The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Léo Heller, called for monitoring and reporting on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) targets in the SDGs to be guided by a human rights framework.
The Special Rapporteur acknowledged that WHO and UNICEF have begun monitoring inequality in WASH access, but expressed concern that human rights language is not explicitly used in their latest monitoring report.
July 2017: The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Léo Heller, has called for monitoring and reporting on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be guided by a human rights framework. The Special Rapporteur acknowledged that the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have begun monitoring inequality in WASH access, but expressed concern that human rights language is not explicitly used in their latest monitoring report.
Heller’s comments were made in an open letter to the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of the WHO and UNICEF, which issued their first report on WASH since the SDGs were adopted. The agencies, which released the JMP report in July, described it as the first global assessment of “safely managed” drinking water and sanitation services.
Heller expressed concern that the Joint Monitoring Programme indicators do not address inequality and affordability of WASH services.
Heller expressed concern that the JMP indicators do not address inequality and affordability of WASH services. Noting that the preamble to the SDGs does refer to human rights, he called for future editions of JMP reports to make the links between the human rights to water and sanitation, and the SDGs. Specifically, he called for affordability and equality to be treated as an integral part of the “safely managed” services that are referred to in indicators for targets 6.1 (safe drinking water) and target 6.2 (sanitation and hygiene).
The WHO/UNICEF JMP for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene has been reporting on national, regional and global progress on WASH since 1990, enabling comparisons to be made across countries. Its latest report states that it will continue to monitor established WASH indicators, and will particularly focus on those that relate to the SDG targets and indicators.
Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Human Rights Council to provide independent, expert advice to governments, the UN, and other stakeholders. Heller was appointed in November 2014. [Special Rapporteur’s Open Letter] [UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Web Page on the Right to Water and Sanitation [WHO/UNICEF JMP Report on Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2017] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on JMP Report]