Violence and conflict caused by water shortages may threaten states’ political and social stability, according to the Parliamentary Assembly’s Environment Committee.
At its 25 February meeting, the committee noted the close links between water and security which have made water “a military and political tool and a new weapon for terrorists.”
The committee also discussed how climate change has made worse the problem of malnutrition in the world’s driest regions. It called on European governments to recognise access to water as a fundamental human right and to apply and if necessary revise, the rules of international water law.
The systems for the joint management of transfrontier rivers and aquifers should be reviewed, the committee declared. Transparency and the flow of information between all stakeholders should also be improved.
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