Going with the Flow: How International Trade, Finance and Investment Regimes Affect the Provision of Water to the Poor (En Español) (July 2003) (Tuerk) (Presented at the World Trade Organization’s 5th Ministerial in August, 2003)

This brief discusses some of the key legal and policy issues surrounding access to water and the supply of water services. It describes how pressure from international financial institutions (IFIs), combined with obligations under international agreements such as bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), can drive national governments to adopt and retain policies that may not be in their best interests, such as privatization of water services.

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