UN study on the right to water: submissions possible until April 15th

Ms. Louise Arbour, the current High Commissioner for Human Rights at the OHCHR.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) has requested civil society to provide information with relevance to the OHCHR’s study on the human right to water. The deadline is short: Any information needs to be submitted by April 15^th. The completed study will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in November 2007 and it is likely to have an important impact on the way the human right to water is interpreted and implemented.

In November 2006, the UN Human Rights Council has decided that the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) should conduct "a detailed study on the scope and content of the relevant human rights obligations related to equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation". The completed study is to be presented to the Human Rights Council in November 2007.

As part of its preparation, the High Commissioner has now requested stakeholders to provide information - until April 15^th. Any relevant information is welcomed and can be submitted. Among other, information about national legislation, court cases, public policies, and best practices related to the access to safe drinking water and sanitation has been asked for. It has been highlighted that information related to private sector provision should also be brought forward.

Please submit information if you deem it relevant. There is no requirement for submissions to be a legal or technical expert opinion and also no special status with the OHCHR is needed! However, it might be helpful to partner with human rights NGOs or academic institutions.

For more information on the study, which information to submit and and how to do so, please see:

• The announcement of the OHCHR, with more detailed information on what kind of information to submit and how, and with links to more background information and documents.