Per il diritto umano all'acqua

Although its primary importance for human life and its feature of natural right, water it is not explicitly enshrined as a fundamental human right in the International Bill of Human Rights. However, a right to water can be implicitly inferred in several human rights provisions and documents. Furthermore, growing awareness about water scarcity at the global level, has brought in some cases to the explicit recognition of the human right to water, both in international documents and national constitutions. Despite these developements, a common understanding and a universal definition of the right to water has not yet emerged. Nevertheless, this delay is only one of the obstacles to an effective implementation of this right.The main stumbling block lies in the traditional approach to human rights, focused in the State as duty holder. The limits of this approach are in evidence in the current context of globalisation, where a panoply of non-state actors has a deep impact on the enjoyement of fundamental rights. In order to face this challenge, there is a need for a « world domestic politics of water», where explicit commitment to respect and the promotion of the human right to water could be the tool for legitimation and accountability of all actors involved on water policies.

Emanuele Fantini, Per il diritto umano all'acqua in "TEORIA POLITICA" 2/2002, pp , DOI: