Search Tips
sorted by
30 shown of 102 entities
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Studies have shown that corruption within the water sector is common. Even where services are nominally affordable to people, corruption may increase the cost of accessing services above official pricing. There may be a lack of transparency in decisions relating to the choice of technology or service provider, which can result in inappropriate - often more costly - choices being made. Corruption also affects prices directly when bribes have to be paid for repair work, connection or reconnection. On a larger scale, there can be corruption within tendering processes for the delivery of services. Corruption tends to disproportionately affect poor and disadvantaged individuals and groups, as they lack the necessary power to oppose the vested interests of elites, and do not have the necessary resources to pay bribes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- In many developing countries, there are insufficient numbers of people who are well-off to provide a cross-subsidy. In these situations, full cost recovery only through tariffs will not be a feasible option. Public finance may be needed in such instances to ensure affordability for all households. To make such financing available and achieve affordability for all, as a first step States should make better use of budgets already allocated for water and sanitation, specifically to reduce inequalities in access to services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The affordability of water and sanitation services and disconnections are inextricably linked, as in many instances the failure to pay for services leads to disconnection.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- In the majority of developing countries, piped water and sewerage systems are accessible only to a minority of those living in urban areas - and to very few of those living in rural areas. Focusing public finance on networked provision thus disproportionately benefits comparatively better-off households, unless specific action is taken to extend networked provision to all residents.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- In such instances, as in other contexts of self-supply, the human rights framework stresses that States have an obligation to support people in the realization of their human right to water and sanitation, where needed with financial assistance. States may not absolve themselves of their human rights obligations by relegating responsibilities to communities. What must be ensured is that sanitation and water services are affordable to even the most disadvantaged member of a community.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- The first step to ensuring that public financing is targeted toward the most disadvantaged is to acknowledge the inherent inequalities and biases in the current distribution of public financing. On that basis, States must adopt measures to reach the people who rely on public finance to ensure the affordability of water and sanitation services for all and to reduce inequalities in access. States need to reallocate resources to the most disadvantaged. Reallocating current public resources may mean extending access for all to citywide systems in urban areas or shifting from high-cost interventions that serve limited numbers of people to low-cost interventions that provide services to more people, particularly those who most need assistance.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 54a
- Paragraph text
- [Where States adopt targeted measures, this also poses challenges. In practice, unfortunately, such measures often fail to reach the target population for a variety of reasons, including:] Target groups are not informed of the availability of subsidies or financial support;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 54b
- Paragraph text
- [Where States adopt targeted measures, this also poses challenges. In practice, unfortunately, such measures often fail to reach the target population for a variety of reasons, including:] There is excessive paperwork or a requirement for specific pieces of documentation that low-income or marginalized people may not have;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 54i
- Paragraph text
- [Where States adopt targeted measures, this also poses challenges. In practice, unfortunately, such measures often fail to reach the target population for a variety of reasons, including:] In many instances, subsidies for water are targeted towards commercial or industrial users. Where such subsidies benefit users that do not actually rely on them for their livelihoods, they should be eliminated or reduced to free up resources for the benefit of the population in need.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- In different contexts, different mechanisms have been used with the aim of targeting financial support at those individuals and groups who rely on it to ensure the affordability of services. Subsidies could apply to low-income households, to areas populated predominantly by low-income communities, or to small-scale services likely to be used by those living in poverty or on a low-income.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Targeting schemes that are based on levels of household income or expenditure may be costly, requiring administratively labour-intensive surveys to assess who is eligible, except when this is available information for other administrative needs such as taxes. Targeting is especially difficult where there is a large informal economy. More generally, such targeting is often imprecise. Even sophisticated social security systems can exclude significant numbers of the poorest residents, particularly those living in rural areas, where it may be difficult to keep people informed of their entitlements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- While being easier and cheaper to administer, they have the drawback of not always being able to differentiate between people living in poverty, who may be able to pay a small amount, and people living in extreme poverty, who cannot afford to pay more than a nominal sum or anything at all. In many instances, it may be useful to utilize a mixture of mechanisms. For example, a comparison of schemes of subsidies in Chile (based on household means) and in Colombia (based on categories of socio-economic status and socio-geographic context) suggests that means-tested subsidies are more effective at identifying poor households than geographically targeted schemes. For example, it may be beneficial to provide subsidies automatically in low-income areas, but to permit people outside such areas to apply for subsidies on the basis of their low income. Moreover, where an income supplement is provided, households that are not connected to a network, including those living in rural areas, could also be eligible.
