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–2010: Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa (2005), para. 14
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- 4. Urges malaria-endemic countries to increase domestic resource allocation to malaria control;
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
Paragraph
Access to justice and the right to food: the way forward 2015, para. 72j
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Develop the necessary legal structure in order to protect resources directly related to the right to access adequate and nutritious food, such as water sources, access to land and seed production;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- The indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of human rights is often recalled and reiterated in human rights instruments and by human rights bodies, although frequently disregarded in practice. The interdependence of all human rights is unequivocal when considering the situation of persons living in poverty, which is both a cause and a consequence of a range of mutually reinforcing human rights violations. Eradicating extreme poverty not only requires improving access to housing, food, education, health services, water and sanitation, but also requires ensuring that persons living in poverty have the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary to enjoy the whole spectrum of human rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Acroecology and the right to food 2011, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Crop breeding and agroecology are complementary. For instance, breeding provides new varieties with shorter growing cycles, which enable farmers to continue farming in regions where the crop season has already shrunk. Breeding can also improve the level of drought resistance in plant varieties, an asset for countries where lack of water is a limiting factor. Reinvesting in agricultural research must consequently mean continued efforts in breeding. However, agroecology is more overarching as it supports building drought-resistant agricultural systems (including soils, plants, agrobiodiversity, etc.), not just drought-resistant plants.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Activities undertaken during the International Year of Freshwater, 2003, preparations for the International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005–2015, and further efforts to achieve the sustainable development of water resources (2005), para. 03
- Paragraph text
- Emphasizing that water is critical for sustainable development, including environmental integrity and the eradication of poverty and hunger, and is indispensable for human health and well-being,
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
Paragraph
Activities undertaken in preparation for the International Year of Freshwater, 2003 (2003), para. 05
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Recalling the commitment made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development to launch programmes of action, with financial and technical assistance, to achieve the Millennium development goal on safe drinking water, namely, to halve by 2015 the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking water, as outlined in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 5 and the goal of the Summit to halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation, 6 Recalling also its resolution 53/199 of 15 December 1998 on the proclamation of international years,
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
Paragraph
Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (Addis Ababa Action Agenda) (2015), para. 040
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- 34. We further acknowledge that expenditures and investments in sustainable development are being devolved to the subnational level, which often lacks adequate technical and technological capacity, financing and support. We therefore commit to scaling up international cooperation to strengthen capacities of municipalities and other local authorities. We will support cities and local authorities of developing countries, particularly in least developed countries and small island developing States, in implementing resilient and environmentally sound infrastructure, including energy, transport, water and sanitation, and sustainable and resilient buildings using local materials. We will strive to support local governments in their efforts to mobilize revenues as appropriate. We will enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and strengthen economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning, within the context of national sustainable development strategies. We will work to strengthen debt management, and where appropriate to establish or strengthen municipal bond markets, to help subnational authorities to finance necessary investments. We will also promote lending from financial institutions and development banks, along with risk mitigation mechanisms, such as the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, while managing currency risk. In these efforts, we will encourage the participation of local communities in decisions affecting their communities, such as in improving drinking water and sanitation management. By 2020, we will increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change and resilience to disasters. We will develop and implement holistic disaster risk management at all levels in line with the Sendai Framework. 12 In this regard, we will support national and local capacity for prevention, adaptation and mitigation of external shocks and risk management.
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- This section considers the various costs associated with water, sanitation and hygiene, not only direct costs, but also time costs, as well as the additional burdens that corrupt practices and inadequate governance may cause. It concludes by considering the costs of inaction.
- 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
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- While often overlooked, the use of hygiene facilities and services also has costs. The main expenses, other than installation of a handwashing station, are for water and soap for handwashing and personal hygiene, for water and cleaning products for domestic and food hygiene, and for sanitary napkins or other products for menstrual hygiene management.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
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. 20
- Paragraph text
- Limiting corruption requires focused efforts by States, regulatory bodies and service providers. Introducing a strong legal structure based on human rights can provide for anti-corruption measures such as strengthening transparency and accountability mechanisms. For instance, one city in South-east Asia recognized the importance of addressing corrupt practices in order to increase access to water and sanitation for the poor, and instituted specific measures, including focused training for employees, the establishment of public offices so that customers could pay their bills directly rather than going through bill collectors, and the introduction of meters for all connections.
