Human Rights at the 6th Global WOPs Congress

Access to water and sanitation is more than a service, it is a fundamental human right, essential for health, equality and dignity. At the 6th Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Congress in Bonn (27–30 October 2025), this theme takes centre stage.

Water and sanitation operators are at the forefront of making this right a reality for everyone, everywhere. But they cannot act alone. Together with national and local governments, regulators, financiers, communities and partners, utilities help create the enabling policies, incentives and resources to reach underserved populations and ensure services that are affordable, equitable and sustainable. 

Join us in Bonn to explore how the human right to water and sanitation can be embedded in policy, partnerships and practice – ensuring no one, and no place, is left behind.

Human Rights in the Programme

The human rights track opens with a plenary session underscoring the essential role of operators in realising the human right to water and sanitation. The session will be moderated by Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and joined by distinguished speakers including Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and Pemmy Majodina, Minister for Water and Sanitation of South Africa, among other leaders. Together, they will set the stage for a dialogue that connects global rights commitments with the everyday realities of utilities and communities.

From there, participants will explore how rights commitments translate into regulation, financing, partnerships and day-to-day utility practice.  The sessions take a practical look at what it means to turn rights commitments into reality. They examine how regulation, financing, partnerships and utility practice can embed equity and accountability in water and sanitation systems.

• Services under strain: Hear from utilities in fragile contexts – including Ukraine – that are sustaining water and sanitation in the midst of crisis.
• Financing for fairness: Explore innovative models that unlock resources for underserved communities while keeping services affordable.
• South–South partnerships: Discover how operators are sharing rights-based innovations and digital tools to reach marginalised populations first.
• Worker participation: See why empowering staff is a powerful driver of accountability, solidarity and utility performance.

The track also looks at the wider connections: advancing gender equality, linking water and sanitation to adequate housing, shaping inclusive tariff and connection policies, and supporting community-led solutions that protect dignity and expand rights.

Across these sessions, one message is clear: human rights are not abstract ideals. They are practical levers for stronger utilities and fairer cities – embedding equity, participation and accountability into water and sanitation service delivery worldwide.

Be part of this global movement. Register now for free to attend the 6th Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Congress in Bonn, Germany (27–30 October 2025).