will be dire;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Recalls the fact that in 2020, 2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, 3.6 billion lack safely managed sanitation and 2.3 billion lack basic hygiene;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Stresses that water must be considered a global public good, and not a commodity.
Amendment 26 #
1 b. Recalls furthermore that in 2018, 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries and that 129 countries are not on track to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030, especially 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;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1 b. Notes with concern that the EU is the largest virtual water “importer” in the world, notably through its imports of agricultural products and its biofuel policy, which impact upon local water availability[1]; [1] Sources: DROI Study entitled “The Human Right to Drinking Water: Impact of Large-Scale Agriculture and Industry” (2021).
Amendment 28 #
1 c. Highlights that some of the proposed climate response to address climate change may impact negatively on the universal right to water, as in the case of large-scale dams and the cultivation of food and feed crops used for biofuels; accordingly, highlights the importance to implement fully-fledged Human Right Impact Assessment related to the EU biofuel policy and to any agricultural and energy investment projects financed by the European Fund for Sustainable Development; in particular, calls for the inclusion, in the remit of the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, of water provisions in the definition of the sustainability criteria on biofuel crops;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1 c. Recalls the fact that between 1970 and 2015, natural wetlands shrank by 35%;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 b (new) -1 b. Whereas water stress in developing countries may occur in case of rainfall deficits; the presence of weak institutions around irrigation and water markets; sudden population growth resulting i.e. from forced displacement;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1 d. Recalls the state obligations to fulfil the human right to drinking water entails i.e. to ensuring the setting-up of participation mechanism, including the implementation of the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of Indigenous People and Local Communities in relation to large-scale energy infrastructure (such as dams) and extractive industries, the systematic recognition of customary rights to drinking water and the provision of justiciable remedies (through complaint mechanism) in case of human rights violations;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1 d. Stresses the need to protect human rights defenders who fight for the access to water and who are endangered and criminalised; recalls the fact that indigenous human rights and land defenders continue to face discrimination and persecution worldwide, including forced displacements, arbitrary arrests and killings;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 e (new) 1 e. Calls on the EU to take bold initiatives to fight environmental crimes perpetrated with impunity at global level and to promote the recognition of ecocide as an international crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the European Union to promote a 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 in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal 6, particularly at the next World Water Forum, in Dakar, and 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;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the European Union to promote a sustainable and human rights- based approach to access
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the European Union to promote a rights- and technical assistance- based approach to access to water and sanitation in its external action in accordance with the UN-declared Water Action Decade 2018-2028, and in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal 6;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the European Union to promote a 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 in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal 6, while progress on delivering safe drinking water to all is threatened by the lack of infrastructure, financing required to deliver, by the competing demands from industry and agriculture and climate change;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the European Union to promote a 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 in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal 6, which entails to anchor the water-energy- food security nexus into its development aid and water diplomacy;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the European Union to promote a 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 in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal 6 on safe drinking water and sanitation to enable all countries to reach all the targets under this goal;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Stresses that water resources in coastal areas may be severely curtailed by rising sea levels as a result of climate change, as well as by diffuse pollution and refuse; calls, therefore, on the EU to conduct its water governance in a manner consistent with its waste and effluent management policies;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 c (new) -1 c. Whereas water insecurity (resulting from limitations in water availability, access, use, quality and reliability) threatens food security and generates waterborne disease such as cholera or diarrheal, which is the second- leading cause of death in children under the age of five globally[1]; [1] Sources: UN Water 2019.
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Encourages the EU and its Member States to devise comprehensive, environmentally sound planning and strategic investments for developing countries to enable sustainable development of water-related infrastructure in sync with the newest technologies and innovation, which will contribute to improving efficiency across the water cycle and lead to decrease in water losses, under clear responsibilities for relevant regional, national and local authorities as a matter of good governance;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Recalls that regarding SDG 13 on climate action, 125 of 154 developing countries include as highest priority areas freshwater resources and terrestrial and wetland ecosystems in their national climate adaptation plans;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Notes that the rapidly growing urban population in developing countries requires increased efforts to support sustainable waste water management and to investments in water management systems in urban areas;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Stresses the need for increased focus on sustainable, resilient water and sanitation infrastructure and communities through implementation of disaster risk reduction components;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Stresses the need to establish the new UN special envoy for water and the importance of effective coordination and coherence of the UN’s work on water;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2 b. Reaffirms that water quality will be affected by increased water temperatures and a decrease in dissolved oxygen, leading to a reduction in the self- purification capacity of freshwater basins which increases the risks of water pollution and pathogen contamination caused by floods or higher concentrations of pollutants during periods of drought; recalls furthermore the impact on food production;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2 b. Underlines that the access to water is a cross cutting issue, strongly affecting security, calls for the Commission to support water diplomacy and to foster regional cooperation between partner countries for better management of water resources;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that easy access to drinking water is severely restricted in developing countries (only one person in two enjoys such access)
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that easy access to drinking water 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), and further notes that sub-Saharan Africa's rapid urbanisation necessitates specific solutions both for access to water and sanitation services for urban populations and in order to avoid the proliferation of any resulting pathologies (waterborne pathogens);
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that easy access to drinking water 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); calls on the EU to ensure the progressive realization of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation for all in a non- discriminatory manner while eliminating inequalities in access for vulnerable and marginalized groups;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 d (new) -1 d. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need to accelerate progress on WASH in schools;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that easy access to drinking water 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); is concerned that water stress (freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources) affects more than 2 billion people around the globe, a figure that is projected to rise;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Is concerned that easy access to drinking water 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); stresses that access to water is intrinsically linked to health and education;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Stresses that 62% of sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population lives in informal settlements with limited access to water and sanitation services, that the number of people living in such conditions could triple by 2050 and that there is thus an urgent need to develop water resource management and water saving solutions for urban populations, which must go hand in hand with control of urbanisation and the birth rate, in particular by drawing inspiration from successes stories in this area, for example in Egypt, where 'investment in water saving devices is expected to reduce household water use by 10-15%' (UNEP, 2015);1 b _________________ 1b AUC/OECD (2018), Africa’s Development Dynamics 2018: Growth, Jobs and Inequalities, AUC, Addis Ababa/OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264302501-en 'Egypt’s current investment in water saving devices is expected to reduce household water use by 10-15% (UNEP, 2015).' '62% of sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population lived in informal settlements. In several countries, unplanned urbanisation could lead to tripling the population living in informal settlements by 2050.'
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Is also alarmed at the excessive extraction of groundwater, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and stresses that it is crucial to promote wastewater treatment, since '80% of the wastewater produced in developing countries in the region is untreated'; 1 c _________________ 1cUN Water, The United Nations World Water Development Report 2021, Valuing water, Published in 2021 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Notes with concern that according to the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, 2 out of 5 children without a basic drinking water service at school lived in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019[1];emphasises the importance of providing basic water, sanitation and waste management facilities in schools for eradicating waterborne diseases and reducing the transmission of infectious diseases and protecting global health; [1] WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, “Special Focus on Covid- 19”, 2020, p. 7.
