Social Sustainability
Human Right to Water and Sanitation
Definition
The human right to water and sanitation entitles every person to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use, and to safe, hygienic and private sanitation. It was explicitly recognised by the UN General Assembly (resolution 64/292, July 2010) and the Human Rights Council, deriving from the right to an adequate standard of living under Article 11 of the ICESCR.
References
Source imported for editorial provenance.
This reference provides supporting context for how “Human Right to Water and Sanitation” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
The framework structures the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation, constitutional and statutory reforms, service regulation, and accountability for the billions still lacking safely managed water and sanitation.
Why it matters
Recognising water as a right, not merely a commodity, sets the floor for water policy — and the benchmark against which SDG 6 is judged.