ZKSD Event with Pedro Arrojo-Agudo and Blue Community: Multilateral Water Governance

Multilateral Water Governance
Location: Kulturpark Zürich, Pfingstweidstrasse 16
Date: 19. October 2026
Time: 19:00-20:00
EN
The event concludes with an apéro.

19 October 2026 – Lecture at Kulturpark: UN Special Rapporteur Pedro Arrojo-Agudo on Multilateral Water Governance. Ahead of the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation calls for a human rights-based approach to water governance and a stronger role for the UN.

From 8-10 December, the UN Water Conference will take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Ahead of this conference and addressing the challenges, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation, will present his last report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 15 October. From Geneva he will come to Zurich for a lecture at the Swiss Blue University UZH Zurich, co-organised with the ZKSD.

To address the Global Water Crisis and make effective progress toward achieving SDG 6, we must clarify the true nature of the challenge we face. The billions of impoverished people who lack guaranteed access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation do not represent a business opportunity; rather, they present a challenge regarding the sustainable and democratic management of available water resources in each territory—a challenge that demands a human rights-based approach to water governance.

Addressing this Global Water Crisis requires fostering broad social participation and creating specific spaces for those who—due to poverty and/or marginalization—are often sidelined, silenced, or even criminalized for asserting their rights as rights-holders, with women frequently at the forefront.

At a time when the UN faces a severe crisis—under attack by those seeking to impose a global order governed by the law of the strongest—it is essential to view this crisis as an opportunity to implement necessary reforms. These reforms should strengthen the human rights pillar, including social, economic, and cultural rights. In particular, faced with the global water crisis, the United Nations must not remain paralyzed but rather assume its corresponding global responsibility. To this end, the Special Rapporteur proposes various recommendations.

About Pedro Arrojo-Agudo

Pedro Arrojo-Agudo is the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. He was appointed by the Human Rights Council in September 2020 and started his mandate on 1 November 2020. His second term and his mandate ends on 31 October 2026.

Previously, from 2016 to 2019, Arrojo-Agudo served as an elected member (MP) of the Spanish Parliament during its eleventh and twelfth legislature, during which he was part of the International Cooperation Committee working on human rights. Arrojo-Agudo was Professor in the Area of Fundamentals of Economic Analysis at the University of Zaragoza (1989-2011), and has been professor emeritus since 2011.

More information:

https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-water-and-sanitation/mr-pedro-arrojo-agudo