52 Bear<strong>in</strong>g all <strong>the</strong>se po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, <strong>in</strong> our work, we should promote <strong>and</strong> contribute <strong>to</strong> efforts focused on succeed<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> formulat<strong>in</strong>g a better def<strong>in</strong>ition of <strong>the</strong> normative content of <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s obligations as <strong>the</strong>y relate <strong>to</strong> access <strong>to</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> <strong>in</strong> order <strong>to</strong> br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e with those relat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>right</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>water</strong>. © ACF - THE HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITATION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
- Part 2 - Def<strong>in</strong>ition of <strong>the</strong> <strong>right</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>emergency</strong> <strong>situations</strong> CHApTER 9 - DEvElOpMENTS AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIl This section gives details of <strong>the</strong> latest political developments at <strong>the</strong> Human Rights Council. “In November 2006, a number of States 66 decided <strong>to</strong> advance on-go<strong>in</strong>g dialogue on <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s <strong>and</strong> <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>to</strong> give it worldwide visibility by request<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Office of <strong>the</strong> United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) <strong>to</strong> conduct a detailed study on <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s obligations relat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong>, <strong>and</strong> on <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>ols available <strong>to</strong> fulfil <strong>the</strong>m. 67 ”. Accord<strong>in</strong>gly, <strong>the</strong> OHCHR launched a consultation process among various stakeholders 68 <strong>to</strong> which more than 90 contributions were received 69 . OHCHR held a consultation <strong>in</strong> March 2007 <strong>to</strong> follow up this process. Its report 70 was submitted <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> 6th session of <strong>the</strong> Council <strong>and</strong> concludes that: “it is now time <strong>to</strong> consider access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> as a <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>”. The ma<strong>in</strong> recommendations <strong>and</strong> conclusions are set out <strong>in</strong> Box 13. BoX 13 - Extract from <strong>the</strong> Report of <strong>the</strong> un High Commissioner for Human Rights on access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> VI. Conclusions <strong>and</strong> Recommendations 65. Access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> is an issue of great importance <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational community. The considerable number of submissions received from Governments, <strong>in</strong>tergovernmental organizations, national <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s <strong>in</strong>stitutions <strong>and</strong> civil society are evidence not only of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> this issue, but also of <strong>the</strong> grow<strong>in</strong>g recognition that access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> must be addressed with<strong>in</strong> a <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s framework. The <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g references <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s <strong>in</strong>struments as a component of o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s similarly highlights <strong>the</strong> grow<strong>in</strong>g importance of this issue <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational community, as does <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>clusion of access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> amongst <strong>the</strong> Millennium Development Goals. Importantly, an <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g number of States are recogniz<strong>in</strong>g safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> as a <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir constitutions, as well as national legislation, while national courts are enforc<strong>in</strong>g it as a justiciable <strong>right</strong>. 66. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights believes that it is now time <strong>to</strong> consider access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> as a <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>, def<strong>in</strong>ed as <strong>the</strong> <strong>right</strong> <strong>to</strong> equal <strong>and</strong> non-discrim<strong>in</strong>a<strong>to</strong>ry access <strong>to</strong> a sufficient amount of safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> for personal <strong>and</strong> domestic uses - dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g, personal <strong>sanitation</strong>, wash<strong>in</strong>g of clo<strong>the</strong>s, food preparation <strong>and</strong> personal <strong>and</strong> household hygiene - <strong>to</strong> susta<strong>in</strong> life <strong>and</strong> health. States 66/ Spa<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> Germany were at <strong>the</strong> forefront of this project <strong>and</strong> were followed by no less than 33 countries: Algeria, Germany, Belgium, Bolivia, Burk<strong>in</strong>a Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Cyprus, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Spa<strong>in</strong>, Es<strong>to</strong>nia, France, Greece, Guatemala, Irel<strong>and</strong>, Italy, Luxembourg, Mali, Malta, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Holl<strong>and</strong>, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerl<strong>and</strong>, East Timor, Uruguay. Countries which could oppose this resolution are Australia, Ch<strong>in</strong>a, Egypt, <strong>the</strong> USA <strong>and</strong> India 67/ Extract from Decision 2/104 (adopted without a vote), dated 21 November 2006, which requests <strong>the</strong> OHCHR “<strong>to</strong> conduct, with<strong>in</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>g resources, a detailed study on <strong>the</strong> scope <strong>and</strong> content of <strong>the</strong> relevant <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s obligations related <strong>to</strong> equitable access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> under <strong>in</strong>ternational <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s <strong>in</strong>struments (…) 68/ Stakeholders as various as States, NGOs, IGOs, local governments, <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s <strong>in</strong>stitutions, bus<strong>in</strong>ess, universities <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividuals submitted reports <strong>and</strong> contributions 69/ Contributions are available at <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g address: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/<strong>water</strong>/contributions.htm 70/ Report of <strong>the</strong> United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on <strong>the</strong> scope <strong>and</strong> content of <strong>the</strong> relevant <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s obligations related <strong>to</strong> equitable access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>water</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>sanitation</strong> under <strong>in</strong>ternational <strong>human</strong> <strong>right</strong>s <strong>in</strong>struments (A/HRC/6/3), submitted on 16 August 2007 © ACF - THE HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITATION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS 53