An Analysis of the Legal Nature of SDG 6 Within the Context of International Water Law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2025/v28i0a19040Keywords:
International environmental law, International freshwater law, Sustainable development, Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 6, Water access, Water scarcity, Water quality, Water rights, Water governance, Soft lawAbstract
Through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a pledge was made to renew the commitment to sustainable development and to ensure the promotion of an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future for our planet and for the present and future generations. Water access and conservation are categorised as SDGs by way of SDG 6, which involves a commitment to ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. It is one of the most significant goals in terms of its potential impact on development outcomes. Since the state of access to water has been an obstacle for development in many parts of the world for a long period of time, and since there have been increasingly urgent warnings of a global water crisis, SDG 6 has the potential to fast-track the global water agenda by bringing these issues and potential solutions to the fore. The current SDGs are widely regarded as a global effort to recognise basic human rights and needs and to ensure the enjoyment of these needs. Thus, it is pertinent to understand the legal status of SDG 6 (and SDGs in general) within the international community. The fact that these goals are so widely accepted cannot be ignored and their impact is pivotal in awakening the global conscience with regard to key issues within human society and the ecology. The aim of this article is to determine the legal status of SDG 6 by examining the principles of international law and by making comparisons with certain international law instruments and policies related to water and freshwater law.
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