This paper argues that access to a basic water requirement is a fundamental human right implicitly and explicitly supported by international law, declarations, and State practice. Governments, international aid agencies, non-governmental organizations, and local communities should work to provide all humans with a basic water requirement and to guarantee that water as a human right. The paper is divided into the following sections:

- Is there a human right to water?
- Existing human rights laws, covenants, and declarations
- Defining and meeting a human right to water.