- 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
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Affordability, as a human rights criterion, requires that the use of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and services is accessible at a price that is affordable to all people. Paying for these services must not limit people's capacity to acquire other basic goods and services guaranteed by human rights, such as food, housing, health, clothing and education. Affordability standards must be considered together with standards of an adequate quantity and quality of water and sanitation to ensure that human rights standards are met.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Affordability provisions in water and sanitation laws are quite common. For instance, in Namibia, the Water Resources Management Act requires ensuring "that all Namibians are provided with an affordable and a reliable water supply that is adequate for basic human needs". In many instances, the challenge is to translate general provisions into concrete affordability standards. Such standards are essential to ensure that tariffs are set in a way that is affordable to people and to ensure accountability. Generally, people are prepared to pay a high price for water because it is essential for so many aspects of a person's life, but this does not justify a high affordability threshold. Willingness-to-pay studies therefore often deliver limited results in terms of people's actual capacity to pay.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- A number of countries have set standards for affordability. For instance, a regulation in Indonesia explains that "Tariff shall meet the principle of affordability... if domestic expense on the fulfilment of the standard of basic need for drinking water does not exceed 4% (four per cent) of the income of subscribers". For some households, however, even a small proportion of their expenditure will be too much, and water and sanitation must be available for free in these instances.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- It is impossible to set a generally applicable affordability standard at the global level. Any such standard would be arbitrary and cannot reflect the challenges people face in practice and the context in which they live, including how much they need to spend on housing, food and the realization of other human rights. The affordability of water and sanitation services is highly contextual, and States should therefore determine affordability standards at the national and/or local level. The human rights framework stipulates important parameters for the process of doing so, in particular in terms of participation.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- When seeking to ensure affordability in practice, measures to implement human rights often need to be reconciled with broader considerations of ensuring environmental and economic sustainability. "Social sustainability" in the form of affordable access must not be jeopardized in favour of measures that aim to secure economic and environmental sustainability. To be environmentally sustainable, there must be sufficient water resources of good quality available to serve existing and future users. Water tariffs should be designed to allow for access to sufficient water for essential purposes but, where necessary, to limit use for luxuries. Water resources must be protected from pollution, which means that sanitation services must include appropriate collection, transport, treatment and disposal of wastewater to protect both public health and the environment. However, sanitation tariffs must not be so high that people avoid using the service, which could put a strain on public health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- 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. 42
- Paragraph text
- Residents of informal settlements often do not enjoy formal service provision, receiving their services from a range of different, often informal and/or small-scale providers or through self-supply. For water services, this can include water kiosks, water vendors that come to a user's home, as well as piped water delivered to the household. For sanitation, there is an even larger range of types of service, from no service at all through substandard pit latrines (seldom emptied and often overflowing) to shared or community-level toilets, to connections to a rudimentary sewage system, where wastes are not treated, to small-scale sewage systems with adequate treatment plants. Given this range of services that exists outside the formal system, any pricing, subsidy or tariff system can seem irrelevant to an often substantial part of the population. In many cities, tariff structures, subsidy systems or other special measures are only accessible for households with a formal address or to a registered household or individual.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- More generally, Community-Led Total Sanitation encourages community support and assistance from better-off households to people living in greater poverty. Yet many communities are not a coherent whole; there are entrenched power asymmetries and inequalities. People not only experience different levels of poverty and deprivation, but may be marginalized on grounds of ethnicity, caste or other factors. There may be instances where community support is not forthcoming. In other instances, people may feel that they have to rely on the charitable benevolence of others rather than feel entitled to the realization of their right to sanitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- 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. 61
- Paragraph text
- A broader mechanism for achieving access to water and sanitation services for people living in poverty is to put in place "social protection floors". These are nationally defined basic social security guarantees that ensure access to essential services, including water and sanitation, as well as providing basic income security to those in need. Human Rights Council resolution 28/12 of 9 April 2015 acknowledged "that social protection floors may facilitate the enjoyment of human rights… safe drinking water and sanitation, in accordance with the human rights obligations of States" and encouraged "States to put in place social protection floors as part of comprehensive social protection systems" (A/HRC/RES/28/12, paras. 6 and 8). Social protection floors can be particularly relevant for achieving gender equality and protecting marginalized or disadvantaged individuals and groups. At the national level, for instance, Cambodia has made support for sanitation and water in times of emergency and crisis a key intervention under the National Social Protection Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable. In Mexico, the federal budget for social spending, which contributes to building a social protection floor, includes water supply and sewerage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- 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. 79
- Paragraph text
- Above all, regulation of informal and small-scale service provision should assist in increasing access to water and sanitation for poor and marginalized households, and not hinder such access. Formalization and regulation of informal service provision must pay due attention to the impact of this process on levels of access, affordability and quality of service provision. Where States seek to replace informal service provision with formal providers, they must ensure that people can actually afford these alternatives and do not experience retrogression in the realization of their human rights.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- In terms of global monitoring, there are heightened challenges due to data gathering and comparability. The proposed goal 6.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals explicitly refers to achieving affordable drinking water for all, hence calling for including the criterion of affordability in global monitoring.
- 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
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 87d
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations. States should take the following measures:] Set affordability standards at the national and/or local level, based on a participatory process, involving in particular people living in poverty and other marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and groups, that consider all costs associated with water, sanitation and hygiene;
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 87g
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations. States should take the following measures:] Use public financing to support access for people living in poverty and those who are marginalized or discriminated against and eliminate inequalities in access to water and sanitation services;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the Special Rapporteur encourages the treaty bodies and other human rights monitoring mechanisms to pay increasing attention to the affordability of water and sanitation service provision in the particular contexts people live in.
- 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
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 1990, para. 2c
- Paragraph text
- State Parties to the present Charter shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures: to ensure the provision of adequate nutrition and safe drinking water;
- Body
- Organization of African Unity
- Document type
- Regional treaty
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 1990
Paragraph
Agricultural technology for development (2010), para. 22
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- 5. Also underlines the importance of the sustainable use and management of water resources to increase and ensure agricultural productivity, and calls for further efforts to strengthen the provision and proper maintenance of irrigation facilities as well as to introduce water-saving technology, considering the possible impact of climate change on water resources;
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
Paragraph
Agricultural technology for development (2014), para. 31
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- 9. Underlines the importance of the sustainable use and management of water resources to increase and ensure agricultural productivity, and calls for further efforts to develop and strengthen irrigation facilities and water-saving technology;
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
Paragraph