The human rights to water and sanitation and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development

Abstract The water and sanitation sector is verifiably receiving increased attention and funding through international development cooperation. Not least because of the way that it affects incentives and institutions in partner countries, development cooperation can have either positive or negative effects on human rights though. The consolidated frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation is becoming linked to the international community’s coordinated development efforts, as evidenced notably in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, a review of major funders’ official policies for development cooperation in the sector suggests that many only partially endorse the frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation. An observation of development cooperation flows to the sector allows the hypothesis to be advanced that worldwide inequalities in access to these services may be reduced through a full and clear application of the human rights framework in development cooperation activities. The article presents findings of this research and explores key stakes for development cooperation in the water and sanitation sector that are relevant for their ability to either negatively or positively contribute to the realization of human rights.

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New Approaches to Monitor Inequalities in Access to Water and Sanitation: The SDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean

Water ◽

10.3390/w12040931 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 931 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vitor Carvalho Queiroz ◽

Rodrigo Coelho de Carvalho ◽

Léo Heller

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Latin America ◽

Regional Heterogeneity ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Access To Water ◽

Assessment And Monitoring ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Normative Content

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Targets 6.1 and 6.2 show, in their formulation, some alignment with the normative content of the human rights to water and sanitation (HRWS). However, the principle of equality and non-discrimination, which applies to all human rights, was not clearly incorporated into the indicators adopted to assess and monitor these targets. This paper contributes to bridging this gap by proposing two methodological strategies to address inequalities in analyses of access to water and sanitation services. The first consists in adjusting the indicators of access to these services according to inequality. The second proposes an assessment of intersecting forms of inequality. An application of these methods in Latin America and the Caribbean highlights significant regional heterogeneity and elevated inequality in access to services in the countries of this region. The methods demonstrate their potential in contributing to assessment and monitoring of the SDGs, but outdated or lacking data are obstacles to more in-depth analyses.

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Reconciling human rights and the environment: a proposal to integrate the right to food with sustainable development in the 2030 development agenda

Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (The) ◽

10.4314/jsdlp.v9i1.2 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 1-33

Author(s):

Ana García Juanatey

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Human Rights ◽

Food Security ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Right To Food ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Development Agenda ◽

Legal Literature ◽

The Right ◽

Human Rights Based Approach

This article examines the utility of the human rights-based approach (HRBA) in tackling environmental challenges that face achievement of the right to food in coming decades. So far, such approach has been quite useful in the consideration of equity, discrimination and accountability issues. Nevertheless, the HRBA’s utility to tackle the effects of environmental degradation, natural resources depletion and climate change on food security is not that clear, as human rights law and practice has evolved in parallel with environmental concerns until recently. Therefore, this article poses the following question: is the human rights-based approach to food security sufficient to address the environmental problems and constraints that infringe directly on the right to food implementation? And, how can we integrate the needs of future generations in current human rights-based policies and deal with the tradeoffs between present and future needs? This article examines how last years’ international legal literature has portrayed the linkages between the environment and human rights, principally in relation to the right to food. Moreover, it also intends to explore possible avenues of convergence, pinpointing opportunities to connect the right to food and sustainable development in the context of the 2030 Agenda. In more concrete terms, it suggests that a greater integration between the right to food and a set of principles of sustainable development law may open new avenues for research and advocacy on the right to food.Keywords: Human Rights, Environment, Right to Food, Human Rights- Based Approach, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development Law

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Psychology, Human Rights, and the Implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Human Rights ◽

10.1017/9781108348607.041 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 591-606

Author(s):

Neal S. Rubin ◽

Roseanne L. Flores ◽

Juneau Mahan Gary ◽

Susan A. Nolan ◽

Teresa M. Ober

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Human Rights ◽

United Nations ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

The United Nations

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Informing the regulatory framework on water and sanitation in Southern Africa: The emerging governance framework accompanying SDG 6

The South African Journal of Environmental Law and Policy ◽

10.47348/sajelp/v26/a2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 39-61

Author(s):

Germarié Viljoen ◽

Bronwen Qumbu

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

United Nations ◽

Goal Setting ◽

Southern Africa ◽

Regulatory Framework ◽

Human Suffering ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

The People ◽

Water Borne

At least 40% of the people in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region do not have access to safe water and sanitation, rendering them vulnerable to prolonged conflicts and catastrophes, including exposure to water-borne diseases, other pandemics, poverty and human suffering. Although several international and African regional treaties support the human rights to water and sanitation, the ability of the SADC regulatory framework to give effect to these rights is concerning. In fact, available literature on the SADC’s ability to meaningfully realise these rights is fragmented and scant. This article examines theoretically a novel governance approach to the implementation of Sustainable Goal 6 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The article argues that the coercion through regional ‘goal setting’ may provide a conclusive, regional response to the continuing development of water and sanitation rights in the SADC region.