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Expresses its deep concern about the risk of water privatization in developing countries, as highlighted by the report of Léo Heller, United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation; calls the EU to support public water management in developing countries , and not to funding privatization processes, even indirectly or with PPP projects, that have already been proven to be unsuccessful, as in the cases of Tanzania and Gabon;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Stresses the need to reduce the social, environmental, and economic impacts of droughts and identifying pathways towards drought-resilient societies; underlines that a common understanding of the drivers of drought risk and ways in which drough timpacts materialize is crucial for the identification and planning of targeted drought risk reduction and adaptation options;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3 a. Is concerned that access to water is a geostrategic element and that wars about water might erupt which could kill millions and that fighting about water resources might also lead to an increase in migration due to food insecurity and famine, for example after droughts;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 b (new) 3 b. Regrets the role of international financial institutions, such as IMF and World Bank in pushing for the privatization of public services , including water, in developing countries; calls the international financial institutions and Multilateral/Bilateral Development Banks , including Europeans, to stop pushing water privatisation, commercialisation, and financialization on African and Global south states through advisory services, loans and grants, or other programs.;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 b (new) 3 b. Recalls that agriculture mobilizes 70% of water resources; calls for a coordinated and coherent water management in developing countries. In view of the large-scale consumption of water for industrial purposes; considers that it is necessary to promote systems and methods of use that take account of the sustainability of aquifers and, in particular, agricultural systems that incorporate improved irrigation techniques adapted to resource-poor environments;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 e (new) -1 e. Whereas the ongoing global boom of dams, linked to energy production and irrigation water provision, raises concerns in terms of access to water, including through the evaporation of water storage;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 c (new) 3 c. Is concerned that the share of loans as part of EU funding to the water, sanitation and hygiene sector grew from 27% in 2016 to 50.5% in 2019, and two- thirds of EU funding in the sector was allocated to LMICs/LICs in 2019 and 49% for large infrastructure for water supply; stresses the importance for EU water, sanitation and hygiene ODA to be targeted to the lowest income countries and communities and to enable the strengthening of sanitation and hygiene services’ provision;
Amendment 61 #
3 c. Calls on the EU and its Member States to fully integrate water into its external food security policy; insists that EU funding for agriculture must be in line with Agenda 2030, the Paris Climate Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity and prioritise investments in agroecology, whose practises can buffer rural livelihoods from climate change and increasing rainfall variability while minimising the environmental footprint;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 d (new) 3 d. Recognises the central role of healthy ecosystems in achieving water security; in particular, highlights the benefits of nature assets for water management, such as forest conservation to regulate the water supply, mangroves, wetland restoration/conservation to reduce potential flood damage, etc.; therefore, believes that the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems should be a central pillar of water resources management, especially to mitigate and adapt to climate change;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 e (new) 3 e. Highlights the potential risks of water grabbing and water pollution associated to foreign direct investments in large-scale land acquisitions for agriculture and extractive industries; calls on the EU and its Member States to enact water-related mandatory due diligence and reporting standards for corporations;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls urgently, following the COVID-19 pandemic and given both the prevalence of certain waterborne diseases in certain developing countries in a context of rapid urbanisation and the increasing number of climate change- related natural disasters, for access to water and sanitation to be made a priority in developing countries, in particular in the least developed countries and small island developing states;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls urgently, following the COVID-19 pandemic and given the increasing number of climate change- related natural disasters, such as the ongoing famine in southern Madagascar, which may be partly linked to climate change, for access to water and sanitation to be made a priority in developing countries, in particular in the least developed countries and small island developing states;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls urgently, following the COVID-19 pandemic and given the increasing number of climate change- related natural disasters, for access to water and sanitation to be made a priority in developing countries, in particular in the least developed countries and small island developing states and in humanitarian context;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls urgently, following the COVID-19 pandemic and given the increasing number of climate change- related natural disasters, for access to water and sanitation to be made a priority in developing countries, in particular in the least developed countries and small island developing states; in this regard, stresses the importance to mobilise financial resources and technical assistance for facilitating capacity building to meet more urgent necessities in providing essential water and sanitation services during crisis, such as tackling challenges regarding reduced availabilities of vital elements for operations, as materials for water treatment or for the rehabilitation of damaged assets of the critical water- related infrastructure;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Calls urgently, following the COVID-19 pandemic and given the increasing number of climate change- related natural disasters, for access to water and sanitation to be made a priority in developing countries, in particular in the least developed countries and small island developing states; calls on the European Commission to support the Resilient Water Accelerator as part of its climate adaptation programmes in developing countries; stresses the need to develop and use all necessary water risk mapping tools and early warning systems;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 f (new) -1 f. Whereas the surge of energy crops, such as rapeseed, palm oil, soybean, corn, maize, etc., which are produced for biodiesel and ethanol, compete with water use linked to food crops;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on developing countries, within the limits of their budgetary investment capacities, to draw inspiration from success stories in supplying water, particularly desalination techniques, which have become less expensive in recent years, and techniques involving solar energy, or wastewater treatment;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Highlights the need to link life- saving humanitarian responses to the development of sustainable water and sanitation systems for all; to this effect, calls on the EU to support the public authorities in developing countries in targeting policies to increase water connections, affordability and availability for the most socially vulnerable;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Calls on the EU to maximise the impact of aid in the area of human development by ensuring that WASH services are integrated into all health, nutrition, education, disability, gender equality programmes and strategies, with water, sanitation and hygiene targets and indicators included;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recalls that the Commission mobilised almost EUR 2.6 billion over the period 2014-2020 for water-related issues, and calls for steady 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; highlights the need to tailor infrastructure investments to local and historical contexts, while investing 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;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recalls that the Commission mobilised almost EUR 2.6 billion over the period 2014-2020 for water-related issues, and calls for efforts to be pursued in the context of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument that go beyond 20% of spending on human development; stresses that reducing the impacts of water shocks must be complemented by strategies that build the long-term resilience of communities;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Notes the utility of desalination technologies implemented in certain countries such as Morocco, a lower middle-income country, with the site planned in particular in Agadir for a maximum capacity of 450 000 cubic metres per day, and stresses that desalination and wastewater treatment technologies have great potential in improving access to water in certain regions;1 d _________________ 1dUN Water, United Nations world water development report 2021: valuing water. 'The construction of Africa’s largest desalination plant is underway in Agadir, Morocco. The plant will initially produce an average of 275,000 cubic metres of desalinated water per day, with a maximum capacity of 450,000 cubic metres per day. '
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Points out that the activity of EU companies in developing countries can have an impact on the right of access to water in certain countries, especially on indigenous communities, and that this can happen even in cases where certain companies are implementing EU-funded projects; calls for the main risks that the activities of these companies may pose in relation to the right of access to water and other basic human rights to be considered in the legislative proposal on corporate due diligence; stresses the need to avoid boosting the privatisation of water and sanitation services in developing countries;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Highlights the role of EU trade policy to achieving the fundamental human right to water; to this end, calls for the inclusion of water-related provisions in EU trade agreements as “essential elements” clauses; to harness the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapter of FTAs through the definition of binding and mandatory commitments and standards related to multilateral environmental agreements and to develop safeguards in investment and trade agreements to prevent the privatisation of water, which may jeopardise the achievement of universal access to drinking water;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Stresses the fact that there has to be no speculation with water by multinationals or other stakeholders, especially in the global south, that access to water has no price and therefore no privatisation or trading on international stock exchanges should be allowed;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 g (new) -1 g. 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;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Notes that achieving universal safely managed water supply and sanitation would yield respectively net benefits of US$37 and US$86 billion per year between 2021 and 2040;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) 5 b. Recalls that climate variability, and its impact on water availability, affect existing patterns of migration; in particular, notes that a recent World Bank report estimates that climate change could lead up to 216 million people to become internal migrants; while the vast majority of these migrants are expected to end up in urban areas, notes with concern that most cities in developing countries are not prepared for efficient and sustainable expansion, notably regarding the provision of critical public services, such as water management and water supply; calls on the EU to step up its support to contribute to making cities in developing countries more resilient to water shocks, including through sustainable urban planning, while providing better integration of rural migrants into urban settings;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 c (new) 5 c. Stresses that Africa’s rapidly changing urban context necessitates particularly urgent action to build water resilience; highlights the deep inequalities in access to basic infrastructure which place disproportionate water-related burdens on the urban poor, while urban construction, agriculture and extractive industries often lead to pollution of surface water, exploitation of groundwater sources and forests; notes with deep concern that water security has been limited by poor governance, aging water delivery systems, depleted groundwater supplies, rising water costs and widespread chemical and microbial contamination;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 d (new) 5 d. Calls on the EU to step up its technical and financial support to build up urban water resilience in Africa; more broadly, stresses the need to develop a holistic water and sanitation management approach, notably through the involvement of key players across sectors and industries that impact directly or indirectly the water system, such as land development and management, planning, construction, mining, roads and drainage, transport, farmers and forestry;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Draws attention to the major geostrategic dimension of water, which can give rise to sudden conflicts between states, as is already the case with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, as well as internal conflicts and forced displacement
