The Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation

A/HRC/RES/33/10View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, published in 2016.

What other versions does this mandate have?

15 versions · 2012–2026

This is an older version — the most recent is A/HRC/RES/63/19

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2026	A/HRC/RES/63/19	The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation	5,004	—Compare
2025	A/RES/80/216	The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation	4,127	—Compare
2025	A/HRC/RES/60/9	The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation	492	—Compare
2024	A/HRC/RES/57/13	The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation	4,339	—Compare
2023	A/RES/78/206	The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation	4,033	—Compare

What subjects does this mandate have?

9 subjects

Gender Discrimination Human Rights International Obligations Legal Remedies Right to Drinking Water Sanitation Standard of Living Sustainable Development Technical Cooperation

What’s in this document?

23 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the recognition by the General Assembly of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation as components of the right to an adequate standard of living and essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life and all human rights;

Also welcomes the recognition by the General Assembly that the human right to safe drinking water entitles everyone, without discrimination, to have access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use, and that the human right to sanitation entitles everyone, without discrimination, to have physical and affordable access to sanitation, in all spheres of life, that is safe, hygienic, secure, socially and culturally acceptable and that provides privacy and ensures dignity, while reaffirming that both rights are components of the right to an adequate standard of living;

Affirms that the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation are closely related, but have features that warrant distinct treatment in order to address specific challenges in their implementation, while recognizing the relevance of all previous Human Rights Council resolutions on the topic and the importance of the work of the previous and current Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation;

Takes note with appreciation of the annual report of the Special Rapporteur submitted to the Human Rights Council at its thirtieth session on access to affordable water and sanitation services,³ and the annual report submitted to the Council at its thirty-third session on gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation;⁴

³A/HRC/30/39.

⁴A/HRC/33/49.

Also takes note with appreciation of the annual report of the previous mandate holder submitted to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session on the right to participation in the context of realizing the right to safe drinking water and sanitation⁵ and the annual report of the current Special Rapporteur submitted to the General Assembly at its seventieth session on the human rights framework for water, sanitation and hygiene and the relevant human rights standards and principles that serve to assess different levels and types of services;⁶

⁵A/69/213.

⁶A/70/203.

Reaffirms that States have the primary responsibility to ensure the full realization of all human rights and must take steps, nationally and through international assistance and cooperation, especially economic and technical, to the maximum of their available resources, to achieve progressively the full realization of the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation by all appropriate means, including in particular the adoption of legislative measures in the implementation of their human rights obligations;

Stresses the important role of international cooperation and technical assistance by States, specialized agencies of the United Nations system and international and development partners, and by donor agencies, in particular in the timely achievement of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals, and urges development partners to adopt a human rights-based approach when designing, implementing and monitoring development programmes in support of national initiatives and plans of action relating to the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation;

Underlines the importance of an effective remedy for violations of economic, social and cultural rights, including the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and in this regard of judicial, quasi-judicial and other appropriate remedies, including procedures initiated by or on behalf of individuals or, as appropriate, groups of individuals, and of adequate procedures to avoid infringements of such rights with a view to ensuring justice for all for violations in the context of the realization of the rights to water and sanitation as components of the right to an adequate standard of living, including taking the measures necessary to ensure that women and girls and persons at risk have equal access to effective remedies;

Notes with concern that, in spite of all efforts, gender inequalities still exist in the realization of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and therefore calls upon States:

To identify, with a view to repealing and reforming them, all laws that have both direct and indirect discriminatory consequences with regard to the equal enjoyment of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and with regard to gender-based violence;

To take action to tackle systemic inequalities and to meet their obligations to effectively achieve substantive gender equality in the enjoyment of the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, including through the implementation of targeted gender-responsive policies, budgets and measures that go beyond enacting formal provisions;

To prevent and combat the root causes of gender inequalities, including the impact of social norms, stereotypes, roles and taboos with regard to both women and men, through public campaigns, education and the media, among other measures;

To consider that gender-based inequalities are exacerbated when coupled with other grounds of discrimination and disadvantages, and therefore to use an “intersectionality lens” in policy initiatives so that priority is given to and measures are taken, as necessary, for those most disadvantaged in the enjoyment of their rights to water and sanitation, including women and girls;

To increase collaboration between the water, sanitation and hygiene sector and other sectors, including the education, employment and health sectors, and to address inequalities on the grounds of race, gender, age, disability, ethnicity, culture, religion and national or social origin or on any grounds, with a view to progressively eliminating inequalities in a comprehensive manner;

To develop water, sanitation and hygiene approaches, programmes and policies that enable the meaningful participation of women and girls at all stages of planning, decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;

Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, the comprehensive, transparent and inclusive consultations conducted with relevant and interested actors from all regions for his thematic reports and the undertaking of country missions;

Decides to extend the mandate of the current mandate holder as Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation for a period of three years, and encourages the Special Rapporteur to promote the full realization of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, in accordance with the mandate set out in Human Rights Council resolutions 7/22 and 16/2, and in accordance with all other relevant resolutions on this matter;

Encourages the Special Rapporteur to continue to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Goal 6, with special regard to the full realization of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation for all;

Requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to report, on an annual basis, to the Human Rights Council and to submit an annual report to the General Assembly;

Encourages the Special Rapporteur to facilitate, including through engagement with relevant stakeholders, the provision of technical assistance in the area of the implementation of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation;

Encourages all Governments to continue to respond favourably to requests by the Special Rapporteur for visits and information, to follow up effectively on the recommendations of the mandate holder and to make available information on measures taken in this regard;

Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the resources and assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate;

Decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item and in accordance with its programme of work.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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