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Lettera delegazione Spagna - ONU

To the permanent Mission of Spain - (mission.spain@ties.itu.int)

To His Excellency Mr. Javier Garrigues

Ambassador of the Spanish permanent Mission at the United Nations

Geneva, Switzerland

Concern: Draft Resolution on the right to water and sanitation.

Your Excellency,

Referring to the support by the Spanish and German permanent Missions at the United Nations for the Draft Resolution on the right to water and sanitation, we respectfully ask you to cancel the following paragraphs:

• OP7 which currently states that “ States can decide to opt for non – state actors in the provision of water services”, therefore they are free to involve the private sector in the management of water services;

• OP 9 which currently states that the Human Rights Council «recalls that non-State service providers have the responsibility to respect human rights obligations» and outlines the specific responsibilities of non-State actors with regards to their human rights obligations.

These obligations are important to recognize, but once again, States have the primary responsibility to ensure non-State actors meet these obligations.

We outline that these paragraphs could legitimize the privatization of water services and are therefore in strident contradiction with the Resolution n. A/64/L.63 recently adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations that declares the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right.

Moreover, we denounce that the approval of this Resolution with the two points (OP 7 and OP 9), would show that the United Nations support the principle of transferring the management of water resources to private sector enterprises, with the consequence of abandoning their responsibility to defend the right to water for all at the international level.

We would like to thank you in advance for your attention.

Yours sincerely

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