A/HRC/7/32 page 13 of the State and the population, the Government of Colombia suggested rephrasing the first sentence of paragraph 29 as follows: “People living in extreme poverty have the right to drinking water, and the State has the obligation to guarantee their access to this service.” 71. The Government of Georgia and the Government of the Philippines proposed that States also be allowed the option of providing subsidies to people living in extreme poverty rather than providing water directly and/or free of charge, as called for in paragraph 29. 72. The Government of Italy proposed taking into account the recent report of the High Commissioner on the scope and the content of the relevant human rights obligations related to equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation (A/HRC/6/3), which states that people living in extreme poverty should have the right not only to drinking water but, more comprehensively, a right to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, defined as “the right to equal and non-discriminatory access to a sufficient amount of safe drinking water for personal and domestic use - drinking, personal sanitation, washing of clothes, food preparation and personal and household hygiene - to sustain life and health”. Expanding Part G to include a right to sanitation was also supported by the South African Human Rights Commission. 73. The Government of Italy also emphasized the importance of the right to drinking water as a self-standing human right, as recognized in general comment No. 15 (2002) of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Consequently, the draft guiding principles should underline the character of drinking water as a global public good, as is also called for by several NGOs,4 and stress not only the interdependence between the right to water and the right to life, but as well its close relation to other rights such as the right to housing, the right to health and the right to food. 74. The Government of Italy recommended that a gender equality approach be taken into account as regards the access to safe drinking water and sanitation. 75. The Government of the Philippines proposed that floods and other natural disasters be included as conditions under which States would be required to provide drinking water in areas of widespread rural poverty, as set out in paragraph 29, a proposal supported by the South African Human Rights Commission. 76. The South African Human Rights Commission recommended that the equitable distribution of water be addressed in the draft guiding principles. 77. Care International suggested that children be explicitly mentioned, as they constitute the vast majority of those dying from dehydration and contaminated water. 78. HelpAge International and Sightsavers International suggested including accessibility of water resources for older and disabled people. 4 Human Rights Centre of the University of Padova, Volontari nel Mondo and Associazione ONG Italiane.