The importance of water to all forms of life is indisputable, yet half a billion people suffer from severe shortages and nearly one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. The availability of water is also a limiting factor for many industries, in particular agriculture. Balancing ecological and human requirements for water with the requirements of economic development raises many difficult environmental, social, and legal issues.
To meet these challenges, many countries are undergoing systematic changes to the management of water resources and the provision of water services, including the privatization of water services. Such liberalization of water services presents new challenges; in particular, some fear that the application of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to water services will impinge on the right to water.
This paper explores the linkages between GATS and domestic water policies,