Practical guide for the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation

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Practical guide for the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation

A Human Rights Based Approach A practical guide for the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation through programming By Human Right 2 Water

The integration of the Human Rights-based Approach (HRBA) in development activity has accelerated over the years and proven to be effective. HRBA is a common framework that seeks to further human rights by incorporating the application of human rights principles in all steps of projects or programming.

At the heart of HRBA lies the aspiration to support the capacities of rights-holders to claim their rights and duty-bearers to fulfill their human rights obligations. Emphasis is placed on ensuring action to support the marginalised and vulnerable. In HRBA the human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination, participation and inclusion, access to information, accountability and sustainability are utilised to guide the entire project management cycle. These are commonly known as crosscutting principles. In supporting the realisation of the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS), the HRBA cross-cutting principles are employed in conjunction with the normative criteria of the HRWS (availability, accessibility, affordability, quality, acceptability) to strengthen capacities of both rights-holders and duty-bearers and generate sustainable outcomes.

This comprehensive approach is particularly important with water and sanitation as many projects tend to concentrate on quantity (availability) and quality rather than addressing all components of the HRWS, including such criteria as accessibility (particularly for persons with disabilities), acceptability (very important to preserve dignity and safety for women and girls) and affordability (making sure that any pricing allows for all people, especially the most vulnerable, to be able to afford safely managed water and sanitation). There are four recognised stages in implementing an HRBA in programming: Executive Summary Figure 1: The four stages in project cycle management that lead to an HRBA.

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