Get Involved!

Signing the Endorsement J OIN

Statement on the inside of this Friends of the Right to Water
Flyer is the first step.
It makes your organization
part of Friends of the Right to
Water. S EC U RE T HE HUM A N
R I GHT TO WAT E R
If you want to get involved further, please see the latest
version of the “Key Principles for an International Right to
Water Treaty”. It is still a working document and suggestions
on how to improve the draft are welcome. This document,
collectively produced, will form the basis for drafting our
Right to Water Treaty.
You can find the “Key Principles” and further information at:


www.blueplanetproject.net


www.menschen-recht-wasser.de (English web-site)


www.cohre.org/water

Some of the organisations who are part

of Friends of the Right to Water:
Alliance Sud (Switzerland), Blue Planet Project (Canada), Heinrich Böll
Stiftung (Germany), Bread for the World (Germany), Centre for Housing
Rights and Evictions - COHRE (International), Corporate Accountability
International (USA), Council of Canadians (Canada), Food and Water Watch
(USA), Ghana Coalition against the Privatization of Water (Ghana), FIAN
International, IBON (Philippines), Tarun Bharat Sangh (India).
Friends of the
Right to Water
Friends of the Right to Water affirms there is a clear and urgent
need for an enforceable, binding, international treaty to protect
the right to water. Friends is clear that water is a fundamental
human right, a public trust and part of the global commons. Water
must also be managed in a sustainable manner to protect the
environment and the rights of future generations. As such, water
cannot be treated as a commodity. Governments have a
responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil the right to water, as
confirmed by the UN’s General Comment 15 on the Right to Water
and other international agreements. Responsibilities extend
beyond State to corporations, international financial institutions
and other non-State water actors. All must be held accountable if
they are involved in violations of the human right to water.
To address increasing violations, Friends first met in early 2004 to
develop and present a vision for the future of water – one based on
the protection of water as a human right. People around the world
are collectively developing this vision and building a movement to
promote an international treaty on the right to water. Through
accountability, democratic control and public participation, we will
achieve safe, affordable and accessible water for all.
Secure the Human Right to Water: Join Friends of the Right to Water.
This growing global movement, supporting community efforts
around the world, calls for a binding international treaty to protect
the human right to water.
To join Friends of the Right to Water, sign the Endorsement
Statement and send it by mail or e-mail to the following address:
Sonia Vani [svani@canadians.org]
700-170 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa,
ON, Canada, K1P 5V5
Endorsement
Statement
Water is precious and sustains all life on earth. Access to water is
a fundamental human right. However, over one billion people do
not have access to safe drinking water and more than one million
children die each year of diseases caused by unsafe water and lack
of sanitation. As water scarcity grows, so too will these numbers.
People around the world are joining the movement to reverse
these trends. Friends of the Right to Water is a network of groups
and organizations from around the world working toward the
following goals:


Ensuring that affordable access to clean water be secured and
protected as a basic human right around the world;


Ensuring that water systems be locally, publicly and
democratically owned and controlled, in a transparent manner;


Preventing governments, the private water industry and
international financial institutions and others from interfering with
the human right to water.
As Friends of the Right to Water, we are together implementing an
important strategy toward the realization of these goals. We are
building a strong and unified voice to call for an international
treaty protecting the human right to water.
(Name of organization)
joins with Friends of the Right to Water in endorsing the
above-listed goals and strategy.
Organization:
Contact Person:
Address:
E-mail: