Vatten som en mänsklig rättighet : en tolkning av en rättighet utifrån olika perspektiv

Sammanfattning: Water is fundamental for life and prerequisite for the realization of numerous human rights. What we do with our water today will have consequences all around the world for generations to come. The draught in northern Africa from the summer of 2011 shows us that water have become a more precious resource then ever before. Many people live on the brink of death because of water shortages and many more have already died from water related deceases. Meanwhile, the international community is struggling between recognizing water as a fundamental human right and recognizing it as a basic human need. But really, what is the difference between water as a fundamental human right and water as a basic human need? This is an essay about the essential human right and need for water. In this essay I examine how the so called human right to water can be understood by relating it to the perspectives of rights and need. By doing this I also examine how water can be recognized as both a human right and a basic need and what it mean to define water by the use of this different concepts.