IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 266 

Expressing the sense of the Congress with regard to the world’s freshwater 

resources. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 6, 2007 

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 

Committees on Ways and Means and Financial Services, for a period to 

be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Congress with regard to the 

world’s freshwater resources. 

Whereas the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development established March 22nd as World 

Water Day to promote the international observance of 

water as a human right; 

Whereas available freshwater represents less than one-half of 

1 percent of the world’s total water stock; 

Whereas global consumption of water is doubling every 20 

years, more than twice the rate of human population 

growth; 


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•HCON 266 IH 

Whereas 31 countries currently face water shortages with another 17 likely to be added to this list by 2025; 

Whereas more than 1,000,000,000 people already lack adequate access to safe drinking water; 2,500,000,000 people have no access to proper sanitation and more than 

5,000,000 people, mostly children, die each year from 

water-related diseases; 

Whereas the United Nations Millennium Development Goals 

call for reducing by one-half the number of those without 

safe drinking water and sanitation by the year 2015; 

Whereas international trade agreements threaten sustainable 

and local management of water; 

Whereas the poorest pay the highest price to access water; 

Whereas civil society often have little say in water policy priorities; 

Whereas the people of the United States have often expressed 

their compassionate desire to assist those in most need; 

Whereas international financial institutions, institutions that 

receive significant U.S. funds, focus on private sector 

management of water that has been deemed a failure in 

providing access to the poor; 

Whereas the Water for the Poor Act of 2005 calls on the 

United States Congress to significantly increase and 

prioritize water provision in United States international 

programs; 

Whereas countries around the world have ratified international human rights agreements and enacted national 

constitutional provisions and laws enshrining the human 

right to water; 


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•HCON 266 IH 

Whereas member States acting in human rights institutions 

of the United Nations have affirmed the human right to 

water calling upon all governments to take steps to ensure that a sufficient amount of good quality, affordable 

water be made available for all within a reasonable distance from a person’s home; 

Whereas the United Nations Human Development Report of 

2007 calls on all governments to recognize the human 

right to water, prioritize and fund water and sanitation 

in national budgets, provide international assistance for 

water projects and develop a strong global plan of action; 

and 

Whereas the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

forecasts increased difficulty in improving access to safe 

drinking water and additional costs to the water services 

sector from changing water levels and contamination: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) asserts that water management priorities 

4 should reflect the goals of safeguarding and sus5 taining water resources; 

6 (2) affirms water as a public trust and global 

7 public good that should not be treated as a private 

8 commodity where this would limit or deny public ac9 cess to freshwater resources; 

10 (3) affirms that the United States Congress 

11 firmly commits itself to meet the Millennium Devel12 opment Goals, especially as they pertain to uniVerDate Aug 31 2005 01:59 Dec 07, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC266.IH HC266

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•HCON 266 IH 

1 versal, sustainable access to safe and affordable 

2 water; 

3 (4) affirms that access to international loans 

4 and debt reduction programs should not be condi5 tioned on implementing increased cost recovery poli6 cies when those policies would result in significantly 

7 increased water rates that reduce access to safe 

8 drinking water and sanitation; 

9 (5) asserts that the United States Executive 

10 Directors of international financial institutions 

11 should not approve loans that require increased cost 

12 recovery, or water privatization or public-private 

13 partnerships that would result in significant in14 creases in consumer water fees or in other ways re15 strict affordable access to water; 

16 (6) asserts that Federal policies should ensure 

17 that in the United States direct and indirect sources 

18 of water pollution, including factories, refineries, 

19 commercial agriculture, and wastewater treatment 

20 plants, are adequately regulated and those respon21 sible held accountable for the pollution they cause; 

22 (7) deems that Federal funding not be condi23 tioned on the consideration of public/private partner24 ships or other forms of privatization that would re25 strict affordable access to water; 


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•HCON 266 IH 

1 (8) upholds the principle that governments 

2 should engage all members of society, including local 

3 civil society organizations, citizen associations, envi4 ronmental groups, indigenous peoples, farmers, 

5 women, workers, and others, in direct and meaning6 ful participation in overseeing decisions about the 

7 conservation, distribution, use, and management of 

8 water in their communities, localities, and regions; 

9 (9) recommends that international, regional, 

10 and bilateral trade agreements should not include 

11 conditions related to the provision of water for 

12 human use that would result in reduced access to 

13 water; 

14 (10) recognizes the need to fully fund the 

15 Water for the Poor Act of 2007 to ensure that all 

16 individuals, especially those in most need, have equi17 table access to safe and affordable water; and 

18 (11) recognizes the human right to water as 

19 fundamental for life and health, and sufficient and 

20 safe drinking water is a precondition for the realiza21 tion of all other human rights. 

Æ 


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