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Impact of mining projects on water and sanitation infrastructures and associated child health outcomes: a multi-country analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in sub-Saharan Africa

Globalization and Health ◽

10.1186/s12992-021-00723-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dominik Dietler ◽

Andrea Farnham ◽

Georg Loss ◽

Günther Fink ◽

Mirko S. Winkler

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Health Surveys ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Mining Sites ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Mine Opening ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Mining Projects

Abstract Background Access to improved water and sanitation infrastructures are key determinants of health. The sub-Saharan African region in particular is lagging behind the ambitious goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ensure universal access to improved and reliable water and sanitation for all (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6). Large mining projects can promote economic growth and hence investments in water and sanitation infrastructures, but at the same time lead to rapid population growth and environmental degradation. In turn, these changes can pose risks and opportunities for child health (SDG 3). In this study we aim to quantify the impacts of mining projects on access to water and sanitation infrastructure as well as diarrhea and malnutrition among children using data from 131 Demographic and Health Surveys from sub-Saharan Africa. Results From a sample of around 1.2 million households, data within the proximity of 52 mine-panels were selected for longitudinal analyses, resulting in 41,896 households and 32,112 children. Improvements in access to modern water and sanitation infrastructures after mine opening were much larger in households near mining sites than in comparison areas located further away (adjusted relative risk ratio (aRRR) water: 18.60, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 13.08–26.46 and aRRR sanitation: 2.56, 95 % CI: 1.32–4.99). However, these associations were weaker among poorer households. In areas close to the mining sites, stunting and underweight prevalence decreased more strongly upon mine opening (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) stunting: 0.62, 95 % CI: 0.43–0.90; aOR underweight: 0.55, 95 % CI: 0.36–0.84). No differential changes were seen for wasting and diarrhea. Large impact heterogeneity was observed both within and across countries. Conclusions Our results suggest that the opening of mines is associated with improvements in access to modern water and sanitation infrastructures (SDG 6) as well as in some health outcomes (SDG 3). However, the large impact heterogeneity suggests that the assessment and management of mining-related impacts on communities should have an increased equity-focus, in order to “leave no one behind” in the work towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Overall, the findings of this study underscore that the resource extraction sector has the potential to make positive and substantial contributions towards achieving the SDGs.

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The Human Right to Water from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the New Agenda for Sustainable Development

europa ethnica ◽

10.24989/0014-2492-2019-34-162 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (3-4) ◽

pp. 162-170

Author(s):

Marianna Pace

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Human Rights ◽

Universal Declaration ◽

International Treaties ◽

Human Right ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

International Water Law ◽

International Water ◽

The One ◽

The Right

The article explores the evolutionary path that led to the emergence of the right to water as human rights, since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights till to its inclusion in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, on the one hand the paper analyses the definition and the content of the right to water, as well as the obligations stemming for contracting States to the international treaties recognizing this right. On the other one, it focuses specifically on how to ensure an effective guarantee of the right to water. Finally, the analysis assesses the contribution of Goal 6, included in 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to the international water law regime.

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Knowledge International Journal ◽

10.35120/kij28051585t ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (5) ◽

pp. 1585-1592

Author(s):

Tatjana Dimoska ◽

Slavica Dimoska

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Human Rights ◽

Social Equity ◽

International Human Rights ◽

International Convention ◽

Rights Of The Child ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Starting Point ◽

International Human ◽

The Relationship

Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.Sustainable development is advanced as the answer of achieving a more equitable balance and synergic relationship between social, environmental and economic needs. It is a holistic approach that considers social, ecological and economic dimensions, recognizing that all must be considered together to find lasting prosperity. According to that, sustainable development law has been described as an intersection between three fields of international law: international environmental law, international economic law and international human rights law. In this paper the relationship between human rights and sustainable development is explored. The notion of social equity is taking into consideration when analyzing the rights – based approach to sustainable development. Social equity refers to a fair and just distribution of economic and environmental costs and benefits, community services like health care and education, the ability to participate in decision-making processes. Applying social equity means paying attention to disadvantaged group in society: women, youth and children, the elderly, indigenous groups and ethnic minorities. In considering the relationship between human rights and sustainable development, the best starting point is the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. At the center of the Agenda are the sustainable development goals (SDGs), a set of 17 goals and 169 targets across social, economic and environmental areas of sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development is grounded in human rights. The 17 SDGs directly or indirectly reflect human rights standards. When analyzing the human rights anchorage of each sustainable development goal and its corresponding targets, an interrelated web appears: 92% of the 169 SDGs targets are linked to international human rights instruments (such as the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), as well as other international and regional instruments and documents relating to human rights). In other words, the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and human rights are interwoven and inextricably tied together. The respect for and enforcement of human rights is a precondition for sustainable development. That implies that without acknowledging and acting to defend the rights of people, sustainable development is not possible. On the one hand, human rights provide guidance and a legally-binding framework for tackling the multidimensional goals of the 2030 Agenda. On the other hand, the SGDs can serve as a results-oriented roadmap for the realization of human rights.

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