The key elements of the human rights to water and sanitation (HRWS) are availability, accessibility, affordability, quality and safety, and acceptability. Water and sanitation utilities play a pivotal role in working towards achieving universal access to safely managed services by 2030.
In this online event, we will reflect on the role of water and sanitation utilities in realizing the HRWS. The event will be composed of two parts:
- A webinar, open to anyone interested, with a special focus on staff from water and sanitation utilities. The goal is to present a snapshot of global practices. The tentative agenda of the webinar (with working titles) is as follows:
- Prof. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on the HRWS - What utilities can do to realize the human rights to water and sanitation.
- Dr. Gabriela Cuadrado Quesada, Senior lecturer in water rights and justice, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education - Realising the human right to water and sanitation from the utilities perspective.
- Faustina Boachie, Chief Manager of the Low-Income Customer Support Department, Ghana Water Ltd. - Experiences from Utilities: Revolving Fund for social connections in Ghana.
- Samara Lopez Ruiz, PhD researched, University of Granada - Experiences from utilities: Strategies of Dutch water utilities to manage disconnections amid economic vulnerability.
Shirin Ara Begum, Low-income customers coordinator, Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) and VEI. - Experiences from utilities: Delegated management model to serve low-income communities in Bangladesh
A closed workshop for EU-WOP partners only. The goal is to create a space for sharing experiences on the two themes. Following the workshop, participants may be able to adapt their approach based on lessons learned from peer utilities and/or support other utilities in overcoming shared challenges.