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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.

By focusing on water as a human right, this paper seeks to provide a useful tool for addressing one of the most fundamental failures of 20th century development.