Search Tips
sorted by
30 shown of 76 entities
–2010: Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa (2003), para. 25
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- 11. Reiterates the need to ensure that measures to reduce the risk of malaria transmission, including source reduction and environmental management, such as ways to minimize mosquito breeding sites associated with existing and new development projects, are included in development planning and activities;
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Access to justice and the right to food: the way forward 2015, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Developing countries are increasingly subject to dispute procedures brought by private companies. For example, high water prices and poor water quality following the privatization of the water supply in the Bolivian town of Cochabamba, culminated in protests against Aguas de Tunari, a subsidiary of the United States firm Bechtel. The Government succumbed to public pressure and reversed the decision to privatize, which prompted the company to bring the Government before ICSID. The case posed the fundamental question of whether the property rights of the company could trump the rights to food and to access water and sanitation. In the end, civil society pressure led to a settlement and, as a result, Bolivian water laws were amended with the 2009 Constitution guaranteeing the right to access to water.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Disconnection of services due to an inability to pay for the service is a retrogressive measure and constitutes a violation of the human rights to water and sanitation (Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment No. 15 (2002) (E/C.12/2002/11), para. 44a). Disconnections are only permissible if it can be shown that households are able to pay but are not paying. The South African 1997 Water Services Act states that disconnections may not result in a lack of access to services for non-payment where the individual is unable to pay for basic services. More recently, France adopted the Brottes Law, which prohibits disconnections for inability to pay.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Recent projects in Dar es Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania), Blantyre (Malawi), Chinhoyi (Zimbabwe) and Kitwe (Zambia) driven by slum or shack dweller federations seek to develop citywide sanitation provision in situations where households can only afford $3-$4 per month. They look into choices for low-income households, loan financing and the crucial role of engagement with local authorities from the outset.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- To attend to the needs of diverse groups and ensure accountability, it is important that housing safety issues be addressed within a human rights framework. At a minimum, according to international human rights obligations, cities must ensure that there are safe places for people to reside when their homes become dangerous. Basic services like sanitation and water must be available in a manner that poses no risk to safety (see A/HRC/21/42, paras. 39 and 40) and housing design must be responsive to the needs of particular vulnerable groups, as articulated by those groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In Argentina, a court considered the situation of impoverished neighbourhoods in Córdoba, where wells had been contaminated with faecal and other matter from a water treatment plant overflowing with untreated sewage. The court ordered the municipality to take urgent measures to address the situation, including providing 200 litres of safe water per household per day until a permanent solution was found. With regard to the licensing of projects such as mining, the Special Rapporteur has received numerous communications alleging water contamination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- In the case of Sardinal, the Costa Rican Supreme Court ordered the authorities to assess whether a permit should be granted to build a pipeline that would withdraw water from an aquifer, in order to make sure that the pipeline would not deprive the local population of water for personal and domestic use. Without certainty that there would be sufficient water, the pipeline would violate the residents' rights, including that to a healthy environment. A French court held a public water company accountable for ensuring that the water it provided was not detrimentally impacted by agricultural runoff. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights found violations, inter alia of the rights to life and to health, owing to the failure of the Government of Nigeria to monitor the impact of oil operations polluting water in the Niger Delta.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- Treaty bodies have increasingly addressed violations of extraterritorial obligations. The Human Rights Committee has called for the regulation and monitoring of corporate activities abroad that may violate human rights and for measures to ensure access to remedies in the event of such violations. Both the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights have expressed concern about the denial by Israel of access to water and sanitation and about the destruction of infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Special Rapporteur recommends that increased attention be paid to violations of extraterritorial obligations.
