A/68/264
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe
drinking water and sanitation
Summary
The Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation,
Catarina de Albuquerque, submits the present report to the General Assembly in
accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 16/2. She considers it imperative to
introduce the human rights framework and the practical guidance it provides into
policies and practice for managing wastewater and controlling pollution.
The present report starts with an explanation of the concept of wastewater and
its link to human rights, an outline of the impact of water pollution on the realization
of human rights, and an exploration of the interface between access to sanitation and
wastewater management. It describes how households, agriculture and industry
contribute to water pollution and stresses the value of integrating human rights into
wastewater management and water pollution control in order to address challenges in
the legislative, regulatory and institutional frameworks. The report also discusses
appropriate technology choices, financing and pricing, accountability and transparency
and, finally, informing the post-2015 development agenda.
2/23
13-41825