BREAKING NEWS

UN resolution declares water and sanitation a 'human right'

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

JULY 29, 2010 11:58

UNITED NATIONS — The UN General Assembly declared access to clean water and sanitation a "human right" on Wednesday in a resolution that more than 40 countries including the United States didn't support.

The resolution adopted by the 192-member world body expresses deep concern that an estimated 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water and more than 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. UN anti-poverty goals adopted by world leaders in 2000 call for the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation to be cut in half by 2015.

The non-binding resolution, sponsored by Bolivia, was approved by a vote of 122-0 with 41 abstentions including the United States and many Western nations though Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and Norway supported it.

Bolivia's representative said many rights have been recognized including the rights to health, life, and education. He said the Bolivian government introduced a resolution on the right to adequate water and sanitation because contaminated water causes more than 3.5 million deaths every year — more than any war.

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