- 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
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community (1998), para. 30
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- 14. Appeals to the United Nations and the international community to assist in the strengthening of the region's capacity for sustainable water resource management and to respond generously with respect to the drought situation in southern Africa, so that famine may be averted in the region, by supporting the region in its drought preparedness and management strategies, especially through the strengthening of its capacity in drought mitigation, drought-monitoring, early warning and preparedness;
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community (2003), para. 34
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- 16. Appeals to the United Nations and the international community to assist further in the strengthening of the region’s capacity for sustainable water resource management and sanitation as well as to respond generously with respect to the drought situation in southern Africa, by supporting the region in its drought preparedness and management strategies;
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Different levels and types of services and the human rights to water and sanitation 2015, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- Environmental sustainability is a concern where there is not an adequate sanitation system to remove the water that is brought into a household. In urban areas, in particular, this can be a problem when water is piped into a settlement without adequate removal systems. Beyond the pollution of water bodies and the consequent impacts on health, stagnant and standing water can encourage the breeding of mosquitoes, including those responsible for spreading malaria, dengue and yellow fever.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Different levels and types of services and the human rights to water and sanitation 2015, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Households may also have their own water supply from a private well or borehole. Private wells may not provide a regular or year-round supply of water, with seasonal dry periods being problematic in some regions. To ensure water quality, wells must be protected from animals and other sources of contamination. Wells in high-density urban areas are often at great risk of contamination. In some instances, a household will sell water to neighbours. Although this may be safe in some rural areas, there is seldom any regulation of water quality or affordability, or of construction and maintenance.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Economic assistance for the reconstruction and development of Djibouti (2004), para. 12
- Paragraph text
- 2. Declares its solidarity with the Government and the people of Djibouti, who continue to face critical developmental and humanitarian challenges owing, in particular, to the scarcity of natural resources, coupled with harsh climatic conditions and the acute issue of water supply impacting on the development aspirations of the country;
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Effects of pesticides on the right to food 2017, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Pesticides also present a serious threat to drinking water, particularly in agricultural areas, which often depend on groundwater. While it can take several decades before pesticides applied in fields appear in water wells, high levels of herbicides in agricultural areas have already caused health problems for some communities. For example, in the United States of America, where over 70 million pounds of atrazine are used annually, runoff into water supplies has been linked to increased risk of birth defects. While atrazine was banned in the European Union in 2004, some European countries still detect it in groundwater today.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Effects of pesticides on the right to food 2017, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Water contamination can be equally damaging. In Guatemala, for example, contamination of the Pasión River with the pesticide malathion, used on palm oil plantations, killed thousands of fish and affected 23 species of fish. This in turn deprived 12,000 people in 14 communities of their primary source of food and livelihood.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque, focused her 2012 report to the Council (A/HRC/21/42) on stigmatization in the realization of the rights to water and sanitation. The report examines different manifestations of stigma in the context of the human rights to water and sanitation and explores recommendations for policymaking and solutions to prevent and respond to human rights violations resulting from stigma. The Special Rapporteur found that stigma pushes people to the margins of society and results in the rejection, avoidance and marginalization of certain groups. Access to water and sanitation for many Roma communities is notoriously precarious. Similarly, the report highlights that Dalit habitations are often systematically excluded from service provision.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Fisheries and the right to food 2012, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- The quality of working conditions in the fish-processing industry also raises concerns, although conditions have improved since developed countries imposed higher sanitation and hygiene standards. In a 2004 study, FAO showed that, for 9 of the 11 countries surveyed, fish workers were paid close to the minimum wage and often received much lower than the average per capita income for the country. In Chile, for example, the area home to most fish processing factories was also the area with the lowest per capita income levels. Moreover, high levels of seasonal and informal work exist in the processing sector, meaning that many workers are not employed on full-time contracts with basic labour benefits, such as sick pay, pension or maternity leave. In part owing to the many fish-processing firms in the sector, workers often fail to unionize and to enter into collective bargaining.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Primary health-care goods and services include routine health check-ups, preventive screenings, immunizations and vaccinations, services for the management of chronic illnesses, family planning services, nutrition services, maternal care and childbirth services and mental health counselling, all of which serve basic health needs at low cost and reduce the need for secondary and tertiary health care. Primary health care also includes health awareness-raising and educational services, such as sanitation and public hygiene campaigns, which have both preventative and promotional effects and empower community members to improve and maintain their health on their own.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) (2011), para. 25
- Paragraph text
- 3. Welcomes the commitment by Heads of State and Government at the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals to work towards cities without slums, beyond current targets, by reducing slum populations and improving the lives of slum-dwellers, with adequate support of the international community, by prioritizing national urban planning strategies with the participation of all stakeholders, by promoting equal access for people living in slums to public services, including health, education, energy, water and sanitation and adequate shelter, and by promoting sustainable urban and rural development, 7 1H and encourages UN-Habitat to continue providing the necessary technical assistance;
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Integrating non-discrimination and equality into the post-2015 development agenda for water, sanitation and hygiene 2012, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- In addition, it would be extremely valuable to monitor how gender, age, and disability-related inequalities manifest themselves in relation to water, sanitation, and hygiene in public facilities such as schools and health facilities where other human rights are also compromised. Indeed, such inequalities may be even more acute in public spaces, making the collection of data about equity and equality variables especially important in these contexts.
