Human Rights to Water and Sanitation

A child from the Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan raised a flag to represent 

Goal 6,  Safe Water and Sanitation. Photo: UNICEF Jordan/badran

From UN Human Rights & Water:

Access to water and sanitation are recognized by the United Nations as human rights, reflecting the fundamental nature of these basics in every person’s life. Lack of access to safe, sufficient and affordable water, sanitation and hygiene facilities has a devastating effect on the health, dignity and prosperity of billions of people, and has significant consequences for the realization of other human rights.

People are rights-holders and States are duty-bearers of providing water and sanitation services. Rights-holders can claim their rights and duty-bearers must guarantee the rights to water and sanitation equally and without discrimination.

What are the rights and what do they mean?

• The right to water entitles everyone to have access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use.

• The right to sanitation entitles everyone to have physical and affordable access to sanitation, in all spheres of life, that is safe, hygienic, secure, and socially and culturally acceptable and that provides privacy and ensures dignity.

Read more on UN Water here:  http://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights/