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Picture Credit: Katarina Walburg
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In a globalizing world, problems and solutions reach across national borders, resulting in a growing need for international collective action. During recent years, the concept of Global Public Goods (GPGs) has become an increasingly important part of international policy making. The concept appears in the agendas of UN agencies, the IMF/ World Bank, and Non-governmental organizations. Everyone depends on public goods, neither markets nor the wealthiest person can do without them. Clean environment, health, knowledge, property rights, peace and security are all examples of public goods that could be made global. The concept remains criticized for being too academic and abstract but it has also brought about enthusiasm and strong advocacy. Questions remain unanswered regarding financial aspects and how to provide global public goods. Some fear that money will be taken from international aid while others suggest global taxes as means for distribution. This section of the site seeks to outline the latest policy ideas in regards to Global Public Goods and sustainable development policies.
UN Documents
Making Every Drop Count (February 15, 2007)
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that two-thirds of the world's population may be facing "water stress conditions" by 2025. Water scarcity, already an issue for 1.1 billion people worldwide, is worsening due to poor resource management and increased usage, especially in agriculture. The FAO reports that techniques such as harvesting rainfall and reducing waste in irrigation may be the solution for "sustainable, efficient and equitable management" of water resources.(UN FAO)
Human Development Report 2006 (November 9, 2006)
The 2006 Human Development Report argues that water and sanitation must be put "front and centre on the development agenda." 1.1 and 2.6 billion people do not have access to clean water and sanitation respectively, causing the death of nearly two million children annually. Reaching the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on water and sanitation would save these lives as well as bring large economic benefits to developing countries, and is essential to reaching the other seven MDGs. Hoping to see diminishing "tolerance for [...] extreme inequalities," and the G8 countries taking on a central role, the report calls for a 'Global Action Plan' to tackle the global water and sanitation crisis similar to the way major US and European cities tackled their deadly water and sanitation situation 100 years ago. (UNDP)
Articles
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2013
The Battle to Keep Water Out of the Internal Market - a Test Case for Democracy in Europe (March 20, 2013)
A new European Directive is threatening to privatize Europe’s municipal water services by requiring even those municipalities with minimal use of the private sector to offer their contract to EU-wide bidding. This would allow large multinationals like Suez and Veolia to expand their o