Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 83
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More broadly, social accountability mechanisms refer to mechanisms through which residents or civil society hold State officials or service providers to account. Social accountability has the power to increase the pressure on officials to explain and justify their decisions; fear of damage to one's reputation can sometimes be a stronger deterrent or incentive than legal proceedings. The Equitable Access Score-Card developed by ECE and the World Health Organization (WHO) offers a tool that can help Governments and other stakeholders establish a baseline, discuss actions to be taken and evaluate progress through self-assessment. This process, as shown by the experiences of France, Portugal and Ukraine, can enable an objective debate and generate input for policy processes.
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Non-negotiated soft law
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Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation