A/67/270 water and sanitation target and presented quantitative data that point to socioeconomic segments of the population experiencing obstacles in accessing water and sanitation. The Special Rapporteur welcomes this initiative and considers such analysis to be very powerful in highlighting the inequities in access to water and sanitation, but also in showing that States are in a position to improve this situation with the necessary political will. The new framework should reflect the need for this analysis at the level of targets. Hence targets should be crafted that specifically address improvements for the lowest quintile or call for reducing the inequalities between the best-off and the worst-off. D. Address group-related inequalities that vary across countries 63. In many countries, groups experiencing discrimination often face difficulties in accessing water and sanitation services. The water, sanitation and hygiene-related impacts of discrimination are often closely related to income-related impacts, but they are not the same. In fact, the dynamics and systems involved in discrimination against minorities and the impacts of wealth inequities are different. Data can assist in elucidating these differences, helping to catalyse action in relation to the specific problems present in a given context. The data necessary for disaggregation according to different groups are already gathered through standard household surveys used by the Joint Monitoring Programme and could be used much more widely. 64. Pilot analysis carried in the framework of the Working Group on Equity and Non-Discrimination demonstrated that significant disparities exist in water and sanitation access among ethnic, religious, and language minorities in some countries, a finding that emphasizes the need for tailored monitoring of minorities and marginalized groups. For example, in one South Asian country, data show that while open defecation rates for the majority population was 37 per cent, the rate for the minority population was 70 per cent. In another country of that same region, data show that open defecation rates for the population speaking the majority language was 39 per cent, and the rates for minority-speaking populations were significantly higher: between 55 per cent, and 85 per cent among other language speakers. A rights-sensitive analysis uncovers such patterns so that factors leading to these differences can be explored and policy responses can be developed. If the progress of groups that suffer discrimination and marginalization is not specifically monitored, those groups will remain excluded — even among the poorest. 65. Targets and indicators should therefore specifically address the “most disadvantaged groups”. As discrimination manifests itself differently across regions and in countries and discriminated against groups vary by country, the formulation “most disadvantaged groups” is recommended, allowing for national specificity while making global monitoring possible. States would be required to identify the specific groups that will be monitored at the global level through a participatory process. 38 Groups that might be chosen for monitoring include those defined by ethnicity, race, religion, language, or spatially defined groups such as slum dwellers, residents of specific geographic areas, or other nationally tailored groupings. __________________ 38 18 UNICEF and WHO Joint Monitoring Programme, Report of the first Consultation, p. 3 (see footnote 7 above). 12-45653