Including Human Rights to Water and Sanitation in the Mexico Water Programme

Mexico’s government is giving priority to human rights in the new National Development Plan. The National Water Program (PNH) 2019-2024 is the guiding document of the water policy in Mexico, and is a special program derived from the National Development Plan (PND) It reflects the objectives, strategies and lines of action for future public policies. 

CONAGUA invited us to advise on the new water policies in Mexico, based on the national legislation, el Programa Nacional Hídrico (PNH) and el Plan Nacional de Desarrollo (PND). The next stage is to develop indicators that will be used to monitor the realisation of SDG 6 and the human rights to water and sanitation.

Phase 1 (the review of the national laws and plans) is under completion, with the current Phase 2 embarking on the capacity enhancement of the various CONAGUA and river basin authorities. Phase 3 will be to work on developing human rights-based indicators to help in monitoring their implementation and dissemination in the regions.

Such indicators are critical for supporting governments to measure progress against the SDGs and for integrating changes in policy across the different states such that human rights can be realised. The global target indicators that are included in SDG 6 provide a target goal, and these national level targeted indicators are extremely helpful for tangibly realising the improved access to water and sanitation for marginalised people.

We acknowledge with thanks, the support from COSUDE and IDB for supporting this project.