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Draws attention to the major geostrategic dimension of water and the increasing competition for limited water resources, which can give rise to sudden conflict and forced displacement; calls on the Commission to promote regional cooperation on the shared management of water resources around the 286 transboundary river basins;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Draws attention to the major geostrategic dimension of water, which can give rise to sudden conflict and forced displacement; calls for local economic development to be fostered and for coastal communities dependent on marine resources to be strengthened; further calls on the Commission to promote regional cooperation on the shared management of water resources around the 286 transboundary river basins;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Draws attention to the major geostrategic dimension of water, which can give rise to sudden conflict and forced displacement; 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; stresses the benefits of transboundary water cooperation to providing for equitable benefit sharing, avoiding conflicts, fostering the energy- food-water ecosystem nexus, safeguarding sustainable water management and ecosystem protection; calls on the Commission to promote regional cooperation on the shared management of water resources around the 286 transboundary river basins;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Draws attention to the major geostrategic dimension of water, which can give rise to sudden conflict and forced displacement; calls on the Commission to promote regional cooperation on the shared management of water resources around the 286 transboundary river basins, furthermore calls for the identification of policies, as well as for the development of operational programmes that practically address with long-term perspective specific problems about the respective transboundary basins, climate-change mitigation and preservation of ecosystems by adequate governance of both nature resources and the risk of watershed degradation, at domestic and transnational level, as a precondition to ensure a water secure future and to advance their water resilience agenda;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Draws attention to the major geostrategic dimension of water, which can give rise to sudden conflict and forced displacement; calls on the Commission to promote regional cooperation on the shared management of water resources around the 286 transboundary river basins and stronger governance of water systems based on an ecosystem approach, supported by data and innovation to address the consequences of water scarcity, and in particular the risk of protracted conflicts;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 h (new) -1 h. Whereas deforestation and forest degradation in watersheds jeopardise water availability by altering local hydrology and reducing the interseasonal stability of water supplies;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. 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;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. 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;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Reaffirms that access to water is connected to access to land and land ownership rights which need to be defensible in court but depend also from the place in the society of the person concerned;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. Calls for effective accountability mechanisms for all water and sanitation service providers to ensure that they respect human rights and do not cause human rights violations or abuses;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 b (new) 6 b. Stresses that defending, enforcing and effectively using these ownership rights requires education, especially for women, with the aim to defend access to property, also in court;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 c (new) 6 c. Calls for investment in the institutions, capacities, governance structures and processes needed to sustain water and sanitation services as well as promote hygiene behaviour change on a continuous basis to ensure water, sanitation and hygiene investments are optimised and sustainable;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Calls for strengthening Team Europe's commitment to human development and for coordinated and coherent water management in developing countries with regard to its various uses (agriculture, energy production, industry, etc.), and calls on the European Union to provide better support to developing countries for sustainable water management by ensuring adequate support for safely managed on-site sanitation, including faecal sludge management.;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Calls for coordinated and coherent
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2022/01/19
AFET
257 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 4 a (new) — having regard to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 75/212 of 21 December 2020 on the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development" 2018-2028 (UN 2023 Water Conference),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 10 — having regard to the report of 16 July 2021 by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation on Risks and impacts of the commodification and financialization of water on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and to his report of 21 July 2020 on Human rights and the privatization of water and sanitation services,
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Recital V V. whereas since 6 December 2020 water has been traded on the Wall Street commodities futures market; whereas, in the words of Pedro Arrojo, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, ‘water has a set of vital values for our society that the market logic does not recognise and therefore, cannot manage adequately, let alone in a financial space so prone to speculation’;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Recital V V. whereas since
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Recital V a (new) Va. whereas, according to the UNDP, the cost of water should not exceed 3% of household income, but impoverished countries are paying up to 50 times more for a litre of water than rich countries, because they have to buy water from private vendors; whereas governments have a duty to guarantee minimum essential levels of water and sanitation for all; whereas report A/76/159 by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation stresses that water must be considered as a public good as stated in General Comment No 15 (2002) of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and must be managed under an approach grounded on human rights, guaranteeing the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Recital V a (new) Va. whereas water supply and sanitation are services of general interest, and revenues from the water management cycle should cover its expenses and improvement costs, provided that the public interest is safeguarded;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, which
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, both rights being complementary, which is in turn fundamental for the development of other rights, and as such must be guided by a logic grounded in the public interest and common good;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, which is in turn fundamental for the development of other rights, and as such must be guided by a logic grounded in the public interest
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, which is in turn fundamental for the development of other rights, and as such must be guided by a logic grounded in the public interest and common good; underlines that water is a common public good and that an adequate, continuous and high-quality supply of water must be guaranteed; underlines that access to clean drinking water is indispensable to a healthy, dignified and productive life; calls on the Commission and the Member States to guarantee universal and non- discriminatory access to water and sanitary facilities, prioritising those with the greatest need;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Reaffirms the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, which is in turn fundamental for the development of other rights, and as such must be guided by a logic grounded in the public interest and common good; stresses that progressing towards the recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as laid out in Resolution 48/13 of the UN Human Rights Council both internationally and at EU level, is an enabling condition to reach safe drinking water and sanitation for all;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Underlines that the human right to drinking water and the right to health and life are mutually dependent;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 10 a (new) — having regard to the report of 21 July 2020 by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation on privatization and the human rights to water and sanitation,
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that enshrining the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right was a crucial milestone on the road to greater social and environmental
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that enshrining the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right was a crucial milestone on the road to greater social and environmental justice; affirms
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that enshrining the right to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right was a crucial milestone on the
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Recalls the Council Conclusions of 19 November 2018, which recognise that the human right to safe drinking water entitles everyone, without discrimination, to have access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use and the human right to sanitation that entitles everyone, without discrimination, to have physical and affordable access to sanitation in all spheres in life, that is safe, hygienic, secure, socially and culturally acceptable and that provides privacy and ensures dignity;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Recalls the responsibility of states to promote and safeguard all human rights; reiterates, therefore, that states must ensure the affordability of universal access to safe drinking water in sufficient quantity and quality;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Recalls the responsibility of states to promote and safeguard all human rights; reiterates, therefore, that states must ensure
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Recalls the responsibility of states to promote and safeguard all human rights, which are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and which must be promoted and applied in a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory manner; reiterates, therefore, that states must ensure universal access to safe drinking water in sufficient quantity and quality; recalls, moreover, that the right to water is closely linked to the right to life and is a vital element for public health;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Recalls the responsibility of states to promote and safeguard all human rights; reiterates, therefore, that states must ensure universal access to safe drinking water and water for sanitation and hygienic purposes in sufficient quantity and quality;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Recalls the responsibility of states to promote and safeguard all human rights; reiterates, therefore, that states must ensure universal access to safe drinking water in sufficient quantity and quality, and access to improved sanitation;
Amendment 119 #
3. Recalls the responsibility of states to promote and safeguard all human rights; reiterates, therefore, that states must ensure universal access to safe drinking water in sufficient quantity and quality; considers that the supply of water and control over sanitation processes must remain a matter for states, since water is an essential resource for the life of human communities; does not wish governments to make use of this prerogative, which is by nature a sovereign one, in order to use the supply of water or any other vital raw material as a diplomatic weapon that could be detrimental to populations; challenges, in addition, and in general, any sanction or blockade on such products;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 10 a (new) — having regard to the UN World Water Development Report 2021,
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that states that ratify a human rights treaty undertake to protect, respect and fulfil the commitments adopted in the international, regional and national framework for the protection of these rights; takes the view in this regard that the international community’s recognition of the right to water and sanitation must encompass protection and enforceability arrangements and, therefore, calls on the EU to promote protection mechanisms at international
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that states that ratify a human rights treaty undertake to protect, respect and fulfil the commitments adopted in the international, regional
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that states that ratify a human rights treaty undertake to protect, respect and fulfil the commitments adopted in the international, regional and national framework for the protection of these rights; takes the view in this regard that the international community’s recognition of