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Flat rates are commonly used where meters are not installed, where a charge based on a certain volume of water used or sewage discharged would be impossible to implement. Some countries use property taxes as the basis for charging unrelated to consumption. Differentiated flat rates could be used that rise or fall depending on such criteria as household size, income and property value, among others, with care taken that marginalized and vulnerable individuals and groups are not being charged an unaffordable rate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Uniform tariff approaches depend on a metered system, where households pay a fixed rate for each unit that they use. Such systems will generally be cheaper to administer than a differentiated system. However, they do not take account of households' size or ability to pay, or whether a household has particular needs that will require more water, such as dialysis or other health needs. They will almost invariably lead to better-off households having access to more water or paying lower bills than poorer residents. Where poorer households access larger quantities of water to meet their requirements, services may become unaffordable without additional safeguards.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Increasing block tariffs is a common model for differential pricing in which differing quantities of water (or sewage) are charged at different rates. The first "block" may be set at a "lifeline" tariff - a sufficient quantity for the average household - at a low rate, generally below the cost of providing the service. Once this first "block" has been used, there is an increase in price so that households using water beyond their basic domestic and personal needs will pay comparatively more.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- One problem with this system is that often poorer households have more household members or share their connection with other households, and will therefore reach the maximum quantity for the "lifeline" tariff, and be forced to pay a higher rate, as is the case in Jordan (see Special Rapporteur's report, mission to Jordan (A/HRC/27/55/Add.2), para. 24). In Portugal, the regulator has therefore proposed that municipalities and providers ensure a particular tariff for people living in larger households, as has Los Angeles.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Ensuring the affordability of water and sanitation services requires an effective legal and policy framework, which includes a strong regulatory system. The International Water Association Lisbon Charter recognizes the importance of regulation, recommending that regulators "supervise tariff schemes to ensure they are fair, sustainable and fit for purpose; promoting efficiency and affordability".
- 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
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Once a tariff system that meets affordability standards has been developed, the body responsible for regulating service providers should be able to ensure both that the tariff system is correctly applied, and that it is having the desired impact on affordability levels for all users. Likewise, a regulatory body, in collaboration with the relevant government department, can ensure that public financing is adequately targeted. Complaints mechanisms, put into place by service providers or regulators, can support these processes.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- Particular challenges arise for regulation in the context of small-scale and informal provision, as governments often do not have any control over the operation of these providers. Governments may formalize the informal sector while keeping the small-scale nature of the provision through effective regulation, such that the small-scale providers serve as contractors to the government. This is the strategy that is being initiated in Nairobi, Kenya, where water kiosks in informal settlements are supplied by and registered with the utility, and the tariff is fixed by the regulatory body. However, this tariff is not always complied with. Where households rely on informal service provision, governments should also provide support in terms of management and technical support to increase the quality and affordability of their services. A similar approach is taken in Maputo, Mozambique, where the regulator supports informal service provision in the absence of the capacity of the utility, in the short-to-medium term, to deliver services to all residents.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- However, monitoring affordability is not a straightforward process. Accurate and meaningful monitoring of affordability is extremely complex. If carried out on the basis of an affordability standard, the necessary parameters for calculating affordability - the expenses for accessing water and sanitation in comparison to overall household expenditure, and the real income of a household - are difficult to measure. Monitoring whether a household's expenditure on water and sanitation exceeds a specific proportion of its income in a specific context is not easily done, given the precarious incomes of many low-income households, and the many different types of expenses for water and sanitation services in informal settlements, where affordability concerns are most acute. Given these difficulties, States often use an "average" or a "lowest" income level, and an assumed acceptable volume of water to set appropriate service charges. However, such generalizations hide whether individuals can actually afford services in their particular context, which may involve a large household, or individuals with specific health problems.