A/HRC/2/2 A/HRC/Sub.1/58/36 page 40 Recalling also the principles of the Madeira Declaration on the sustainable management of water resources, adopted by the European Council on Environment Law on 17 April 1999, and the resolution on drinking water adopted by the Council on 28 April 2000, Considering that, in its resolution 55/196 of 20 December 2000, the General Assembly proclaimed the year 2003 as the International Year of Freshwater, Taking into account general comment No. 15 (2002) on the right to water, adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which states that water is a public good fundamental for life and health and should be treated as a social and cultural good, Taking particular account of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 58/217 of 23 December 2003, the goal of which is a greater focus on water-related issues at all levels and on the implementation of water-related programmes and projects, in order to help to achieve internationally agreed water-related goals contained in Agenda 21, the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, Recalling its resolution 1997/18 of 27 August 1997, in which it decided to entrust to Mr. El-Hadji Guissé the task of drafting, without financial implications, a working paper on the question of the promotion of the realization of the right of access of everyone to drinking water supply and sanitation services, Taking into consideration the working paper on the promotion of the realization of the right of everyone to access to drinking water supply and sanitation services prepared by Mr. Guissé (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1998/7), Recalling Commission on Human Rights decision 2002/105 of 22 April 2002, approving the appointment of Mr. Guissé as Special Rapporteur to conduct a detailed study on the relationship between the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights and the promotion of the realization of the right to drinking water supply and sanitation, Taking into consideration the preliminary, interim and final reports on the promotion of the realization of the right to drinking water supply and sanitation prepared by the Special Rapporteur and submitted to the Sub-Commission at its fifty-fourth, fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth sessions, respectively (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2002/10, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/WP.3 and E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/20), Bearing in mind that water is the source of life, Bearing in mind also that all persons have the right to sufficient supplies of water to meet their essential needs and to have access to culturally acceptable, accessible, secure and affordable sanitation facilities that take account of the requirements of hygiene, human dignity, public health and environmental protection, Considering that water resources constitute a public good and that they must be used in an equitable manner and managed in cooperation with users in a spirit of solidarity,