GI-ESCR welcomes the launch of the Guidelines on the Right to Water in Africa | Joint statement

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights today issued a joint statement welcoming the Guidelines on the Right to Water in Africa that were officially launched by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights during its 68th Ordinary Session on 24 April.

The Guidelines establish the legal framework applicable in countries of the African Union with regard to the right to water. They set strict limitations on the delegation of the provision of water services to a private actor. In particular, they stipulate that water services must not be outsourced where this could “constitute or contribute to the marketisation or commercialisation of water”. This framework calls into question the trend observed in many African countries towards the commercialisation of water, in particular by outsourcing water services to multinational corporations.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has underscored the vital importance of quality, transparent, gender-responsive, participatory and democratically governed public services, including water management and delivery. The Guidelines are a welcome reaffirmation of the crucial need for States to ensure that water is managed and delivered in a non-commercial way, with public participation, for the public good.