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The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Under international human rights law, States are obliged to put in place mechanisms for accessible, affordable, timely and effective remedies for any breaches of economic, social or cultural rights. These requirements convey a different idea about accountability than that embodied in the Millennium Development Goals framework. The consequences for the non-realization of the Goals and the incentives for better performance are determined largely in the court of public opinion on the basis of the content of periodic reporting processes. This is not to be discounted: in countries with democratic and responsive governing institutions and a free and pluralistic media, a relatively poor scorecard - particularly when contrasted with countries with comparable per capita GDP - may provide welcome stimulus for improved performance. However, human rights standards and monitoring bodies go further by assessing compliance with specific legal obligations for the realization of human rights as well as responsibilities for violations, including with respect to discrimination, exclusion and unjustifiable retrogression.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- The enforcement of human rights claims can have preventive as well as reactive or corrective impacts and, through a range of feedback channels, exert enduring influence on legislative reform and policymaking. Recent empirical research in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and South Africa has found that "legalizing demand for socio-economic rights might well have averted tens of thousands of deaths in the countries studied ... and has likely enriched the lives of millions of others". Litigation of course has its limitations and risks, and we are still learning about the preconditions for effective claims in any given context. Nevertheless, the role of human rights adjudication should be accorded a more explicit and prominent place in strategies to strengthen accountability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- In the first instance, human rights law requires that water and sanitation services be available. Water supply for each person must be sufficient for personal and domestic uses. In determining what is sufficient, human rights ultimately go beyond minimum targets such as 20 litres of water per person per day as referred to in the official guidance on the Millennium Development Goal indicators, which is considered insufficient to ensure health and hygiene. The Millennium Development Goal indicators do not explicitly refer to the availability of services, but use access to an improved water source as a proxy assuming that such sources are likely to provide a sufficient quantity of water. For sanitation, availability is implicitly addressed in the indicator framework since shared facilities are not considered improved. However, from a human rights perspective, facilities such as those shared with neighbours (i.e., only a small number of people), which are accessible, safe, hygienic and well kept, may be acceptable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Fourthly, water and sanitation services must be accessible to everyone in the household or its vicinity on a continuous basis. Physical security must not be threatened when accessing facilities. Again, the Millennium Development Goals indicator on water is used as a proxy, on the assumption that "improved" sources are likely to be within the dwelling or a convenient distance from it. Accessibility could be measured more explicitly by using the time a round trip, including waiting time, takes. This could also serve as an indirect measurement of the amount of water people collect, as the distance to the water source has an impact on the quantity that can be collected. In fact, this is an indicator available from the surveys used by the Joint Monitoring Programme and has been reported on sporadically by the Joint Monitoring Programme as an additional criterion. The independent expert considers that this should be done systematically, including examination of accessibility in schools, workplaces and other spheres of life.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Human Rights Obligations Related to Non-State Service Provision in Water and Sanitation 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- States must realize their human rights obligations in a non-discriminatory manner. They are obliged to eliminate both de jure and de facto discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, physical or mental disability, health status, or any other civil, political, social or other status including the social and economic situation. They are obliged to pay priority attention to groups and individuals particularly vulnerable to exclusion and discrimination. Depending on the circumstances, they may need to adopt positive measures to redress existing discrimination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Human Rights Obligations Related to Non-State Service Provision in Water and Sanitation 2010, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The capacity to regulate effectively does not only depend on the institution itself, but is embedded in the broader context. Regulation will be undermined in a situation where corruption is rampant or when there is no functioning independent judiciary to enforce the regulatory framework and decisions taken by the regulator. Accountability and access to effective remedies are essential for closing the circle, as service providers and the State can be held accountable for deteriorating services, unmet performance standards, unjustified tariff increases, inadequate social policies or other breaches.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Human Rights Obligations Related to Non-State Service Provision in Water and Sanitation 2010, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- To ensure accountability, roles and responsibilities have to be clearly designated and made transparent. Also, the coordination between different entities involved - public and private - has to be ensured. Water and sanitation users must be able to identify who is responsible in order to hold the relevant actor to account. Corruption presents an additional challenge to building responsive and accountable institutions. Fighting it requires, above all, strong political will. Transparency, in particular, will help to reduce the risk of corruption, for instance, by ensuring that bidding is competitive and contracts are made public. Where a State-owned company is formed to deliver water and sanitation services, the legislative process for the establishment of the company should be the product of a participatory and transparent process. In all cases, clearly defined performance targets and disclosure of information help to reduce the risk of corruption.