Governments session, WASH

1. Human Rights to
Water and Sanitation
Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe
drinking water and sanitation

2. Legal basis for the human rights to water
and sanitation
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (art.
25(1))
 International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (art. 11)
 Convention on the Rights of the Child (art.
24(2)(h))
 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (art. 14(2)(h))
 Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (art. 18 (2)(a))
 UN General Assembly and Human Rights
Council resolutions 292/64 and 15/9,
respectively
 Human Rights Council resolution 24/41
affirmed the normative content of the HR to
water and sanitation

3. Equality and non-discrimination:
Everyone is equal before the law; prohibition of arbitrary differences of treatment
Participation and inclusion:
Every person is entitled to active, free and meaningful participation in and contribution
to decision-making processes affecting them
Accountability and the rule of law:
State and other duty-bearers should be accountable for the fulfilment of their
obligations
Human rights-based approach:
key elements

4. What is the Human Right to Water and
Sanitation?
The human right to water entitles
everyone to sufficient, safe,
acceptable, physically accessible
and affordable water for personal
and domestic uses.
The human right to sanitation
entitles everyone, without
discrimination, to physical and
affordable access to sanitation, in all
spheres of life, which is safe, hygienic,
secure, socially and culturally
acceptable, which provides privacy
and dignity.

5. Normative content of the rights to water
and sanitation
AVAILABILITY: sufficient and continuous for personal and
domestic uses; within immediate vicinity
QUALITY: safe for consumption and other personal uses;
hygienically and technically safe to use
ACCESSIBILITY: to everyone without discrimination, within the
immediate vicinity
AFFORDABILITY: price must be affordable for all without
compromising the ability to secure other essential necessities
guaranteed by human rights
ACCEPTABILITY: culturally acceptable and gender-specific, and
to ensure privacy and dignity

6. MDG target on water
In 2012, the MDG
target on water
had been reached.
But …
Still around 800 million
people worldwide lack
access to an improved
drinking water source.
 Piped water into
dwelling
 Piped water to
yard/plot
 Public tap or
standpipe
 Tubewell or
borehole
 Protected dug well
 Protected spring
 Rainwater

7. MDG target on water
But …
- Water quality?
- Water quantity?
- Continuity?
- Affordability?
- Schools and health facilities?
- Gender issues?

8. MDG target on water
But …
- Inequalities
 rich vs. poor;
 urban vs. rural;
 informal vs. formal
settlements;
 disadvantaged groups vs.
the general population;
 North vs. South.

9. MDG Target on Sanitation
Sanitation is one of the most
off-track targets of the MDGs.
 2.5 billion people do not
have access to improved
sanitation, 70 per cent of
which live in rural areas.
 Around 1 billion people
practice open defecation.
 1.6 million people, mostly
children under the age of 5,
die each year from water
and sanitation-related
diseases.

10. MDG Target on Sanitation
 Improved sanitation
 Flush toilet
 Piped sewer system
 Septic tank
 Flush/pour flush to pit latrine
 Ventilated improved pit
latrine (VIP)
 Pit latrine with slab
 Composting toilet
 Schools and health facilities?
 Disposal?
 Inequalities?

11. Striking Inequalities in Access: Urban-Rural
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1990 2010
All water
infrastructure+surface
water
All water infrastructure
Improved water sources
Safe water sources
safe water sources that is
within 30mins of home
safe water sources at home
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1990 2010
All water
infrastructure+surface
water
All water infrastructure
Improved water sources
Safe water sources
safe water sources that is
within 30mins of home
safe water sources at
home
Urban Rural
Urban-Rural disparities (2010) (source WHO-UNICEF)
Improved water: 93% vs. 44%, safe water at home: 45% vs. 0.2%

12. Striking Inequalities in Access: Rich-Poor
5
11
7
16
31
36
57
37
Poorest
10
20
16
32
34
48
40
0
Poor
13
21
24
38
31
41
32
0
Middle
Open defecation
Unimproved facilities
Shared improved
facilities
Improved facilities
27
32
36
44
26
24
12
0
Rich
47
51
36
40
13
9
4
0
Richest
Rich-poor gap (rural): 42%pt (2000), 40%pt (2008)
(source WHO-UNICEF)

13. Averages mask inequalities
Rich-poor gap (rural): 42%pt (2000), 40%pt (2008) (Source:JMP)
5
11
7
16
31
36
57
37
Poorest
10
20
16
32
34
48
40
0
Poor
13
21
24
38
31
41
32
0
Middle
Open defecation
Unimproved facilities
Shared improved
facilities
Improved facilities
27
32
36
44
26
24
12
0
Rich
47
51
36
40
13
9
4
0
Richest
%

14. Open defecation trends vary by household wealth
Bangladesh
(Millions)
Typical country with a high
rate of open defecation
(Millions)

15. Ways to realise
 Financing
 Tariffs, subsidies…
 Disconnections
 Public policies
 Technology
 The North-South gap

16. For further information
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues
/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/
Pages/SRWaterIndex.aspx