the human right to water and sanitation in emergency situations

More documents

Recommendations

Info

76 CHApTER 13 - THE pRINCIplES Of ADvOCACY ON THE RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITATION This section proposes a definition of advocacy in emergencies, sets out the added value of that approach, the challenges it poses and the opportunities it offers to organizations on the ground. The objective is to help practitioners in the field ensure that advocacy reinforces assistance by contributing to change at appropriate levels. 13.1. Key message Advocacy is one of the mainstays of humanitarian action. It is hoped that the water-related rights discussed in this handbook will convince humanitarian actors to think about developing rights-based advocacy, rather than advocacy that only takes needs into consideration. 13.2. What exactly is advocacy in emergencies? Advocacy is a key component in the strategies of most humanitarian agencies and is considered to be part and parcel of any humanitarian response to emergencies 104 . The goal of advocacy in humanitarian emergency situations is not to replace the assistance being made available on the ground, but rather to enhance and facilitate that same assistance. Advocacy may well prove to be a powerful tool to improve, support and mobilize additional funds to assist those most in need. Generally speaking, advocacy in situations of emergency can be defined as: “Deliberate efforts based on demonstrated evidence, to persuade those in authority to adopt certain policies or actions in order to protect people affected by disasters or by conflicts 105 ”. BoX 17 - objectives of advocacy in emergency situations Ordinarily, objectives of advocacy in emergency situations are 106 : - To help protect the rights of anyone caught up in an emergency situation by drawing attention to their rights and needs; - To promote the rights of populations affected by disaster or by conflict; - To gain political and social commitment and support for that cause (i.e. the promotion of human rights); - To boost financial support from donors and the international community; - To promote observance of international laws and standards. 104/ Issues and Mapping Paper: WASH Cluster Advocacy in Emergencies. Produced by Dr. Sue Cavill and Pierre Robert, p.4 105/ Saving Lives, Protecting Children: Advocacy in Emergencies. Draft Framework and Guidelines for Discussion and Consultation. UNICEF, July 2007, p.3. 106/ Ibid. © ACF - THE HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITATION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
- Part 3 - Advocacy on the right to water and sanitation in emergencies In practice, advocacy in emergency situations: - Draws on factual and up-to-date information, often gained by organizations active on the ground; - Is focused on specific aspects of the situation, such a particular geographical location, stakeholders or beneficiaries; - Establishes a link between the broad policy context (such as a government’s human rights commitments) and a particular crisis situation. - Sends out a clear and relevant message of change, assigning responsibility to the appropriate stakeholders to take specific action. Despite its undoubted worth, the risk is that advocacy might in some circumstances exacerbate tensions and prove inappropriate to a specific context, for example if and/or where security conditions are volatile. Advocacy activities should never be implemented in any way that would jeopardize the security of the teams on the ground or the assistance and protection afforded to populations caught up in an emergency situation. On the contrary, advocacy must support action being instigated and developed. This being said, situations may arise where change is more likely to be achieved through quiet “diplomatic” approaches to stakeholders such as governments and other authorities. In this case, organizations need to carefully weigh the relative merits of action in the public domain as opposed to rather more discrete action in order to meet the best interests of the beneficiary population. Nonetheless, advocacy is often a potent means of encouraging positive change and its effectiveness should neither be underestimated nor ignored. This chapter and the next provide guidance on how to maximize the positive impact of advocacy. In emergencies, recourse to the legal framework might prove to be a powerful tool in giving more legitimacy and strength to advocacy campaigns and messages. Impartial and timely information is of the essence in this context. 13.3. Added value of rights-based advocacy in emergencies “A human rights approach adds value because it provides a normative framework of obligations that has legal power to render governments accountable 107 ”. It has been demonstrated that most agencies involved in the WASH Cluster consider that the “Human Right to Water as an advocacy tool could be used to attract more international attention and funds to emergency anticipation and response” 108 . Agencies agree that using the right to water and sanitation as a focus for advocacy activities may lead to the development of a rights-based WASH approach to advocacy in situations of emergency. However, what exactly do we mean by a rights-based approach to advocacy in emergencies? Essentially, this approach is based on the internationally recognized right to water and sanitation. It responds to a vision, or to specific values, that in this particular case emphasize the existence of this right in international legislative instruments. A rights-based approach is also based 107/ Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002 108/ Issues and Mapping Paper. op.cit. p.16 © ACF - THE HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITATION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS 77
Page 1 and 2:
THE HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITA
Page 3 and 4:
ACkNOWlEDGMENTS Acknowledgments The
Page 5 and 6:
Foreword fOREWORD Access to safe dr
Page 7 and 8:
Table of contents 6.7. Responsibili
Page 9 and 10:
lIST Of CASE STUDIES AND CONCRETE E
Page 11 and 12:
IHL International Humanitarian Law
Page 13 and 14:
ExECUTIvE SUMMARY Executive summary
Page 15 and 16:
INTRODUCTION Introduction 1. What c
Page 17 and 18:
Introduction dimension to the reali
Page 19 and 20:
HOW TO MAkE THE bEST USE Of THIS DO
Page 21 and 22:
The human - Part 1 right - Internat
Page 23 and 24:
CHApTER 2 - INTERNATIONAl HUMAN RIG
Page 25 and 26: - Part 1 - International laws appli
Page 29 and 30: One of the purposes of the Conventi
Page 37 and 38: - Part 2 - Definition of the right
Page 73 and 74: how to ensure such protection. In m
Page 75: - Part 2 - Definition of the right
Page 79 and 80: - Part 3 - Advocacy on the right to
Page 87 and 88: Checking availability of sufficient
Page 89 and 90: Figure 1 - Checklist: The victims C
Page 91 and 92: Figure 2 - Checklist: The responsib
Page 93 and 94: Figure 3 - Checklist: rights and le
Page 103 and 104: 14.4. Developing an advocacy strate
Page 109 and 110: Annexes The World Water Council 140
Page 111 and 112: Annexes The 4th World Water Forum (
Page 113 and 114: Annexes ANNExE 3 SUMMARY Of THE kEY
Page 115 and 116: un Standard Minimum Rules for the T
Page 117 and 118: Art 54. Art 55. Art 5. Art 14. Anne
Page 119 and 120: IblIOGRApHY Bibliography Right to W
Page 121 and 122: Bibliography • UN Doc. E/CN.4/Sub
Page 123: Bibliography Treaties and un docume
show all

the human right to water and sanitation in emergency situations

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?