Photo credit: Rod Waddington
Human Rights Concept of the Week: The Human Right to Water
February 14-18, 2022
The human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses. (UN)
The human right to water is recognized in international treaties to which Ethiopia is a party and under the Ethiopian Constitution where it is expressly mentioned as a social objective. Ethiopia is also committed to ensuring safe drinking water and sanitation for all by 2030 (SDG 6).
States obligation to realise the right to water is measured from the perspective of availability, accessibility, affordability, quality and safety. The right to water and sanitation for all is a component of the right to adequate standard of living- the realization of which improves the enjoyment of other rights including the right to life and health.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights has adopted a guideline on the promotion and protection of the right to water in Africa which puts an obligation on state parties to ensure a right based approach to water management.
