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Questionnaire from the Independent Expert on the right to water and sanitation – share your knowledge of Good Practices

The Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, is looking for input by all actors on what works best to fulfil the human right to water and sanitation. A questionnaire on good practices is out for anyone willing to share their experience with the UN. Submissions are due on June 30th.

The Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque has been mandated by the Human Rights Council in 2008 to:

• Further clarify the content of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation;
• Make recommendations that could help the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and particularly of the Goal 7;
• Prepare a compendium of good practices related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

The third task focuses on identifying good practices to implement human rights obligations related to sanitation and water. This is a particularly constructive as well as challenging assignment since it focuses on solutions rather than on identifying violations of human rights, which is what many human rights bodies do.

Step 1 (finalised). Criteria for Good Practices
To fulfil this task, the Independent Expert has carried out a process to consolidate criteria for what characterises a ‘good practice’ in late 2009. Now the Independent Expert wants to use these to identify good practices across all levels and sectors of society.

Step 2. Collecting Good Practices through a questionnaire
The Independent Expert is now looking for input by a wide range of actors, such as States, regional and municipal authorities, public and private providers, regulators, civil society organisations, the private sector, national human rights institutions, bilateral development agencies, and international organisations on what they think are Good Practices.

The present questionnaire has been elaborated in order to prepare a number of stakeholder consultations to be held later in 2010 and 2011 with key actors.

Please note that submissions are due no later than 30th of June 2010. The questionnaire can be downloaded from:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/water/Iexpert/docs/Questionnaire_WatSanGoodPractices.doc

Step 3. Collecting Good Practices through Stakeholder Consultations
The Independent Expert will then organize stakeholder consultations with governments, civil society organisations, national human rights institutions, development cooperation agencies, the private sector, UN agencies, and perhaps others. By bringing people from the same sector together to talk about good practices related to human rights, water and sanitation, it says on the UN Mandate’s website, she hopes to facilitate exchange of these good practices. The consultations will be held in 2010 and 2011.

Step 4. Preparing a report on Good Practices
Finally, based on the answers to this questionnaire, and the stakeholder consultations, the Independent Expert will prepare a report on good practices, to be presented to the Human Rights Council in 2011.

Questionnaire submissions are due no later than 30th of June 2010. The questionnaire can be downloaded from:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/water/Iexpert/docs/Questionnaire_WatSanGoodPractices.doc

More information at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/water/Iexpert/