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The ECE Protocol on Water and Health has developed an Equitable Access Scorecard, which assists States to monitor whether services are affordable. This scorecard looks beyond the affordability of tariffs to other measures that Member States may employ to ensure affordability. This includes monitoring the inclusion of affordability concerns in water and sanitation policy, the affordability of self-provision, whether public funding is made available to address affordability concerns, how much public funding has actually been spent on affordability concerns, and whether social protection measures are effective in ensuring affordability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- For households that receive water and sanitation through utilities, data is available through the International Benchmarking Network for Water and Sanitation Utilities, which includes data on water tariffs charged by a significant number of utilities. Beyond such existing initiatives, a review of potential indicators demonstrates the complexity of monitoring affordability. Determining and monitoring the costs of non-networked supply and including them into measures of affordability is particularly challenging, but essential from the perspective of human rights. Focusing solely on utility tariffs bears the risk of severely underestimating expenses and would paint an overly positive picture of affordability that only captures the better-off, while neglecting the very real challenges that the most disadvantaged people and communities face in accessing water and sanitation. This review shows that monitoring affordability in its complexity (including water, sanitation and hygiene access expenditure) is feasible, but would require a combination and analysis of data from different sources. The Special Rapporteur encourages States and international organizations to explore these options further to ensure more comprehensive monitoring of the affordability of access to services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- Affordability is key for the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation. Ensuring affordable service provision for all people requires a paradigm shift - starting from the perspective of human rights. Economic sustainability and affordability for all people are not impossible to reconcile, but human rights require rethinking current lines of argumentation and redesigning current instruments. The main challenge is to ensure that targeted measures and instruments do, in fact, reach the people who rely on them most. For instance, tariffs must be designed in such a way that the most disadvantaged of those connected to formal utilities receive the assistance they need. It also requires ensuring that public finance and subsidies reach the most marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and communities, who are often not (yet) connected to a formal network, who may live in informal settlements without any formal title or in remote rural areas where self-supply is common, and who are often overlooked or deliberately ignored in current policymaking and planning.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 87b
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations. States should take the following measures:] Ensure transparency about existing and planned financing mechanisms and subsidies;
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 87e
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations. States should take the following measures:] Consider affordability standards together with other standards, particularly for availability and quality, to ensure that people can afford to pay for the services based on human rights standards;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 87h
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations. States should take the following measures:] Give careful thought particularly to ensuring the affordability of sanitation provision, where costs are frequently underestimated;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 87n
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations. States should take the following measures:] Monitor affordability of water and sanitation service provision through focused studies that examine income levels in different settlements, considering all costs relating to access to water and sanitation, including hygiene and menstrual hygiene requirements;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Independently of State obligations to protect vis-à-vis non-State actors, the latter also have human rights responsibilities and may be held accountable for failures. Under the United Nations Guiding Principles, businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights and to exercise due diligence to avoid any action which would result in human rights abuses in the scope of their operations, including their supply chain. If non-State actors abuse human rights, victims must be ensured access to justice.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- A particular concern relates to private sector participation and withdrawal of State regulation, oversight and provision in times of austerity. The Portuguese auditing institution found that private-public partnerships - by not sharing risks and benefits equally - benefit largely the private sector, that they are detrimental to the people and that services are often of lower quality while higher prices are charged. The Special Rapporteur has raised related concerns in a series of communications.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Development cooperation and the human rights to water and sanitation 2017, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Improvements to partner States’ water and sanitation services funded through development cooperation, even when provided without an obligation for full repayment, often entail an increased need for revenues from tariffs or taxes to keep those services operational and sustainable in the long term. Some funders request or even impose an obligation on partner States to fully or partially recover the costs to operate and maintain such systems through tariffs. Consequently, depending on how tariffs for water and sanitation services are set upon completion, these projects can have an impact on affordable access to services. When funders impose conditionalities requiring full cost recovery through tariffs and the result is higher service fees for users, the affected users must be able to petition the amount of the tariff and seek recourse. If they are not able to do so, the public authorities are therefore not protecting users from the adverse impact of unaffordable services, and the funder shares responsibility for facilitating the creation of such circumstances.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph