Join the Global Week of Action for the Human Right to Water and Sanitation

Sample Press Release
Use the sample press release below to raise awareness of the U.N. resolution within your community.

Take Action:

• Tell your government to support the human right to water.
• Contact your U.N. representatives.
• Ask your elected officials to sign a statement in support of the resolution.
• Use these talking points to respond to any questions about the issue.
• Sign the Open Letter supporting the human right to water and sanitation.
• Issue a press release to raise awareness of the upcoming vote.

Read the draft resolution:
July 26, 2010 »

Read a letter to all UN Missions from Maude Barlow, Former Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the United National General Assembly

Para version en español, haga click aqui

An International Overview of the Right to Water and Sanitation

International Declarations and Recommendations on Water and Sanitation, courtesy of Ashfaq Khalfan

Download phone, fax, and email contacts for UN Missions.

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In Canada? Send an email to the Canadian government asking them support Water as a human right!

International water movement launches
Global Week of Action for the Human Right to Water and Sanitation!

{Your City} – This week marks an historic moment because a UN General Assembly resolution titled "The Human Right to Water and Sanitation" co-sponsorerd by at least 23 member states of the United Nations and the government of Bolivia will be voted on Wednesday, July 28th.

“This is the first time the General Assembly has been asked directly to deal with this issue and presents a huge test for the world,” says Maude Barlow, who served at Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the UN General Assembly.

To mark this event, international and community groups are kicking off a Global Week of Action for the Human Right to Water and Sanitation from July 21st until the historic vote on July 28th. Actions include getting signatures for an open statement from elected representatives in support of the human right to water and sanitation, contacting governments to express support for the resolution and sending letters directly to UN missions.

[INSERT A QUOTATION HERE FROM YOUR ORGANIZATION CALLING ON YOUR GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION! Below is an example of a quote…

(COUNTRY) water activist, (NAME ) from (ORGANIZATION) added to the call for recognition of the human right to water and sanitation. (NAME) said “recognizing these rights would send a clear signal to governments, communities and people that water and sanitation are critical national and international priorities. People have been suffering too long without enough action and attention to help them to fulfill these basic human rights”]

“A right must be put in place that will ensure that no one will be denied water used for basic living needs because of an inability to pay,” says Barlow, noting that nearly two billion people live in water-stressed areas of the world and three billion have no running water within a kilometre of their homes. “The time has come to declare basic water and sanitation to be a human right and to give hope to the billions without adequate access to them now.”