Aryana Libris

Author : COHRE, AAAS, SDC and UN-HABITAT
Title : Manual on the Right to Water and Sanitation A tool to assist policy makers and practitioners develop strategies for implementing the human right to water and sanitation
Year : 2007

Link download : Manual_on_the_Right_to_Water_and_Sanitation.zip

Affordable access to a sufficient quantity of safe water is fundamental to the health and dignity of all. The International Year of Sanitation, which has just begun, calls for all nations to recognise that access to hygienic sanitation is equally important to ensure health and dignity. That over a billion of the world’s people remains without access to safe drinking water and over twice that number are denied access to adequate sanitation continues to shock and appal. Millions of lives are at risk from preventable diseases and the futures of millions of the world’s children are blighted by the multiple deprivations of poverty, lack of education and ill health that often accompany poor water and sanitation. The international community has committed to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. This is a significant challenge. A human rights approach to water and sanitation, with its emphasis on accountability, access to information, non-discrimination, attention to vulnerable groups and participation is a crucial aspect of achieving this goal. It requires a focus on the most marginalised sectors of society, including over one billion people living in informal settlements the world over. But water and sanitation are not just the subjects of one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals; they have a part to play in the realisation of all the Millennium Development Goals. Access to water and sanitation is necessary for health, education, economic development and the environment. This Manual on the Right to Water and Sanitation is a timely contribution to efforts to improve access to water and sanitation and will assist governments, policy makers and practitioners in implementing the human right to water and sanitation. National and local governments will find this Manual a useful resource and will be able to make excellent use of the practical, affordable and sustainable strategies, policies and solutions contained therein to address the problems they are facing in realising the right to water and sanitation. The Manual distinguishes between the challenges facing urban and rural areas, and proposes policy approaches for each that address their different circumstances. I trust that this publication will bring a new perspective to the task ahead - ensuring that the human right to water and sanitation is realised for all. ...