UN Advisor Says Canadian Government Must Recognize the Right to Water to Deserve UN Security Council Seat

Ottawa, Canada (ots/PRNewswire) - Maude Barlow, senior
advisor on water to the President of the United Nations General
Assembly and Council of Canadians chairperson, says the Harper
government's goal of a seat on the UN Security Council should be
denied until Canada formally recognizes water as a human right.

Ms. Barlow is currently in Istanbul for the week-long World Water
Forum at which government ministers from 120 countries will discuss
global water issues.

The Canadian government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper has
made securing a seat on the 15-member UN Security Council for the
2011-12 term a top foreign policy priority. The election will take
place in October 2010. Canada is vying for this seat against Portugal
and Germany, countries which already endorse the right to water.

"Recognizing water as a human right is vital to ensuring that
governments address the reality of more than a billion people who are
currently without access to clean water," says Barlow.

Canada and the United States have been the strongest opponents of
the right to water at the United Nations. There is speculation that
US President Barack Obama will change the American position on the
right to water, but there is no indication to date that Prime
Minister Harper intends to change his government's position on the
issue.

"Unsafe water and sanitation are the source of 85 per cent of all
disease and one in every six people on Earth has no access to clean
drinking water," says Barlow. "A UN covenant on the right to water
would serve as a common, coherent body of rules for all nations, rich
and poor, and clarify that it is the responsibility of the state to
provide sufficient, safe, accessible and affordable water to all of
its citizens."

By 2025, the United Nations estimates that 2.8 billion people in
48 countries will be living in areas facing water stress or scarcity.

"It would be wonderful to see Canada on the UN Security Council
helping to address the critical global challenges of our day,"
concludes Barlow. "But if the Harper government fails to act on the
global water crisis, then it simply does not deserve to take that
seat."

For More Information: Dylan Penner, Council of Canadians,
+1-613-795-8685

ots Originaltext: Council of Canadians
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For More Information: Dylan Penner, Council of Canadians,
+1-613-795-8685