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that states that ratify a human rights treaty undertake to protect, respect and fulfil the commitments adopted in the international, regional and national framework for the protection of these rights; takes the view in this regard that the international community’s recognition of the right to water and sanitation must encompass protection and enforceability arrangements and, therefore, calls on the EU to promote protection mechanisms at international, regional and national level to ensure that upholding the right to water and sanitation is not optional for states but rather an enforceable right; recalls that the right to water means that water supply services must be affordable for all and that nobody should be deprived of access to them;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that states that ratify a human rights treaty undertake to protect, respect and fulfil the commitments adopted in the international, regional and national framework for the protection of these rights; takes the view in this regard that the international community’s recognition of the right to water and sanitation must encompass protection and enforceability arrangements and, therefore, calls on the EU to promote protection mechanisms at international, regional and national level to ensure that upholding the right to water and sanitation is not optional for states but rather an enforceable right; in this regard, welcomes the normative developments at international level in relation to environmental crimes, including ecocide;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that states that ratify a human rights treaty undertake to protect, respect and fulfil the commitments adopted in the international, regional and national framework for the protection of these rights; takes the view in this regard that the international community’s recognition of
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Urges the EU and Member States to promote the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation and their normative development in multilateral and regional fora, including by supporting the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the European Union and Member States to support the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation as well as the works under other UN human rights mechanisms related to the human rights to water and sanitation;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Supports the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation and stresses the importance of his work and that of his predecessors on recognition of that right;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Calls on the EU and Member States to promote international and regional instruments that advance the realisation and prevent violations of the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, including through leading by example and ratifying the relevant conventions such as the Protocol on Water and Health and the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 14 a (new) — having regard to Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption (recast),
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Underlines the finite nature of water and calls on the Commission and the Member States to take preventive action to combat global water scarcity and to support third countries in measures to combat water scarcity;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Underlines the need for clean water in the context of pandemics and calls for corresponding action on the part of the Commission, Member States and third countries so that adequate protection can be offered to everyone; calls on the Commission to support third countries in the development of strategies and policies;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the Commission to review the support instruments for non-EU countries on water and sanitation with the aim of preventing the current unequal distribution of water resources in beneficiary countries, so that the efficient use of resources may be guaranteed; points out that poor water management in the Maghreb is contributing to the rural exodus and the concentration of the population in the cities in the north of the region;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 c (new) 4c. Calls on EU Delegations and Member States missions to raise issues related to the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation as well as the situation of human rights defenders and NGOs promoting these rights, in their bilateral dialogue with partner countries, notably in the framework of human rights and sectoral dialogues;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the External Action Service to require the non-EU countries with which it maintains human rights dialogues to promote the effective application of the right to water and to guarantee its affordability for the civilian population where this is not already the case and to monitor and evaluate the results in implementing this right;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Calls on the delegations of the EU, as pointed out by the EU guidelines on drinking water and sanitation, to include the human right to water on the agenda of its periodic dialogues on human, sectoral and political rights, with partner countries; calls for training on the human right to water to be promoted both for staff in the areas of environment and infrastructure and for those working in human rights; calls on the Commission and the EEAS, in implementation of the guidelines, to report to the Subcommittee on Human Rights, once a year, on how they have applied the guidelines on the human rights to water and sanitation, providing specific examples of their activities and their impact, in the EU’s partner countries;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 d (new) 4d. Underscores the importance of the recently adopted EU Human Rights Guidelines on Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation and urges the EU institutions and Member States, notably EU Delegations and missions around the world to implement them in and towards third countries and in multilateral fora; stresses the importance of training EU staff and to regularly report back to Parliament on activities carried out under these Guidelines;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Stresses the important role of water in conflict, peace and security; underlines that while water can at times act as a conflict indicator (e.g. a source of contention), it can also have a positive role in promoting peace and cooperation; calls on the Commission to support inclusive and multi-track water diplomacy and water-related dialogues in its external action;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses that access to safe drinking water is one of the major problems of the XXI century, especially since nearly 60% of aquifer resources cross political territorial borders; also stresses that the water stress resulting from the increased freshwater needs of the world's population faced with strategic control of rivers at their source by some countries (China, Turkey, Israel and occupied territories, Ethiopia-Uganda- Sudan) can lead to the most serious conflicts, if the use of flows in an integrated and shared manner is not envisaged; calls on the European Union to establish a political strategy to facilitate solutions in these areas of high destabilizing potential and encourage the countries situated in the most important areas of conflict related to water to sign the 1992 Helsinki Water Convention completed in New York in 1997 on the protection and use of cross-border waterways and international lakes;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Supports the EU's diplomatic engagement on transboundary water cooperation as a tool for peace, security and stability, and emphasises the importance of integrated water resource management (IWRM), and the need for more complementarities between humanitarian, development and peace actions in order to address urgent needs and to intervene earlier to address root causes and prevent the onset of humanitarian water and sanitation crises;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 14 b (new) — having regard to the Commission communication of 19 March 2014 on the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Water and sanitation are a human right! Water is a public good, not a commodity!’,
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Maintains that the full exercise of the right to water depends on the preservation of biodiversity, and therefore
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Maintains that the full exercise of the right to water depends on the preservation of biodiversity, and therefore demands that water management should respond primarily to social and environmental
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Maintains that the full exercise of the right to water depends on the preservation of biodiversity, and therefore demands that water management should respond primarily to environmental and social interests
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Maintains that the full exercise of the right to water depends on the preservation of biodiversity and the climate, and therefore demands that water management should respond primarily to environmental and social interests – being a basic need for plants, animals and humans – and not to those of the various sectors of the economy;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Stresses that certain development models that favour vast projects and large- scale business activities undermine the availability and quality of water in all countries and increase competition for
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Stresses that development models that favour vast projects and large-scale business activities undermine the availability and quality of water in all countries and increase competition for water and exacerbate other water-related conflicts; in this context, expresses particular concern at the significant impact of mega-projects, including infrastructure projects, extractive industries or energy production projects, on the human rights to water and sanitation, notably for indigenous peoples; insists on the importance to ensure that genuine and comprehensive human rights impact assessments, including on water and sanitation, are carried out and that the affected population and civil society groups are consulted in good faith and have provided their free, prior and informed consent prior to the initiation of any mega-project;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Understands that only through collaborative efforts by all waters users a sustainable balance could be preserved; supports water stewardship programs, including corporate water stewardship, as a socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial way of dealing with water, achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process that involves site and watershed-based actions;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Considers that public investments and policies must encourage and incentivize the private sector to invest in technologies and management practices that enhance the sustainable production of crops, livestock, and fish by both smallholders and larger companies;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 15 — having regard to the Council Conclusions of 19 November 2021 on water in the EU’s external action, those of 17 June 2019 on the EU human rights guidelines on safe drinking water and sanitation, and those of 19 November 2018 on water diplomacy,
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls on the Commission to encourage the use of modern low-energy desalination techniques in order to provide solutions for the supply of drinking water to regions and islands where there is a lack of water;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Underlines that
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Underlines that pollution and the excessive extraction of water resources
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Underlines that pollution and the excessive extraction of water resources by means of excessive industrial activities or discharge are among the most commonly identified threats to the exercise of the human rights to water and sanitation;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. C
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Calls on the Commission to discourage
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Recognises the important work undertaken by environmental rights defenders, in particular those safeguarding the right to water, and roundly condemns
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 15 — having regard to the Council Conclusions of 17 June 2019 on the EU
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Recognises the important work undertaken by environmental rights defenders, in particular those safeguarding the right to water, and roundly condemns the killings, abductions, torture, sexual and gender-
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Recognises the important work undertaken by environmental rights defenders, in particular those safeguarding the right to water, and roundly condemns the killings, abductions, torture, gender- based violence, threats, harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns, criminalisation, judicial harassment, forced evictions and displacements carried out by numerous perpetrators, including
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Recognises the important work undertaken by environmental rights defenders and the need to support them proactively and protect their life and safety, in particular those safeguarding the right to water, and roundly condemns the killings, abductions, torture, gender-
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Recognises the important work undertaken by environmental rights defenders, in particular those safeguarding the right to water, and roundly condemns the killings, abductions, torture, gender- based violence, threats, harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns, criminalisation, judicial harassment, forced evictions and displacements carried out by numerous perpetrators, including governments and multinational corporations; calls on the EU to undertake to pay more attention to the security and protection of rights defenders, communities and groups safeguarding the right to water, and to pay special attention and provide support to the cases of the winners and finalists of the Sakharov Prize, who are being attacked for their roles in defending water and common goods;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Recognises the important work undertaken by environmental rights defenders, in particular those safeguarding the right to water, and roundly condemns the killings, abductions, torture, gender- based violence, threats, harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns, criminalisation, judicial harassment, forced evictions and displacements carried out by numerous perpetrators, including governments and multinational corporations; calls on the EU to support the crucial work done by environmental rights defenders; stresses that their safety and freedom to operate without violence and intimidation should be promoted;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Recognises the important work undertaken by environmental rights defenders, in particular those safeguarding
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9.
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Urges the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States to live up to the EU commitment undertaken in the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and to monitor and raise individual cases of environmental rights defenders (EHRDs) with partner countries; expects EU Delegations to prioritise their support to EHRDs and to respond systematically and in a robust manner to any threats or attacks against them or their relatives and to report back to Parliament on action taken on such cases; reiterates its call for a coordinated EU-wide scheme for issuing short-term visas for the temporary relocation of HRDs, notably those working to promote and protect environmental rights or indigenous rights, who are particularly under attack;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Recognizes the role of the civil society and environmental faith-based organizations in protecting and ensuring access to water;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 15 a (new) — having regard to the Council Conclusions of 19 November 2021 on water in the EU's external action,
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Calls on states to respect the right to social protest and the right to peaceful assembly, in particular, in the context of opposition to the imposition of economic projects that compromise the enjoyment of human rights to drinking water and sanitation; in this context, calls on the EU and its Member States to take concrete action in cases of criminalisation and litigation that accompany the processes of resistance and coordination against this type of project;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9b. Calls on the EU to include support for sanitation workers’ rights in all sanitation programmes and to support workers to organise formally through officially recognised trade unions;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recalls that indigenous people can play a
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Calls on states to avoid actions that jeopardise the rights of indigenous people, descendants of Africans and rural communities to the land, water, ecosystems and biodiversity that are the foundation of their cultures and their means of life; calls on states to give legal recognition to the titles, tenancies, rights and responsibilities of indigenous people, communities descended from Africa and rural communities to the land and water, enabling them to apply customary law, traditional ecological knowledge and their own systems of governance for the sustainable management of water, land, ecosystems and biodiversity in their territories, prevailing over commercial and speculative interests and strategies;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Commission to check carefully that the infrastructure and energy projects financed through the various development cooperation and external policy instruments, including the European Investment Bank, uphold and neither jeopardise internationally recognized human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals nor contribute to the expulsion of indigenous peoples from the
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Commission to check carefully that the infrastructure and energy projects financed through the various development cooperation and external policy instruments, including the European Investment Bank, uphold and neither jeopardise human rights, including the human right to water and sanitation, and the Sustainable Development Goals nor contribute to the expulsion of indigenous peoples from their lands; asks for special consideration and precautions to be taken when supporting and developing hydraulic energy projects, taking into account their impact on nature and local communities;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Commission to check carefully that the infrastructure and energy projects financed through the various development cooperation and external policy instruments, including the European Investment Bank, uphold and neither
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has a devastating effect on
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation leads to discrimination between women and men; also notes that it has a devastating effect on women’s rights, making it difficult for women and girls to lead safe and healthy lives;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has a devastating effect on
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 — having regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Right2Water’ and the Parliament report of 8 September 2015 on the follow-up to the European Citizens’ Initiative Right2Water (2014/2239(INI)),
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has a devastating effect on women’s rights, the human rights of disabled as well as elderly people, making it difficult for
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has a devastating effect on women’s rights, making it difficult for women and girls to lead safe and healthy lives; calls on all states to fulfil their commitments under CEDAW and in particular its article 14, which requires of states parties to ensure women from rural areas have the right to enjoy adequate living conditions in relation to inter alia sanitation, and water supply;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has a devastating effect on women’s rights,
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has a devastating effect on women’s rights, making it difficult for women and girls to lead safe and healthy lives; stresses that the EU and its Member States, shall in close cooperation with the UN and the international community, work closely with recipients of foreign aid in order to eradicate global water poverty, while ensuring adequate sanitation for all;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes with concern that the lack of access to water and adequate sanitation has a devastating effect on women’s rights, making it difficult for women and girls to lead safe and healthy lives; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to apply a transformative and intersectional gender perspective to its policies on this area, in accordance with the Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in External Action 2021– 2025 (GAP III);
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Recalls that, in its conclusions of 2018, the Council condemned the use of water as a weapon of war and considered that ‘in this context, destroying water infrastructures, polluting water or diverting watercourses in order to limit or prevent access to water could constitute violations of international law’;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Is gravely concerned
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 a (new) — having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 9 June 2021 on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives (2020/2273(INI)),
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Is gravely concerned that violations of the right to water and sanitation in occupied territories aim to displace people from their lands
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Is gravely concerned that violations of the right to water and sanitation in occupied territories aim to displace people from their lands and is worried about the denial of access to and control over water resources and infrastructure, including the denial of the ability to develop or construct such infrastructure; reiterates that in a situation of occupation fundamental human rights must be respected, and that the right to water and sanitation, including the right to maintain access to water supplies, and the right not to have water supplies interfered with, disconnected or contaminated in an arbitrary manner, must be guaranteed;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Affirms that the fundamental cause of infringements of rights to water and sanitation in occupied territories is occupation itself; calls on the occupying power to take immediate measures to guarantee access to and fair distribution of water to those living in the occupied territory and, in particular, to guarantee that those living in occupied territories have control over their water resources, including the management, extraction and distribution of water;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Stresses also that the water and sanitation situation is often worse or even inadequate in refugee camps; underlines that countries are obliged to safeguard the right to sanitary facilities and water for refugees;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Is gravely concerned about the lack of access to water and sanitation in refugee camps;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that companies worldwide
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that companies worldwide must ensure that their activities do not encroach on the enjoyment of the human right of access to safe drinking water; demands support for the
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that companies worldwide must ensure that their activities do not encroach on the enjoyment of the human right of access to safe drinking water
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that companies worldwide must ensure that their activities do not encroach on or abuse the enjoyment of the human right of access to safe drinking water; calls, furthermore, for countries to introduce an obligation for companies to furnish evidence and to adopt legislation to ensure that companies do not hinder equal access to an adequate supply of water; demands support for the binding treaty being drafted at the United Nations;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Stresses that companies worldwide must ensure that their activities do not encroach on the enjoyment of the human right of access to safe drinking water; demands support for the binding treaty being drafted at the United Nations; calls on the EU Delegations and Member States missions in third countries to be particularly vigilant in relation to EU- based companies that deny or undermine the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation and to ensure that victims of such violations have access to effective judicial or other appropriate remedies; stresses the importance of establishing grievance mechanisms in this regard;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 5 a (new) — having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 b (new) — having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 10 March 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on corporate due diligence and corporate accountability (2020/2129(INL)),
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Calls on governments to introduce mandatory diligence frameworks to prevent, address and mitigate the adverse impacts on the human right to water and to adequate sanitation; emphasises that, in the context of guaranteeing the human right to water and, more specifically, the quality of water, due diligence must also imply that undertakings are obliged to take appropriate steps to effectively prevent the contamination of water; in this connection, calls for a guarantee that goods produced using practices that are detrimental to water resources and to access to drinking water and sanitation are not marketed in Europe and are not developed using European funds;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Emphasises that European companies, when operating in third countries, must comply with the same legal obligations in respect of corporate reinforcement and due diligence that apply to their operations in Europe;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 b (new) 14b. Calls for effective accountability mechanisms to be established for all providers of water and sanitation supply services, including in the private sector, with a view to ensuring that they respect human rights and do not promote infringements or abuses of these rights or contribute to their occurrence; calls on governments to guarantee that victims of infringements have access to justice and are entitled to appropriate reparation, including restitution or compensation; calls on the EU to support the capacity of independent water regulators so that they can enforce human rights rules;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15.
