Good practices on the Rights to Water & Sanitation
 | Book "On the Right Track" Available in English, French and Spanish (PDF) |
 | Catarina de Albuquerque and Prince of Orange (of the Netherlands and Chair of UNSGAB) with her book On the Right Track, © OHCHR |
Introduction
The Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, has been mandated by the Human Rights Council in 2008 to:
• Further clarify the content of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation;
• Make recommendations that could help the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and particularly of the Goal 7;
• Prepare a compendium of good related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
While the work of human rights bodies has often focused on the violations of human rights, the Independent Expert welcomes the opportunity to identify good that address the question of how human rights obligations related to sanitation and water can be implemented.
Methodology of the Good consultation process
In a first step, the Special Rapporteur undertook to determine criteria for identifying ‘good ’. As ‘good’ is a subjective notion, it seemed critical to first elaborate criteria against which to judge a practice from a human rights perspective, and then apply the same criteria to all under consideration. Such criteria for the identification of good were discussed with various stakeholders at a workshop convened by the Special Rapporteur in Lisbon in October 2009. The outcome was the definition of 10 criteria, 5 of which are normative criteria (availability, accessibility, quality/safety, affordability, acceptability), and 5 are cross-cutting ones (non-discrimination, participation, accountability, impact, sustainability,).
A progress report on the compilation of good practices was published on 1 July 2010 and is available in all UN languages: E F S A C R.
In order to prepare consultations to identify potential good practices, a questionnaire was elaborated. Based on the answers to the questionnaire, and the stakeholder consultations, the Special Rapporteur presented her compendium of good practices to the Human Rights Council on 15th September 2011.
The compendium is available in all UN languages: E F S A C R.
In March 2012 she presented a more detailed book of good practices in realising the rights to water and sanitation, On the Right Track, which discusses the practices in greater detail, and debates some of the more difficult issues.
Book on good practices in realising the rights to water and sanitation: E F S
Presentations from stakeholder consultations
• Consultation with International Organizations
• Consultation with Bilateral Development Agencies
• Consultation with Civil Society Organizations
• Consultation with Service Providers
• Consultation with Private Sector
• Consultation with State Actors
• Consultation with Regulators and National Human Rights Institutions
The Good Questionnaire
The questionnaire (English | French | Spanish) is structured following the normative and cross-cutting criteria, mentioned above; hence the Special Rapporteur is looking for good in the fields of sanitation and water from a human rights perspective. Therefore, the proposed do not only have to be judged ‘good’ in light of at least one normative criterion depending on their relevance to the practice in question (availability, accessibility, quality/safety, affordability, acceptability), but also in view of all the cross-cutting criteria (non-discrimination, participation, accountability, impact, sustainability). At a minimum, the practice should not undermine or contradict any of the criteria. Stakeholders' responses to the questionnaire
Submissions
The Special Rapporteur received over 200 submissions in response to her call.