Philosophical and Conceptual Approaches to a Human Right to Water

Abstract

As we have established in Chap. 2, there is not easily a comprehensive, legally binding and at the same time self-standing human right to water in international law. Only if one accepts a derivative right as a self-standing right, one can conclude that the right to water exists in international law, namely as a right of its very own kind or with a unique status. The right also arguably exists by now in customary law (albeit with a so far relative weak fundament in State practice).