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15.
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Deplores that, as several UN experts have stated,
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Deplores that, as several UN experts have stated, the commodification of water and speculation in futures markets is in breach of basic human rights and contributes to increasing environmental degradation and exacerbating the vulnerability of the poorest and most marginalised in society, flying in the face of the Sustainable Development Goals; considers that exercising strategic control over water supply and over water treatment must remain a matter for states, as it is the best way to prevent water from becoming a speculative and expensive product;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Deplores that, as several UN experts have stated, the commodification of water and speculation in futures markets is in breach of basic human rights and contributes to increasing environmental degradation and exacerbating the vulnerability of the poorest and most marginalised in society, flying in the face of the Sustainable Development Goals; underlines that water is not a luxury or consumer product and therefore must not be traded as such;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on states to take legal measures
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 a (new) — having regard to the report 'Towards closer Nordic cooperation in the water sector',
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on states to take legal measures as a matter of urgency to prevent water from being subject to financial speculation on futures markets and to promote democratic governance of water and sanitation services under a approach grounded in human rights and common goods; calls on the EU to support independent water regulatory bodies that can help enforce human rights standards;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide practical guidance to consumers in respect of water footprints and nutrition; calls, furthermore, for greater transparency in the form of water labels indicating a product’s impacts on water sustainability;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. In states where water trading markets are used as a water management tool, calls on governments to hold open, inclusive and participative debates to determine whether water trading markets should be abolished or more strictly regulated;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17.
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Recalls that, as the EU Water Framework Directive recognises, water is
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Recalls that, as the EU Water Framework Directive recognises, water is not a mere commodity but a public good that is vital to human life and dignity; calls on the Commission, given that these are services of general interest that fall, therefore, primarily in the public interest, to
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Recalls that, as the EU Water Framework Directive recognises, water is not a commodity but a public good that is vital to human life and dignity; calls on the Commission, given that these are services of general interest that fall, therefore, primarily in the public interest, to p
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Recalls that, as the EU Water Framework Directive recognises, water is not a commodity but a public good that is vital to human life and dignity; calls on the Commission to recognise the importance of the human right to water and sanitation and of water as a public good and a fundamental value, and to recognise that it is not a commodity, and, given that these are services of general interest that fall, therefore, primarily in the public interest, to permanently exclude water and sanitation and wastewater treatment from the scope of any trade agreements and to check carefully that trade agreements and the activities of European companies do not undermine, whether by action or omission, the right to drinking water and sanitation;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Recalls that, as the EU Water Framework Directive recognises, water is not a commodity but a public good that is vital to human life and dignity; calls on the Commission, given that these are services of general interest that fall, therefore, primarily in the public interest, to permanently exclude water and sanitation and wastewater treatment from the scope of any trade and investment agreements and to check carefully that trade agreements and the activities of European companies do not undermine, whether by action or omission, the right to drinking water and sanitation;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 b (new) — having regard to existing successful methods of cross-border cooperation such as exchanges of views between water and wastewater utilities in the Nordic countries dating back to the 1980's and the 1970 formation of a joint Nordic Association for Hydrology, the annual Nordic Water Advisers Meeting, the Nordic water forums and extensive Nordic cooperation regarding water management issues,
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls on states
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls on states to
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18.
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Calls for universal coverage to be ensured of water and sanitation services and for the availability of a minimum subsistence level of water to be guaranteed and for a ban on cuts to supplies to households experiencing economic or social vulnerability;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19.
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19.
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Stresses that public provision is the most appropriate model for the exercise of the human rights to water and sanitation; urges states in this regard to
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Stresses that public provision is the most appropriate model for the exercise of the human rights to water and sanitation; urges states in this regard to engage in a
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Stresses that public provision is the most appropriate model for the exercise of the human rights to water and sanitation; urges states in this regard to engage in a transparent and robust
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19.
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 19 Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Stresses that public provision is the most appropriate model for the exercise of the human rights to water and sanitation; urges states in this regard to engage in a transparent and robust deprivatisation process to improve the effective enjoyment
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Recalls that water and sanitation services concessions must be awarded in accordance with the principles of transparency, equal treatment and non- discrimination, and stresses the importance of national regulatory authorities in ensuring fair and open competition between service providers, in facilitating faster implementation of innovative solutions and technical progress, and in promoting the efficiency and quality of water services, while protecting consumers' interests, ensuring continuity of supply and safeguarding the public interest;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 b (new) 19b. Highlights the success of both public-private and public-public partnerships in exchanging best practices in water provision, and calls on the Commission, therefore, to promote in its external action both forms of cooperation among water operators;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20.
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on the World Bank and the IMF to
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on the World Bank and the IMF to prohibit the imposition of conditions requiring governments to privatise water and sanitation services when providing grants, loans and technical assistance;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Supports the Global Water Solidarity Platform launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in order to engage local authorities in finding solutions to water challenges; also welcomes initiatives taken by citizens and authorities in some Member States in order to support projects in developing countries with funds from consumption fees;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 19 Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21.
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Demands that civil society organisations, indigenous and local communities working to address breaches of the rights to water and sanitation have adequate resources and access to relevant information and the ability to participate meaningfully in water-related decision- making processes;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Demands that civil society organisations working to address breaches
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Demands that civil society organisations working to address breaches of the rights to water and sanitation have adequate resources and access to relevant information and the ability to participate meaningfully in water-related decision- making processes; asserts that participation by the stakeholders is vital in realising the human right to drinking water and sanitation; calls on governments to design mechanisms for an inclusive system of water governance that involves, in a significant way, a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations, trade unions, human rights defenders and researchers;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Believes that it is vitally important to promote and strengthen networks of human rights experts, civil society organisations and community representatives at all levels;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 b (new) 21b. Calls on the EU to incorporate the rights of employees in the wastewater treatment industry into all wastewater treatment programmes and to assist these employees in their efforts to formalise their status and organise themselves, including within officially recognised trade unions;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that inequalities in access to water and sanitation are often attributable to systemic inequalities or exclusion; calls on governments to guarantee the absence of discrimination in access to water and sanitation services, as a public good, ensuring the provision thereof for all,
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that inequalities in access to water and sanitation are often attributable to systemic inequalities or exclusion; calls on governments to guarantee the absence of discrimination in access to water and sanitation services, as a public good, ensuring the provision thereof for all, in particular by affording priority to access for
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas Resolution 64/292 of the UN General Assembly recognises ‘the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights’; whereas
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that inequalities in access to water and sanitation are often attributable to systemic inequalities or exclusion; calls on governments to guarantee the absence of discrimination in access to water and sanitation services,
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that inequalities in access to water and sanitation are often attributable to systemic inequalities or exclusion; calls on governments to guarantee the absence of discrimination in access to water and sanitation services, as a public good, ensuring the provision thereof for all, in particular by affording priority to access for women, girls and marginalised groups with a view to remedying systemic exclusion and discrimination;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that inequalities in access to water and sanitation are often attributable to systemic inequalities or exclusion;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Stresses that inequalities in access to water and sanitation are often attributable to systemic inequalities or exclusion; calls on governments to guarantee the absence of discrimination in access to water and sanitation services, as a public good, ensuring the provision thereof for all, in particular by affording priority to access for marginalised groups with a view to remedying systemic discrimination; encourages the authorities to review their legislative, political and practical frameworks in the area of water, through the lens of human rights principles (non- discrimination, equality, participation, responsibility and sustainability) and standards (accessibility, quality and security, affordability, acceptability, privacy and dignity) to help guide actions in order to tackle obstacles to progress;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Calls on governments to monitor inequalities in access to water and sanitation and to compile detailed data on these issues, and to encourage investment in public sanitation and supply systems, promoting efficiency and the conservation of water, as a scarce resource, with the aim of fostering access to water for the entire population;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Welcomes the UN 2023 Water Conference as an opportunity to develop cross-sectoral approaches in order to achieve water-related targets and goals and to get SDG 6 back on track;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas Resolution 64/292 of the UN General Assembly recognises ‘the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights’; whereas the absence of water is incompatible with life and both rights are essential for a dignified life; whereas sanitation and access to water are mutually dependent and there can be no sustainable and universal access to clean water without functioning sanitation chains;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas Resolution 64/292 of the UN General Assembly recognises ‘the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights’; whereas the absence of water is incompatible with life and both rights are essential for a dignified life; whereas access to water creates propitious conditions for economic development and these conditions will allow vulnerable people to gain financial independence;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas Principle 20 (‘Access to essential services’) of the European Pillar of Social Rights proclaimed by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 17 November 2017 includes an express reference to the right of citizens to water and sanitation;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 6 a (new) — having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the denial of the human right to water has repercussions on enjoyment of the right to life and health; considering that contaminated water, the inadequate management of urban, industrial and agricultural wastewater and poor sanitation are linked to the transmission of serious diseases and even death;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the denial of the human right to water has repercussions on enjoyment of the right to health; considering that contaminated water, the inadequate management of
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the denial of the human right to water has repercussions on
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the denial of the human right to water has repercussions on enjoyment of the right to health; considering that contaminated water, the inadequate management of urban, industrial and agricultural wastewater and poor sanitation are linked to the transmission of serious diseases and even death; whereas access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene is indispensable for ensuring global resilience to pandemics and other infectious diseases, and to combat the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the human right to water is linked to the right to education; whereas children, in most cases girls, have to walk miles every day to fetch water, which prevents them from attending school; whereas one out of three children does not have appropriate access to water and sanitation in schools;1a whereas the UN’s 2021 Sustainable Development Goals Report shows that globally, more than a fifth of primary schools lacked access to basic drinking water or single-sex toilets and more than a third lacked basic handwashing facilities;2a whereas girls are also forced to drop out of school when they are unable to access
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the human right to water is linked to the right to education; whereas children, in most cases girls, have to walk miles every day to fetch water, which prevents them from attending school; whereas water is imperative for concentrating during learning; whereas girls are also forced to drop out of school when they are unable to access gender- appropriate toilets and manage their menstruation in a dignified manner;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the human right to water is linked to the right to education; whereas children, in most cases girls, have to walk miles every day to fetch water, which prevents them from attending school; whereas girls are also forced to drop out of school when they are unable to access gender-appropriate toilets and manage their menstruation in a dignified manner; whereas children with disabilities are often prevented from attending school due to lack of accessible toilets; whereas UNESCO1a reports that more than 90% of all children with disabilities do not attend school, and girls with disabilities are far more likely to drop out of school than boys with disabilities; whereas the discontinuation from school by girls with disabilities lies in their inability to gain access to regular school bathrooms and close the door behind them; _________________ 1a https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ Water/Contributionsstigma/others/WHOj ournalWaterHealth2011_Groce_9_4_617 _627.pdf
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas the average distance that women and children in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometres; whereas every day, women and children spend 200 million hours walking to collect water for their families; whereas the opportunity costs of collecting water are high and have far reaching effects as they shorten considerably the time available from other important activities;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 6 a (new) — having regard to General Comment No 15 (2002) of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the disadvantages faced by many women and girls, people with certain disabilities and elderly people with regard to water, sanitation and hygiene manifest themselves in multiple ways that impact on their overall health, well-being and dignity,
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the disadvantages faced by women and girls with regard to water, sanitation and hygiene manifest themselves in multiple ways that impact on their overall health, well-being and dignity, reproductive health, education, nutrition, security, and economic and political
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the disadvantages faced by women and girls with regard to water, sanitation and hygiene manifest themselves in multiple ways that impact on their overall health, well-being and dignity, reproductive health, education, nutrition, security, and economic and political participation; whereas in many countries of the Global South women and girls are traditionally responsible for supplying the home with water; whereas water- collecting responsibilities limit their access to education and make women and girls more vulnerable to illness and violence; whereas women and girls are more at risk of being victims of attacks, sexual and gender violence, harassment and other threats to their security when they are collecting water for the household, when they visit sanitation facilities outside their homes and when, because they do not have adequate facilities of this type, they are practising open defecation or urination;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas when water is not available at home and has to be collected elsewhere, there is an increase in the risk of contamination by the time it is drunk, leading to an increased risk of diarrhoeal diseases, which is the fourth cause of death among children under 5 and a leading cause of chronic malnutrition;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas, as indicated in the EU human rights guidelines on safe drinking water and sanitation, the human right to water and sanitation encompasses the dimensions of availability, security, physical accessibility, acceptability, quality and affordability and the principles of the human rights-based approach (non- discrimination, accountability, transparency, participation, etc.);
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas the sixth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas the sixth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is to ensure that the entire world has universal and equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2030;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G.
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. Whereas, according to the United Nations, 785 million people have no access to basic water services, 2 billion people do not have safe and clean drinking water in their homes when they need it, 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation and 673 million people still practise open defecation; whereas despite progress, significant challenges still remain for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 and in addressing great inequalities between and within countries in accessing basic water and sanitation services;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas freshwater ecosystems, while covering less than 1% of the Earth's surface, they harbour more than 10% of all species and delicate biodiversity;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 — having regard to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas it has been estimated that achieving universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation in 140 low and middle-income countries would cost approximately US$1.7 trillion from 2016 to 2030 but the benefit-cost ratio of such investments has been shown to provide a significant positive return in most regions;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G b (new) Gb. whereas benefits from improved water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) include reduced health care costs for individuals and society as well as greater productivity and involvement in the workplace; whereas the WHO estimated that the total economic losses associated with inadequate WASH services amount to US$260 billion annually in 136 low- and middle-income countries;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas per capita freshwater availability has
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas per capita freshwater availability has fallen by 20% over the past two decades; whereas
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas, according to FAO data from 2020, per capita freshwater availability ha
Amendment 55 #
Ha. whereas the use of water has increased by 1% annually since the 1980s, and whereas, as indicated in the United Nations World Water Development Report 2019, demand is expected to continue increasing at a similar rate, so that by 2050 we could be using between 20 and 30% more water than currently;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas water and sanitation services are the cornerstone of public health; whereas availability and access to water, sanitation and hygiene services including for vulnerable or marginalised people is fundamental to fighting COVID- 19;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the most vulnerable people the hardest; whereas access to hand hygiene facilities and access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is more urgent than ever as inadequate access to such facilities causes, inter alia, an increased risk for the spread of COVID- 19 and other infectious diseases;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 a (new) — having regard to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), initially negotiated as a regional instrument and opened up in 2016 for accession to all UN Member States;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the ongoing climate c
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the ongoing climate crisis, with increasing droughts, floods and torrential rains, is exacerbating inequalities in distribution of water; whereas global warming is an important cause of water scarcity; whereas floods and other water- related disasters account for 70% of all deaths linked to natural disasters;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the ongoing climate crisis, with increasing droughts, floods and torrential rains, is exacerbating inequalities in distribution of water; whereas floods and other water-related disasters account for 70% of all deaths linked to natural disasters; whereas about 90% of all natural disasters are water-related; whereas, according to the OEDC, nearly 20% of the world’s population will be at risk from floods in 2050, while economic value of assets at risk is expected to be around US$45 trillion by 2050, a growth of over 340% from 2010;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas ‘water stress’
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas ‘water stress’ or water supply-linked vulnerability c
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas ‘water stress’ or water supply-linked vulnerability can be a direct and indirect cause of displacement and migration; whereas, according to the UN’s water development reports, five of the world’s eleven regions, accounting for two thirds of the global population, are currently experiencing water stress; whereas, according to the UN’s 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Report, water scarcity could displace some 700 million people by 2030; whereas the 2030 Water Resources Group concluded in 2009 that the world would face a 40% global water deficit by 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas in Sub-Saharan Africa, where freshwater resources are estimated to be nearly 9% of the world's total, the six most water-rich countries hold 54% of the continent's total resources and the 27 most water-poor countries only hold 7%;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas 80-90% of wastewater in developing countries is discharged directly into rivers, lakes and seas, causing water-borne diseases hindering tourism and economic development while severely damaging the environment;7a _________________ 7a https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/top ics/water/unsgab/wastewater
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas uncontrolled deforestation, land-
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 b (new) — having regard to the 1999 UNECE-WHO Protocol on Water and Health to the Water Convention, that provides a framework to translate into practice the human rights to water and sanitation,
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas deforestation, land- grabbing and
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) Ka. whereas the illegal exploitation of natural resources by organised crime has a huge impact on the pollution of the entire region exploited and, depending on its location, may adversely affect the hydrological cycle;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas the
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas the vast majority – around
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas agriculture is the largest consumer of the world’s freshwater resources and
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M a (new) Ma. whereas around 80% of global land-grabbing takes place for agricultural development and the remainder for mining activities and infrastructure, all of which has an impact on the availability and quality of water; whereas the land obtained is mainly land with access to sources of fresh water, which facilitates the production of crops with intensive water use; whereas land-grabbing deprives local communities of water sources and infringes their human right to drinking water;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the energy sector
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 9 a (new) Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the energy sector is currently responsible for 10% of global water extraction and its water consumption is expected to rise by almost 60% by 2040; whereas large-scale dams have considerable socio-economic and environmental impacts that can affect access to drinking water and, as recognised by the Council in 2018, the construction of large dams in international rivers can contribute to tensions among riparian states and the areas most affected;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas the abusive and often illegal extractive industries have contributed to the overexploitation of surface and groundwater resources, pollution and the destruction of glaciers, forests, wetlands, rivers and other vital water sources for human consumption;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas the extractive industries have con
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the garment and textile industr
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the textile industry counts among the sectors that consume the most water in the world, and whereas apparel and textiles are produced in some of the world's most water-scarce regions; whereas this industry is ranked as the second most polluting in the world and a large part of that pollution ends up in bodies of water; whereas the Commission plans to adopt, in the first quarter of 2022, the ‘EU strategy for sustainable textiles’, which sets out to help the EU to move towards a circular economy in which textile products are designed to last longer and be reusable, repairable, recyclable and energy efficient;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) Pa. whereas 80% of wastewater is released directly into the environment without any treatment, and waterborne diseases are widespread, particularly in developing countries;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) Pa. whereas the significant pollution of water resources has had a serious effect on the health of local populations and has endangered plant and animal life; whereas the lives of millions of impoverished persons depend on the good status of water sources, not only for the supply of drinking water but also for the production of food through agriculture, livestock rearing and fishing;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution Recital ΙΣΤ a (new) Pa. whereas, according to the European Environment Agency, 20% of surface water in the European Union is at risk of pollution;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 9 a (new) — having regard to the 2020 and 2021 ‘State of Food and Agriculture’ reports published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P b (new) Pb. whereas the persons employed in parts of the wastewater chain are among the weakest groups in society and are exposed to numerous risks, including health risks as a result of the toxic gases they inhale; whereas these persons are often informal workers who are not protected by labour rights; whereas our right to water and sanitary facilities should not come at the expense of the safety, dignity and wellbeing of workers in the wastewater treatment industry;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P b (new) Pb. whereas workers who work in any part of the sanitation chain are one of the most vulnerable groups in society; whereas they face many risks, including health risks resulting from the toxic gases they breathe in; whereas they are often informal workers who are not protected by labour laws; whereas our enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation should not be at the expense of the safety, dignity and well-being of sanitation workers;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q Q. whereas the growing demand for water is causing water resources to be
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q Q. whereas the growing demand for water is causing water resources to be overexploited and water’s scarcity has made it a disputed resource; whereas 263 transboundary lake and river basins cover almost half of the Earth’s surface, 145 states have territory in these basins, and 30 countries lie entirely within them; whereas there are approximately 300 transboundary aquifers, helping to serve the 2 billion people who depend on groundwater; whereas around two-thirds of the world’s transboundary rivers do not have a cooperative management framework;14a whereas, according to the UN, conflicts over water are expected in some 300 areas across the world;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Recital R R. whereas
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Recital R R. whereas the preservation of water resources is under attack and has been made a criminal offence in many countries; whereas in recent years
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Recital S S. whereas, according to Global Witness, more than a third of the land and environmental defenders murdered worldwide between 2015 and 2019 belonged to indigenous communities, whose land and water management skills are
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Recital T T. whereas
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Recital T a (new) Ta. whereas water and waterways have an important cultural value and are recognized by some cultures and people, especially indigenous people, as living entities with the same rights as human beings;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Recital U a (new) Ua. whereas, as recognised by the EU Human Rights Guidelines on Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation, these rights impose three types of obligations on states: the obligations to respect, to protect and to fulfil; whereas the obligation to respect requires states to refrain from interfering with the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation; whereas the obligation to protect requires states to prevent third parties (such as businesses) from interfering with the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation; whereas the obligation to fulfil requires states to adopt the necessary measures directed towards the full realisation of the rights to water and sanitation; whereas states are also obliged to provide water when individuals are unable to realise the rights to water and sanitation through their own efforts;
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