Topic: Ensuring Access to Potable Water
Country: France
Delegate Name: Lia Bommarito
School: Williamston High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All France position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Demand for potable water around the world far outweighs supply. According to the UN Sustainable Development Programme, 663 million people internationally are still without access to water. As water is one of the primary requirements for human life, it is extremely harrowing that water scarcity affects 40% of the population, and that percentage is projected to rise in coming years. While there is scarcity of water, there is no lack of supply of UN programmes and resolutions on access to potable water; countless UN denominations have been created relating to this topic, including UN-Water, World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO Water, UNDP Water and Ocean Governance, UN Water for Life and many more. Even so, water continues to be a resource that many lack around the world, most notably in developing countries, and especially in countries historically lacking access to water.
Although France itself does not struggle with access to clean water, France has consistently campaigned for clean water programmes and still looks for a solution to water scarcity in its former colonies (including Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, French Guinea, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) as well as other struggling nations. Keeping peaceful political ties with these nations is extremely important to France, exemplified through France’s donations and aid towards these countries for development (at one point, France’s aid reaching 85% of international development assistance to its former colonies). Clearly, then, France is perturbed with African drought in water as well as international scarcity. In its own country, France follows the example that the European Union set in October 2000 called the Water Framework Directive, encouraging EU member countries to review water states and ensure their cleanliness; however, the worries of most EU member states and developing African, South American and Asian countries are much different. France continues to aide its former colonies in development (including freshwater initiatives) as well as fund and lead potable water programs for developing countries around the world.
Demonstrated by which programmes France has chosen to fund, it is of France’s opinion that cross-border cooperation in the sharing of water resources must be encouraged as it contributes to regional security. France also believes that international standards and legal framework should be strengthened further; as a full believer in national sovereignty, France is certain that no nation should be forced to uphold the UN standard, but wants to encourage member nations to enforce the framework that the United Nations has created as water scarcity and lack of access is a looming threat to not only developing countries now, but to all countries eventually. As aforementioned, there are countless UN programmes already created that lay out the basics of water access, but France plans to create a resolution focusing on the funding of these programmes by nations who are not struggling with water access themselves, and encouraging nations to donate. Seeing no reward in incentives, France would favor a plan for education and advertising/propoganda about the dangers of water scarcity. This plan would preferably be funded by local NGOs for each country as to not infringe on national sovereignty, and to have a more localized version of education to fit every member state. Because this programme would be focused on changing social attitude and encouraging charity, it would be aimed more at developed countries. France expects to work with the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and/or any country looking to further global development of water programmes.
