On July 28, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly passed a nonbinding resolution declaring the right to “safe and clean drinking water and sanitation” a fundamental human right. Presented by the Bolivian government, the resolution received favorable votes from 122 countries, while 42 countries—including Canada, the US, and Australia—abstained. No country voted against the measure. More than 884 million people around the world lack access to drinking water, 2.6 billion are without access to basic sanitation, and 3 billion have no running water within a kilometer of their homes.

This guide is an introduction to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). It provides basic information about the right to FPIC and how this right can help people to have a say about development projects, such as dams, mines and, logging and other large infrastructure projects, which affect them in some way.

What is the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?