- 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
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Caste-based discrimination confines Dalits in South Asia to certain occupations associated with their caste, which often involve the most menial tasks, such as sanitation jobs. In Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, street cleaning and the handling of human waste and animal carcasses are almost exclusively performed by Dalits.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- In Yemen, the Muhamasheen mainly reside in underdeveloped neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the capital. More than half of their households rely on external water sources such as dams, streams or wells; only two out of five households have latrines.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- An essential part of the budget cycle is determining whether allocations are spent as planned. Civil society can play a role in facilitating people's engagement in budget monitoring. WaterAid Nepal, for instance, has developed materials for assisting communities to monitor the Government's budgetary allocations to the water and sanitation sector. Another tool used to monitor government expenditure is the public expenditure tracking survey, a process through which residents can follow the flow of public funds. For instance, in the United Republic of Tanzania, communities use such tracking to monitor government spending of funds allocated for water and sanitation. They request explanations from the relevant authorities, which result in greater responsiveness and accountability. The methodology has received the support of the Government, which has promulgated a series of national guidelines for the process.
- 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
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Initiatives taken by residents can also have a significant impact on the improvement of services and sanitary conditions. For instance, Rialto Rights in Action has been campaigning in Dublin for improvement of the conditions in Dolphin House, a large public housing complex. The campaign seeks to empower people to claim their right to housing. Residents gathered evidence of wastewater invasion through toilets and baths and mould. They developed indicators based on human rights that are monitored regularly, including sewage invasion and dampness; records were kept of responses received from the Dublin City Council and on instances of inclusion of residents in decision-making. Residents successfully engaged with the media and, following public pressure, by 2013 the city had refurbished 40 of the worst-affected housing units. While progress has not been as quick as initially agreed, a regeneration plan is in progress.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (2004), para. 08
- Paragraph text
- Aware of the detrimental impact of the Israeli settlements on Palestinian and other Arab natural resources, especially the confiscation of land and the forced diversion of water resources, and of the dire economic and social consequences in this regard,
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (2005), para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Aware of the detrimental impact of the Israeli settlements on Palestinian and other Arab natural resources, especially as a result of the confiscation of land and the forced diversion of water resources, and of the dire economic and social consequences in this regard,
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (2006), para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Aware of the detrimental impact of the Israeli settlements on Palestinian and other Arab natural resources, especially as a result of the confiscation of land and the forced diversion of water resources, and of the dire economic and social consequences in this regard,
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (2007), para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Aware of the detrimental impact of the Israeli settlements on Palestinian and other Arab natural resources, especially as a result of the confiscation of land and the forced diversion of water resources, and of the dire economic and social consequences in this regard,
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (2007), para. 26
- Paragraph text
- 8. Further calls upon Israel to cease its destruction of vital infrastructure, including water pipelines and sewage networks, which, inter alia, has a negative impact on the natural resources of the Palestinian people;
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (2008), para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Aware of the detrimental impact of the Israeli settlements on Palestinian and other Arab natural resources, especially as a result of the confiscation of land and the forced diversion of water resources, and of the dire socio-economic consequences in this regard,
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
Paragraph