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Financing for the Realization of the Rights to Water and Sanitation 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- This process begins with strong sectoral planning, including the articulation of both a uniform, sector-wide policy and specific targets. Evidence shows that without a clear national policy framework, effective and efficient service delivery is particularly difficult to achieve. Moreover, when international donors consider which sectors to prioritize they regularly cite the existence of strong sectoral plans as a crucial factor influencing their decision-making. Sectoral planning, meanwhile, should begin with a comprehensive assessment of available resources and the current status of the realization of the rights to water and sanitation, both in terms of overall access as well as affordability, acceptability and quality.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Financing for the Realization of the Rights to Water and Sanitation 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- The long-term success of the realization of the rights to water and sanitation also requires investment in governmental and human capacity, particularly at the local level. Decentralizing responsibility for managing water and sanitation services may boost their efficiency, and thus their sustainability, while also enhancing transparency, accountability and sensitivity to local needs. These attributes of decentralization, however, are not automatic and the central Government maintains an important monitoring role in respect of human rights. In particular, the central Government must ensure that the most marginalized and disadvantaged groups are prioritized, and adopt the necessary measures (e.g. through tied or earmarked transfers to local authorities), so as to avoid funding being diverted to, or captured by, privileged segments of the population or other sectors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Planning for the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2011, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- National planning provides opportunities to ensure more coordinated and consistent responses to broader concerns such as climate change and water scarcity. Good planning will also identify and address incompatibilities with human rights as well as overlaps and gaps in laws and policies. Successful planning is based on broad participation, which further contributes to effective implementation and sustainability. Effective national planning frequently leads to improved data on water and sanitation as well as to clarified responsibilities for more efficient and effective management of water and sanitation, thus contributing to enhanced accountability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Planning for the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- States must ultimately ensure that all people under their jurisdiction have access to sufficient, safe, acceptable and affordable water and sanitation services. While a water and sanitation strategy may adopt the overall framework, plans should be action oriented and list the measures to be adopted as specifically as possible. For instance, with regard to the affordability of service provision, States must, among other measures, design a tariff structure that considers the needs of all people, including those in poverty; designate an institution responsible for setting tariffs, regulating service providers and monitoring affordability; adopt supplementary social policies if necessary; consider operation and maintenance as well as connection costs in the case of networked supply, but also individual contributions for other forms of services; and set standards and safeguards for disconnections due to non-payment.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Planning for the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2011, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- States should monitor whether the set targets have been reached within the envisaged time frame. To enable monitoring of the realization of the rights to water and to sanitation, States should develop relevant indicators, taking into account human rights criteria. These indicators can relate, for example, to reduction of the time spent in collecting water, improvement of water quality and increases in the percentage of treatment of wastewater. Such indicators should be designed not only to measure the outcome in terms of access, but also to capture the progress made and Government efforts. Moreover, data must be disaggregated according to prohibited grounds of discrimination to capture whether the specific targets set for marginalized and vulnerable populations have been reached.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Planning for the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2011, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- Any plan for the realization of the rights to water and to sanitation must be developed through a participatory and transparent process. Systematic participation is crucial in every phase of the planning cycle, from diagnosis through target setting and the formulation of responses and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. Sanitation, in particular, cannot just be delivered, but requires behavioural change, which can be achieved only through the active involvement of interested beneficiaries. Opportunities for participation, including community needs assessments, must be established as early as possible.