Access to water a fundamental human right

The 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132) is taking place in Hanoi with the theme ‘Sustainable Development Goals: Turning words into action’, with the goal of driving parliaments to turn talk into action.

Meeting water requirements in terms of both reserves and quality is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Statistics from water resource research institutes in the world show that global water consumption has increased seven-fold since the early 20th century, resulting from rapid population growth, industrialisation and urbanisation in many countries. However, some countries, including developing ones, have yet to pay proper attention to managing water resources and dealing with environmental issues of their water use.

Water is an essential resource for human life and a top priority for sustainable development.

Meanwhile, a number of places now suffer a constant lack of water due to changes in temperature and precipitation. It is predicted that by 2030, about 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-third of the world population will have a water supply under stress. More worrisomely, water scarcity in many nations has become the biggest threat to food security, people’s health and lives, and ecological sustainability, while possibly leading to diplomatic and armed conflicts among many countries in the future.

The Vietnamese government always attempts to consolidate its policies in the field of water resources, boosting co-operation with other countries sharing the same water source with Vietnam, as well as taking advantage of international support to effectively conserve water resources, thereby contributing to the sustainable development process of the country and the whole of mankind.

However, like many other countries in the world, Vietnam is now faced with mounting pressure caused by population growth, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation and the impacts of climate change, which also degrades the reserves and quality of water sources. To deal with the situation, authorised agencies have promulgated the Law on Water Resources and relevant legal documents, aiming to create a legal framework for implementation of state management over water resources. Vietnam has also paid attention to training human resources in water management and implementing synchronously at all levels activities on water resource planning, protection, exploitation and use and water-related damage prevention and control, which has brought about encouraging initial results.

The 1997 UN Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses reached a consensus that all people, regardless of age, wealth or social position, have the right to access to an adequate amount of safe drinking water. Water was also placed first among the five priorities for sustainable development – water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity – at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. Being aware of the importance of water in sustainable development, Vietnam, as the host of the IPU-132, has embraced water as part of the assembly’s agenda for discussion.

It is hoped that delegations will work together towards an agreement in order to pass a resolution on this issue, as water is an essential resource for human life and is a top priority for sustainable development. It is urgent that all nations in the world join hands to protect and preserve such a precious resource, not only for today, but also for future generations, with the goal of ensuring the fundamental human right to water.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)