Maat and the International Alliance meet with the office of the Special Rapporteur on the right to water

Aqeel: We stressed the need for the United Nations to intervene to prevent disputes over water, and we discussed the refugees' right to water and sanitation services

Geneva, 6/28/2018

On the sidelines of their participation in the 38th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, a delegation from the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights and the International Alliance for Peace and Development met with the Office of the Special Rapporteur on the right to water and safe sanitation services, and this comes in the context of the efforts of Maat Foundation and the Alliance to convey their view on the issues International and regional issues that may affect world peace and sustainable development for United Nations officials and experts.

 Ayman Aqil, head of the Maat Foundation and the coordinator of the coalition, stated that the meeting dealt with water issues in the world, and fears of increasing the intensity of the associated conflicts and their threat to international peace and security, especially in light of the scarcity of this resource and the weakness of cooperation and coordination between international parties to maximize benefit from it. The rapporteur’s office has been very interested in the issues of refugees and migrants and their ability to access clean water sources and safe sanitation services, a matter that poses many risks in light of the increasing intensity of armed conflicts and waves of asylum and displacement from the citizens of several countries afflicted by civil wars.

Aqeel also indicated that the meeting dealt with water issues in the African continent, and the current disputes between some countries of the Nile Basin, against the background of some basin countries establishing projects on the riverbed from one side, and Aqeel warned that the next war may be a water war, especially since there are four Ten countries on the continent of Africa lack adequate water resources; And whose need increases due to the increase in population.

Aqeel also added that during the meeting, the coalition delegation conveyed its demand to the United Nations mechanisms and experts to intervene in issues related to the water dispute, and to work to push countries to respect the agreements previously ratified, and to remove any justifications for congestion between countries participating in river basins in various regions of the world, as well as The necessity to provide technical support to different countries to properly manage and utilize their water resources and improve their sanitation services.