UN Expert Urges Governments to End Water Privatization and Recognize Water as a Common Good

For decades, international water policy has been shaped by economic models that view water as a tradable resource rather than a shared human inheritance.

Introduction: A Call for a Global Water Justice Revolution

Access to water is not just a service — it is a human right, a foundation of life, and a cornerstone of social justice. In a landmark address to the United Nations General Assembly, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, issued a sharp warning to governments: the global water crisis is not one of scarcity, but of inequality and governance failure.

“We are not facing a crisis of scarcity that can be solved with technology alone,” Arrojo Agudo declared. “We are facing a democratic crisis. Billions of people live beside rivers or aquifers they cannot safely use, while powerful interests profit from their exploitation.”

His new report calls for an urgent “paradigm shift” — away from the market-driven commodification of water and toward democratic, rights-based water governance that treats water as a common good essential for human dignity, community well-being, and environmental balance.

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Water as a Common Good, Not a Commodity

For decades, international water policy has been shaped by economic models that view water as a tradable resource rather than a shared human inheritance. Arrojo Agudo strongly challenged this logic, arguing that privatisation, speculative trading, and financialisation of water have deepened inequality, limited access, and eroded public accountability.

“Managing water through speculative futures markets puts human rights at risk,” he said. “Water must be governed as a common good — accessible to all but not appropriable by anyone.”

He warned that policies promoting public-private partnerships and water futures trading— increasingly popular in financial markets — distort priorities by treating water as an asset for profit rather than a necessity for life. This, he argued, creates “an ethical paradox in which basic survival needs are subject to the volatility of global markets.”

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A Democratic Crisis of Inequality and Exclusion

According to UN data, more than 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water, and 3.6 billion lack safely managed sanitation. Yet, Arrojo Agudo stressed, this is not due to global scarcity: the planet has enough freshwater to meet everyone’s needs.

The problem, he said, lies in political exclusion and systemic inequality. “Billions of people are impoverished and marginalized,” he said. “They live near rivers, wetlands, or polluted aquifers while their water is diverted to industrial agriculture, urban elites, or private corporations.”

The report emphasizes that water injustice is deeply tied to other forms of social inequality — including poverty, gender discrimination, and environmental racism. In many regions, women spend hours each day collecting water for their families, while rural and Indigenous communities face contamination, drought, or forced displacement due to water mismanagement.

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Democratic and Rights-Based Governance: A New Paradigm

Arrojo Agudo’s vision for the future of water governance centers on democracy, equality, and participation. He called for governments to replace market mechanisms with rights-based systems rooted in the principles of non-discrimination, accountability, sustainability, legality, and community empowerment.

“Democratic governance must be participatory and non-discriminatory,” he said. “It must promote the equal participation of women and respect the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and peasants.”

The Special Rapporteur urged states to legally recognize customary and Indigenous water tenure, empowering local communities as custodians of their ecosystems. He cited examples from Latin America, Africa, and South Asia where community-led water management has proven more sustainable and equitable than privatized systems.

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The “Water Transition”: Complementing the Energy Transition

In his report, Arrojo Agudo introduced the concept of a “water transition” — a global framework to complement the ongoing energy transition. This new approach calls for ecological restoration and resilience-building to protect the planet’s hydrological systems from climate shocks.

He urged governments to:

• Restore rivers, wetlands, and aquifers, which he described as the “water lungs of nature.”

• Protect and monitor groundwater, which stores 30 times more water than all rivers and lakes combined.

• Adopt inclusive hydrological and urban planning that integrates nature-based solutions to droughts and floods.

“Aquifers are vital for managing the extraordinary droughts that climate change is making increasingly frequent,” he said. “Protecting them is not optional — it is essential for human survival.”

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Financing Justice and Equity in Water Access

Arrojo Agudo emphasized that ensuring universal access to water requires public investment and solidarity-based financing, not privatization. He called on governments to implement targeted subsidies and soft financing mechanisms to guarantee affordability in rural and low-income areas.

“The scarcity of public funds does not justify neglecting the human right to water,” he said. “Governments must prioritize water and sanitation in their budgets. The priority for women from the poorest families is bringing water to their homes — governments should follow their example.”

He urged multilateral institutions, including the World Bank and IMF, to reform lending practices that pressure states into privatizing water services or cutting public spending on utilities. Instead, international financing should strengthen public water systems, promote community management, and invest in climate-resilient infrastructure.

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Rejecting Commodification: A Global Democratic Imperative

The report concludes with a passionate appeal for global solidarity and a rejection of water commodification. Arrojo Agudo called on states, civil society, and multilateral bodies to redefine water governance around human rights, equity, and ecological stewardship.

“The billions of people without guaranteed access to safe drinking water do not represent a business opportunity,” he said. “They represent a global democratic challenge.”

He urged the international community to treat water not as a market asset but as a public trust — shared, protected, and sustained for future generations.

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Building a Just and Sustainable Water Future

Pedro Arrojo Agudo’s report is a rallying cry for justice in a world where water scarcity is increasingly man-made. It challenges governments to reclaim water from corporate control, restore the ecosystems that sustain it, and empower the communities that depend on it.

By reframing water as a right, not a commodity, the UN expert envisions a future where equitable access to clean water is the foundation of peace, dignity, and ecological balance.

“The path forward,” he said, “is not driven by markets or profit, but by democracy, cooperation, and respect for life itself.”