From the faith-based Blue Community in Switzerland (media release):
World. Water. All of Us. World Water Day 2026 Interreligious:
Exciting event for World Water Day at the House of Religions
Access to safe water is a human right. Demanding it is not charity, but a democratic duty for every individual, says Pedro Arrojo-Agudo. As part of World Water Day 2026, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to water and sanitation spoke at the House of Religions. In addition, the first interreligious declaration on the importance of water as a human right and as a public good was adopted.
Every year on March 22, World Water Day is observed worldwide. Since 1993, the United Nations has used this day to draw attention to the importance of water as a resource.
Under the title “World.Water.All of Us,” a day-long event took place at the House of Religions in Bern, Switzerland, exploring water as a fundamental necessity for life and a human right, its interreligious and spiritual significance, and local and global issues surrounding water.
Workshops, presentations, rituals, and texts invited participants to engage with the meaning of water in various religions, as well as with political issues such as the increasing pollution of drinking water in Switzerland, a country rich in water resources, and the resulting ethical questions.
The House of Religions was pleased to welcome Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Water and Sanitation, as a special guest and speaker. He addressed the audience with compelling words: “The vast majority of those billions of people without guaranteed access to drinking water are not thirsty people without water in their environment, but largely extremely impoverished people living near rivers or above contaminated aquifers that are increasingly polluted with heavy metals and other toxins.” This, he said, must be combated. Switzerland, in particular, as an important hub for international commodity trading, bears a great responsibility here, Arojo-Agudo continued.
Roman Wiget, Managing Director of the Seeland Water Supply, highlighted the problems of drinking water supply in Switzerland in his presentation. Switzerland’s federal structure often makes effective drinking water protection difficult. Ethicist Evelyne Tauchnitz then addressed fundamental questions of human attitude surrounding the handling of water.
At the conclusion of the event, those present adopted an interreligious declaration on the importance of water as a human right and as a public good. Pedro Arojo-Audo expressed his great pleasure at this. He stated that this was the first declaration to also include the religious and spiritual value of water.
The declaration is in translation and will be published soon.
