Opinion Pieces Address Water, Sanitation Issues In Post-2015 Development Agenda

Opinion pieces address the issue of water and sanitation (WASH) in the post-2015 development agenda.

Devex: Human right to WASH ‘glaring omission’ in OWG ‘zero draft’
Jamillah Mwanjisi, co-chair of End Water Poverty

“…What is clear is that some states oppose a human rights framework for the water and sanitation SDG [in the U.N. Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals ‘zero draft’ document]. … End Water Poverty joined many other NGOs in rejoicing at the inclusion of a standalone goal on water and sanitation. However, in aiming for policy that will make universal access to water and sanitation a reality, we must transcend the simplistic access approach in favor of the human rights framework…” (6/18).

The Guardian: Is the U.N. turning its back on the human right to water?
Meera Karunananthan, international water campaigner for the Blue Planet Project

“…[I]t is deeply troubling that the human right to water continues to be contested at the U.N. For those living without access to adequate drinking water and sanitation, the SDG on water focuses on universal access. As special rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation Catarina de Albuquerque argues … an emphasis on universality alone fails to eliminate inequality. At the very minimum, the human right to water calls for the elimination of discrimination and the adoption of special measures for marginalized communities…” (6/19).

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