Human Right 2 Water is being established today as a non-governmental organisation to continue the valuable mission started by WaterLex, born 10 years ago when the human rights to water and sanitation were recognized by the UN General Assembly.
Over the last 10 years, advocates, development organisations and UN Agencies have been carrying this banner, not least, the Special Rapporteurs on the human rights to safe water and sanitation. This vital human right has been recognized in more than 39[1] national government constitutions already, but there is much more to do to integrate it fully into active policies.
Despite all the efforts made by UN agencies, development organisations, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society, the human rights to water and sanitation have continued to be a ‘nice to have’ rather than a necessity in many places.
“The outstanding gap between people with access to safe drinking water and sanitation and those without, is not closing quickly enough to reach all people by 2030, leaving many marginalized and vulnerable people behind[2],“ Amanda Loeffen, Chief Executive of Human Right 2 Water. [AL3]
The effects of growing populations, climate change, migration, and the difficulty in finding affordable solutions for marginalized communities, require a concerted effort to ensure that we are moving in the right direction quickly enough.
Human Right 2 Water brings specialized knowledge to encourage governments and provide a detailed road map to integrate the laws and policies that are essential to fully recognize and achieve the sustainable development goal 6 on water, and to really leave no one behind.
“Building on rigorous research and understanding over the last decade, Human Right 2 Water is well placed to integrate a human rights-based approach into governance frameworks for water and sanitation, and crucially, to leave no one behind.”
[1] Jung, C.; Hirschl, R.; Rosevear, E. Economic and Social Rights in National Constitutions. Am. J. Comp. Law 2014, 62, 1043–1093.
[2] Reference : access to safe drinking water at 71% and sanitation at 45% globally in 2017. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6
