Friday, June 6, 2025

WCC Feature: WCC advocates for grassroots voices in UN “water tenure” framework development

As climate change intensifies pressure on global water resources, threatening food security worldwide, a landmark UN expert group meeting in Rome advanced principles for responsible water tenure governance—the legal frameworks that determine who can access, use, and control water resources—that could reshape how communities manage this vital resource by 2027.
Photo: Dr Sofia Espinosa, Land & Water Tenure specialist, FAO.
05 June 2025

"Water is a human right, not a commodity, and the international community must ensure that the voices of grassroots water justice movements are heard in these crucial discussions," said Dinesh Suna, WCC programme executive for Land, Water, and Food, who represented the World Council of Churches as the only global faith-based organisation in the UN expert group.

The two-day workshop at UN Food and Agriculture Organisation headquarters brought together over 50 experts from governments, academia, and civil society to validate principles for a global dialogue on water tenure. Water tenure refers to the bundle of rights and responsibilities that determine how water resources are accessed, used, managed, and transferred between users. These frameworks become critical as demand for water increases and climate impacts threaten availability, particularly affecting vulnerable communities who often lack secure access to clean water.

Co-facilitating discussions on water prioritisation principles alongside Dr Barbara van Koppen of the International Water Management Institute, Suna advocated for aligning the priorities in line with the recommendations of UN special rapporteur for Human Right to Water and Sanitation, Prof. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, who also participated in the meeting. They recommended  human rights approach that prioritises personal and domestic water use, followed by water for the common good, economic development, and ecosystem functions. 

"The WCC consistently encouraged the expert group to invite and involve grassroots water justice movements and other faith-based organisations in this consultative process from the beginning, rather than after principles have been finalised," Suna noted. "The expert group welcomed this approach and recognised the WCC's role as a voice for the water justice movement in global water governance discussions."

The initiative stems from a 2022 UN Committee on Agriculture recommendation for FAO to assess existing water governance arrangements globally. The "ScaleWat" project, funded by the German Ministry for Food and Agriculture, supports this global dialogue to establish responsible governance principles that protect vulnerable communities' access to water.

With growing water scarcity affecting billions worldwide, the expert group aims to finalise draft principles and technical recommendations by the next UN Water Conference in December 2026. Political adoption by UN member states is targeted for 2027, making this dialogue crucial for securing equitable water access for future generations.

Learn more about WCC work on Water Justice here

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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.

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