A/HRC/51/24
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
27 June 2022
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fifty-first session
12 September–7 October 2022
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation of
indigenous peoples: state of affairs and lessons from ancestral
cultures
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking
water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo Agudo
Summary
Indigenous peoples, who have endured centuries of colonization, violence and
domination, often relegated to live in marginal territories, in harsh conditions, offer us
valuable ways to address the global water crisis through their traditional practices, both in
terms of the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and the democratic governance
of safe drinking water and sanitation. Today, however, mining, the construction of immense
hydroelectric dams, the development of large agricultural and livestock farms, massive landand water-grabbing processes and the development of large tourism projects in their
territories are damaging and contaminating their water sources and putting their livelihoods
at risk. Governments have the obligation to guarantee indigenous peoples their rights to selfdetermination, to free and well-informed consultations and to consent prior to any
intervention in their territories: States must put in place the necessary means to ensure that
indigenous peoples enjoy their human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, inclusive
of an intercultural dialogue that is respectful of their ancestral worldviews, knowledge and
practices.
GE.22-10050(E)