Water is more than a resource: Indigenous Peoples and the right to water

Abstract

Dominant narratives and policy processes addressing water insecurity, such as the Water Action Decade 2018–2028, usually neglect the power asymmetries underlying that insecurity. In this paper, we argue that the water problems we face are not merely about water supply or access, but also about the values we hold about water, and we turn to what we can learn from Indigenous Peoples' perspectives on water. We present how the dominant perspective of water as a commodity sits at the root of the water problems that we face. By contrast, Indigenous Peoples perspectives view water not as a resource to be commodified, but a good to be respected which demands responsibility from us. We explain how water values and the Indigenous communities that protect them are inextricably connected to land sovereignty, and thus how Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge carry solutions to the current global water crisis. However, we also note how the views of Indigenous Peoples and marginalised communities are often ignored, including through physical and technical exclusion, using the United Nations Water Action Decade as a case study. We conclude by arguing that collective initiatives to address the water crisis require significant amendments based on a redistribution of power to ensure that the voices and values of Indigenous Peoples are heard to achieve transformative change.