GENEVA: The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, marking a significant diplomatic achievement for Pakistan on the issue of transboundary water cooperation.
According to the report, Pakistan played an active role in ensuring that a clear reference to cross-border water cooperation was retained in the final text of the resolution.
The resolution was presented by Germany and Spain. Pakistan worked to include transboundary water cooperation in the final draft, while India reportedly sought to remove the reference from the resolution.
The resolution was adopted by consensus by all 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council.
For the first time, the resolution explicitly recognises that cooperation over transboundary water resources is directly linked to the realisation of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Speaking at the adoption of the resolution, Pakistan’s First Secretary Adeel Khokhar outlined Islamabad’s principled position on shared water resources.
“Where water is shared, responsibilities are shared as well,” Khokhar said, stressing that cooperation over shared waters between neighbouring countries is not a matter of favour or concession, but a shared responsibility.
He further stated that an upstream country cannot use water as an instrument of political pressure or influence.
“Water should be governed by the principles of cooperation and mutual responsibility rather than being used as a tool of political pressure,” he said.
Pakistan’s intervention at the Human Rights Council highlights its continued emphasis on international principles governing transboundary water resources and cooperation among countries sharing river systems.