The Rights to Water and Sanitation
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Description
In the past two decades, the human rights to water and sanitation have emerged and taken their place at the center of discussions about key economic, social, and cultural rights, sustainable development, global health, and climate change. While there was early hope that these rights would provide a strong basis for rejecting the commodification of essential services spurred by neoliberalism, as they were institutionalized, the rights to water and sanitation have in many places been tamed, if not neutralized. And while a confluence of forces have managed to stop or reverse privatization in many states, deep inequalities persist and communities have often been shut out of decisions about water resources. At the same time, the rights have played an important role in the development field, guiding approaches to achieving the sustainable development goals and serving as touchstones in climate debates. Thus, while the human rights framework concerning water and sanitation has accommodated powerful economic imperatives, it still holds promise as a vehicle for governments, courts, and—perhaps most importantly—movements facing the harsh realities of extreme inequality, vulnerability to disaster, and the advancing climate crisis. This chapter provides an overview of the conceptual and theoretical issues behind the rights to water and sanitation and an account of the normative development of the rights in law, and examines the promise these rights hold in the face of intense global challenges.
Source Publication
The Oxford Handbook of Economic and Social Rights
Source Editors/Authors
Malcolm Langford, Katharine G. Young
Publication Date
2022
Recommended Citation
Satterthwaite, Margaret L., "The Rights to Water and Sanitation" (2022). Faculty Chapters. 1784.
https://gretchen.law.nyu.edu/fac-chapt/1784
