ABSTRACT
The specific idea for a global charter on water ethics was a recommendation from the 6th World Water Forum held in Marseille, France in 2012. The process of developing the content of the charter relied on a list of some 80 experts, representing broad, but admittedly opportunistic geographic, cultural and technical diversity, compiled from the personal contacts of the Steering Committee members. The Charter is divided into five substantive sections corresponding to five 'domains' of water ethics: Environmental, Economic, Social, Cultural and Governance. The health of water ecosystems is inevitably affected by human water use, whether for agriculture, manufacturing and extractive industries, or urban and domestic water systems. This chapter explains the three intended purposes of the global Water Ethics Charter. The loose structure of the Water Ethics Charter development process reflects the loose organizational structure of the initiative itself.
