🌱 What is the value of water?
Water can be seen to have an intrinsic value, a utility value, and a relational value. Following the Nature Future Framework initiated by an expert group of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), water in its many forms can hold value for the sake of existing, for its hydrological cycles, as well as for altering landscapes and shaping life.[i]
🌱 Why is water important for humans?
One of the forms of life supported by water are humans, who use water for drinking, fishing, transportation, growing crops, supporting livestock and industries, hygiene, recreation and more. This describes the utility value of water, which humans often try to maximize. Yet, water can also have a value through being a part of our cultural heritage, such as is — for example — the case for water ecosystems that are considered sacred or religious places.
🌱 What role can water play for cultural identity?
Water can be a resource needed to sustain a traditional way of living. It can also be a resource to maintain traditions and cultural practices. Notably, “[i]n the traditions of many indigenous peoples, water is life itself”.[ii] Many Indigenous Peoples hold the view that “water belongs to everyone and should remain available to all, as a common good”. The approach of Indigenous Peoples to water “offers a valuable example of [the] community-based management of safe drinking water and sanitation”.[iii] In line with this, water pollution can also be seen as a threat to cultural identity.
🌱 What is the nexus between water and human rights?
Water is “indispensable to sustai[n] healthy livelihoods and maintai[n] people’s dignity”.[iv] In recent years, access to water has therefore gained recognition as a basic human right.[v] The right to access to safe drinking water is “derived from the right to an adequate standard of living under Article 11(1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”. The United Nations General Assembly formally recognised this right through a resolution on 28 July 2010.[vi]
This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Krisna Baghouzian and Christine Nikander. The newsletter titled “What role do Indigenous rights to water play in sustainable development?” was originally published in “The Just Transition Newsletter” by Palsa & Pulk.
[i] Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Scenarios and models. https://www.ipbes.net/scenarios-models (19.03.2025).
[ii] Pedro Arrojo Agudo, Human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation of indigenous peoples: State of affairs and lessons from ancestral cultures. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, p. 2. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/water/2022-11-04/A-HRC-51-24-Friendly-version-EN.pdf (19.03.2025).
[iii] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/10/indigenous-peoples-face-growing-challenges-access-safe-water (19.03.2025).
[iv] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR and the rights to water and sanitation. https://www.ohchr.org/en/water-and-sanitation (19.03.2025).
[v] The Indigenous Foundation, Lack of Clean Drinking Water in Indigenous communities. https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/articles/lack-of-clean-drinking-water-in-indigenous-communities (19.03.2025).
[vi] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, About water and sanitation
OHCHR and the right to water and sanitation. https://www.ohchr.org/en/water-and-sanitation/about-water-and-sanitation (19.03.2025).