In a speech on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, d'Escoto Brockman said, "We should recognize that the right to water is a human right, and water cannot therefore be treated as a commodity that is bought and sold."

"President d'Ecoto's endorsement of water as a human right is a call to action," says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and recently appointed Senior Advisor on Water Issues to the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations. "This is a wonderful opportunity to advance a more democratic and transparent method of policy making around water at the global level. Water is a commons, a public trust, and a human right."

Barlow stressed that the water crisis facing the world is two-dimensional: ecological and human. She pointed out that the abuse of water through pollution and displacement was among the major causes of climate change.