30 October 2012: Equality, human rights and sustainability should represent the foundation of the post-2015 development priorities, according to a joint press statement from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, the Government of Finland, and WaterAid.

The statement stresses equal access to water, sanitation and hygiene as essential services. It notes that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) place attention on previously neglected issues, including sustainable access to water and hygiene issues such as open defecation. The statement calls for achieving and building on the MDGs while crafting more ambitious goals that incentivize change for all citizens, as part of the post-2015 development agenda.

The statement was issued following their event, “Addressing Inequalities in the Post-2015 Development Agenda for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene,” which marked the presentation of the Special Rapporteur’s thematic report to the 67th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) (A/67/270).

The Special Rapporteur, Catarina de Albuquerque, recommended a stand-alone goal on water, sanitation and hygiene in the post-2015 development goals. Her report also recommends targets and indicators that integrate equality, non-discrimination and equity into the post-2015 framework, and highlights the human right to water and sanitation as an example. She presented the report to the UNGA on 22 October 2012. [UNGA Press Release] [IISD RS Event Description] [IISD RS Sources] [Publication: Integrating non-discrimination and equality into the post-2015 development agenda for water, sanitation and hygiene: Note by the Secretary-General]