Human Rights Obligations Related to Non-State Service Provision in Water and Sanitation 2010, para. 55
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- There is an inherent tension between commercial viability and direct full cost recovery on the one hand and providing affordable services to the poor on the other hand. When utilities are not adequately and sustainably resourced, they cannot ensure operation and maintenance, let alone invest in the network. Yet, direct full cost recovery would render services unaffordable for many people. Regulatory oversight alone may not be sufficient to achieve the rights to sanitation and water for all, and special safeguards and supplementary social policies to ensure inclusiveness, such as safety nets and subsidies, may be necessary. These may take various forms, whether providing support to people's income or adjusting tariffs to render services affordable. Moreover, while people will often be able to pay recurring charges for services, a high one-off payment for the initial connection is often beyond their capacity. Connection subsidies and public spending will often be necessary to expand the network to low-income areas. Whatever measures are taken, they must not disproportionately benefit the upper and middle classes already connected to the network, but, crucially, have to be targeted to reach the unserved and underserved most in need. Affordability studies carried out by the regulatory body or other States authorities can be an important tool for taking decisions on how to target measures.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
- Paragraph number
- 55
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