Water as a Human Right in the Global South: Ethical, Legal and Sociopolitical Dimensions

Abstract

This chapter seeks to elucidate the scope and limitations of the international recognition of the human right to water, and the course that States must follow in order to fulfill the commitments they have assumed. It analyzes the links among the human right to water, water security, and environmental justice, given that the existence of a water crisis that requires a human-oriented approach and solution has been recognized. The chapter is divided into three parts: the first discusses the water crisis and its relation to water security and the human right to water, while the second focuses on the ethical and legal dimensions of the human right to water and postures that favor, or oppose, its recognition. Finally, the third part focuses on the sociopolitical dimension of the human right to water; that is, the role of the State in complying with and/or violating this right, and the defensive actions taken by civil society in Latin American countries (i.e., those in the Global South).