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Does Peter Brabeck-Letmathe believe that water is a human right?

children using drinking water fountain at school

Yes. Our former Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe passionately believes that water is a human right. Everyone, everywhere in the world, has the right to clean, safe water for drinking and sanitation.

His critics use a video interview that Peter gave in 2005 to claim that he thinks all water sources should be privatized. This is false.

He supports the United Nations' view on water: ‘There is enough freshwater on the planet for seven billion people, but it is distributed unevenly and too much of it is wasted, polluted and unsustainably managed’.

Peter is appalled by the fact that more than two billion people worldwide lack even a simple toilet, and that more than 1 billion lack access to any kind of access to improved drinking water.

Compare this to life in some countries, where people can use excess amounts of water – a precious and increasingly scarce resource – for non-essential purposes. In this context, Peter argues, access to water should carry a cost.

Over the years, Peter has made his views on the subject of water scarcity clear in numerous interviews, panel discussions and TV programs. Here are just a few examples: