Global Dynamics
Chapter 3 explores how global actors promote the human right to water and sanitation at the global level, the venues in which they carry out their campaigns, and the resistance they face to redefining water and sanitation as human rights. The chapter analyzes how the water justice movement works to build political will for the human right to water and sanitation in the first stage in the “moments of social transformation” model, when abstract norms become accepted as held beliefs. The analysis focuses on three venues where activists advocate for the human right to water and sanitation: the United Nations General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the World Water Forum. The chapter explores the mechanisms at play in these campaigns, revealing a highly contested process pitting rights promoters against powerful adversaries in the global system, including representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.