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Planning for the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2011, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- Transparency and access to information are essential for enabling participation. Relevant information and drafts of the plan should be made publicly available. Transparency is also needed regarding existing policies and measures. Only when, for instance, current priorities in the allocation of resources are understood can these be scrutinized and assessed for eventual necessary changes. Information should be widely disseminated and made available in all relevant languages via multiple channels to ensure accessibility. This can include websites, but also local radio, billboards and information in the local press. In India, for instance, right to information legislation has had a significant impact on improving transparency by providing a tool to seek information and demand accountability from governments.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Planning for the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2011, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- In their monitoring activities, States must specifically pay attention and report on the measures taken to reach the most disadvantaged and excluded. They must also include information on the programmes and resources specifically devoted to these purposes; that is, disaggregated data is not only necessary at the level of outcome, but likewise in measuring Government efforts, for instance, to determine whether resources have been increased to reach people living in slums. The Tanzania Water and Sanitation Network monitors equity in the sector through annually published equity reports focusing on the inclusion, accountability, participation and sustainability of policies. It found considerable equity fault lines in the water sector of the United Republic of Tanzania, for example, a gap between access in rural and urban areas and disproportionately high budgets for urban services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2012, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Stigma relates closely to power and inequality, and those with power can deploy it at will. Stigma can broadly be understood as a process of dehumanizing, degrading, discrediting and devaluing people in certain population groups, often based on a feeling of disgust. Put differently, there is a perception that "the person with the stigma is not quite human". Stigma attaches itself to an attribute, quality or identity that is regarded as "inferior" or "abnormal". Stigma is based on a socially constructed "us" and "them" serving to confirm the "normalcy" of the majority through the devaluation of the "other".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2012, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- People who are stigmatized can find it is almost impossible to escape the stigma. Similarly, some may experience stigma by association, that is, extending beyond a person with a particular attribute. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has found that people may be discriminated against by being associated with or by being perceived as part of a particular group. For example, during her mission to Bangladesh, the Special Rapporteur found that the occupation as "sweeper" is passed down through generations and that people in that occupation feel "trapped" (A/HRC/15/55 and Corr.1, paras. 26, 75 and 76).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Wastewater management in the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2013, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Just as important as the absolute amount of resources is how those resources are targeted. The priority must be to achieve basic levels of service for everyone before moving to higher standards, in particular by targeting the most disadvantaged. Current spending patterns are not always aligned with those priorities, and often benefit those who are relatively well-off (ibid., paras. 41 and 42). Funding is disproportionately targeted towards large systems in urban areas (e.g., wastewater treatment facilities and sewerage pipelines) compared with basic services in rural areas and deprived urban areas (e.g., latrines, boreholes and hand pumps). Currently, 62 per cent of all sectoral aid goes to developing large systems, while only 16 per cent goes to basic systems. Because of the limited reach and high costs associated with sewerage systems, very few people benefit from them, and the ones who do are likely to be the better-off. In order to eliminate inequalities, financing less cost-intensive and more context-appropriate systems should be given higher priority, as should other approaches to prioritize coverage in poorer and marginalized areas.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Sustainability and non-retrogression in the realisation of the rights to water and sanitation 2013, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- From a human rights perspective it is crucial to balance economic and social sustainability. The human rights framework does not require that water and sanitation services be provided free of charge, and State revenues have to be raised in order to ensure universal access to services. If everyone obtained water and sanitation at no cost this would actually harm low-income households by depriving governments and service providers of the revenue needed to expand and maintain the service, jeopardizing the overall economic sustainability of the system and the State's capacity to protect and fulfil other human rights. However, implementing the human rights to water and sanitation has important implications as to how to raise revenues while ensuring social sustainability. They oblige States to ensure that the cost of accessing water and sanitation remains affordable and appropriately reflects the needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups, and that there is a safety net in place for those who cannot afford to pay full costs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Article 25 (a) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees the right "to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives". In interpreting this provision, the Human Rights Committee, in paragraph 5 of general comment No. 25 (1996), states that "the conduct of public affairs … relates to the exercise of political power, in particular the exercise of legislative, executive and administrative powers. It covers all aspects of public administration, and the formulation and implementation of policy at international, national, regional and local levels".