The right to water and trade in services

The document argues that the human right to water requires states to maintain regulatory autonomy and flexibility, which may conflict with the trade liberalization goals of the WTO's GATS. It specifically examines how market access commitments, national treatment obligations, and proposed disciplines on domestic regulation could restrict a government's ability to use public monopolies, implement universal service obligations, or maintain environmental zoning and quality standards. The authors propose a 'progressive approach' where trade law is interpreted in deference to national regulatory autonomy to ensure that basic services are not left to the 'whim of markets'.

• Access to water is established as a basic human right derived from the right to life in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights to an adequate standard of living and health in the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

APA

Türk, E., & Krajewski, M. (2003). The right to water and trade in services. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GATS_WaterHR_28Oct03.pdf

Chicago

Türk, Elisabeth, and Markus Krajewski. The right to water and trade in services. Center for International Environmental Law, 2003. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GATS_WaterHR_28Oct03.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Türk |first1=Elisabeth |last2=Krajewski |first2=Markus |title=The right to water and trade in services |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=30 October 2003 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GATS_WaterHR_28Oct03.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trk2003right, author = {Türk, Elisabeth and Krajewski, Markus}, title = {{The right to water and trade in services}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2003}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GATS_WaterHR_28Oct03.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }