NationStates Jolt Archive

This is the first draft; I’m open to any criticism and comments. I’m wondering if my categorization is correct. Thank you

Safe Water Access Act
Proposed by Epopolis
1st Draft
Category: Human Rights
Strength: Strong

Noticing, that water is essential to human life, and that a person both subsists of, and subsides upon water.

Realizing, that water is also fundamental to agriculture, which is in turn fundamental to human life.

Troubled, by the amounts of people who suffer and die, due to lack of water, either through dehydration, starvation or any of the other many maladies and diseases that are created by a lack of water.

Noting further, that some nations are abundant in water supply, while others have very little safe water.

We the sovereign nations of the United Nations:

Declare that surveys shall be taken to find out sources of safe water in every nation.

Recommend that the aforementioned survey shall be used to determine if the nation’s water supplies are supplying enough to sustain the population of that nation, and that based on that information nations be placed into three groups:
1) Substandard- Water supply is not sustaining life in the nation
2) Adequate- Water supply is sustaining life in the nation
3) Abundant- Water supply is in excess of minimum life sustaining levels

Demand that requirements be placed upon the governments of each nation based upon its placement.

Require nations with substandard water supplies apply for water assistance through the UN.

Require nations with adequate water supplies to distribute this water amongst its people, so that everyone has access to safe water.

Require nations with abundant water supplies to donate their safe water to nations who apply for water assistance through the UN.

I look forward to your responses.

I agree with the spirit behind this proposal, but I have a few issues I would like to bring up:

1) I would like to see more exact definitions of the category a nation fits into to.
2) What is neccesary may fluctuate. For example, farming. A nation may import food, which meens that they do not need the water for farming. Another nation may create surplus food that it trades. I would like to know how you would deal with this.
3) What do you qualify as being water. Some sources of water may be able to be used for water in some nations but not in others, do to levels of developement. Such as bodies of salt water, some nations have the economic strength to desalinize it, while others don't.
4) Water is a commodity that should be traded. While I believe that all people deserve to have water, it should be traded like any other resource, and nations need to have some incentive to produce extra water. If you live in a region where their is not enough water, you should be able to componsate for it to be able to buy water, or you shouldn't be living in that region.

Thank you for your thoughts, I will be looking in that direction in the next draft.