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Participants must be involved in determining the terms of participation, the scope of issues and the questions to be addressed, their framing and sequencing, and rules of procedure. The power to take part in setting the terms of the engagement plays a big role in shaping the conversation. Having no say over the design of the very process of engagement can result in some issues being tacitly decided beforehand and excluded from the participatory space altogether. The choice of mode of engagement determines whether people will be willing and able to participate. Efforts should be made, for instance, to involve residents in deciding venues, meeting times, and what balance of electronic and face-to-face interaction should be struck.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- 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.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- For social accountability mechanisms to work, people must be able to access the relevant information, whether from Government or service providers. The linkage with formal accountability mechanisms such as regulators, ombudspersons and judicial review strengthens social accountability. For instance, the national human rights commissions in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru play an active role in monitoring the relevant government bodies and service providers to ensure that water and sanitation services are delivered in a non-discriminatory manner. This role could be made more participatory by linking it up with social accountability initiatives.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur embraces a comprehensive understanding of violations of the rights to water and sanitation. Even though all types of violations of rights to water and sanitation are serious, denial of access to services due to discrimination or disconnection from services may be more easily identified as violations. Situations where States have failed to adopt reasonable measures or to allocate appropriate resources are less familiar to many courts and raise additional challenges in determining whether a violation has occurred. Yet such types of violations often involve the greatest number of victims and the most intolerable deprivations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Under the category of direct interference, common violations take the form of (a) unjustifiable or discriminatory denial of access to water or sanitation; (b) unjustifiable disconnection from services (including from prepaid water meters), for example when people are unable to pay and are left without access to even basic services; (c) unjustifiable restrictions on access to water or sanitation, such as latrines and toilets being locked at night or fenced-off water sources; (d) unaffordable increases in pricing; (e) land grabbing or other measures resulting in forced relocation that deprive the affected persons of access to water or sanitation services without an adequate alternative; and (f) destroying or poisoning water facilities or infrastructure during armed conflict, which would violate international humanitarian law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Article 2(1) of the Covenant stipulates that States must take steps to achieve progressively the full realization of economic, social and cultural rights by all appropriate means. Steps must be deliberate, concrete and targeted as clearly as possible towards the full realization of human rights. Where resource constraints prevent a State from fully realizing the rights to water and sanitation immediately there is an immediate obligation to adopt a strategy for the realization of those rights. To assess progress towards the full realization of human rights, States must monitor progress. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights regularly calls on countries to put into place mechanisms for that purpose.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Different levels and types of services and the human rights to water and sanitation 2015, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- The human right to water requires services to be available, safe, acceptable, accessible and affordable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Different levels and types of services and the human rights to water and sanitation 2015, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- [People need to have access to information:] For democratic engagement, such as through community councils and participatory budgeting;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Different levels and types of services and the human rights to water and sanitation 2015, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Progressive realization has two components: progressively moving towards universal access by reaching more people and progressively moving towards better levels of service that fully meet human rights standards. Human rights do not include minimum standards such as access to a latrine at a particular distance from the home or a minimum essential amount of water. The human rights to water and sanitation must ensure an adequate standard of living, which could, for instance, require a latrine or toilet on the premises and an adequate quantity of water supplied within the home. With regard to hygiene, human rights also do not include minimum standards such as a "tippy-tap" in a household's back yard. The requirement of an adequate standard of living may include a tap within the home for hand-washing, as well as adequate facilities to practice menstrual hygiene. States that have already achieved an essential level of service have to move beyond this in order to ensure the full realization of the human rights to sanitation and water.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Different levels and types of services and the human rights to water and sanitation 2015, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Hygiene facilities, such as hand-washing stations or disposal units for sanitary products, must be safe to use and easy to clean. Sanitation facilities must ensure access to safe water for hand washing, menstrual hygiene, and anal and genital cleansing. They must also include mechanisms for the hygienic disposal of menstrual products and nappies. Good hygiene practices require hygiene promotion and education to ensure good hand-washing, proper use of toilets and menstrual hygiene, encouraging individuals to prepare and consume food in a hygienic manner that respects the safety and well-being of others.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph