New UN special rapporteur on water backs predecessor in privatization row

ALICANTE, Spain — New United Nations special rapporteur for the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, says he’s not against private sector involvement when it comes to water and sanitation services, but believes there has to be openness in discussing the topic. Arrojo-Agudo, a Spanish professor and ecologist, took up the rapporteur role at the start of November after Léo Heller’s second term came to end. In his final weeks in the role, Heller had found himself at the center of a debate about privatization following the publication of his last report, which looked at the human rights risks related to the privatization of water and sanitation services and how to mitigate them. AquaFed, the International Federation of Private Water Operators, said the report was anti-private-sector from the start and questioned Heller’s process. After the organization sent letters to the president of the Human Rights Council complaining about Heller’s process, a group of NGOs issued a statement of support for him and called out AquaFed for trying to “silence and discredit” him. One letter sent by AquaFed called for HRC members to ensure the opinions of Heller’s replacement would not affect their mandate as special rapporteur, implying that had been the case with the latest report. Arrojo-Agudo said that while he wasn’t against “the market,” he doesn’t think it’s necessarily a good tool when it comes to dealing with human rights. “My position before coming to this position as the rapporteur is that when we’re dealing with human rights, [it’s] like the song, El cariño verdadero … human rights, like real love, can't be bought or sold.” “I don't mean that the public is good and private is bad. That’s not true, but there is a conflict and the former special rapporteur put [the problem] on the table and they got upset. That doesn't make sense,” he said. Simply highlighting issues with private sector involvement doesn’t equate to being biased or being against the private sector, he added. AquaFed insists it objected to the process behind the report, not the existence of the report itself. According to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, “water should be treated as a social and cultural good, and not primarily as an economic good.” In places including Uruguay, Argentina, and South Africa, however, water and sanitation has been privatized to some degree. Some organizations argue that this jeopardizes the affordability and accessibility of water and sanitation. Heller’s report stated that, from a human rights perspective, it creates “a disconnect between the interests of company owners and the goal of realizing the human rights to water and sanitation.” Arrojo-Agudo said it is important to discuss the issue given the conflict that often surrounds it, and that he plans to do so with everyone, including private sector stakeholders. “Let's debate, give our concrete proposals, and give respect,” he said.