Dear Members and Partners of Human Right 2 Water,
This newsletter brings a few important updates, including our Annual General Meeting (AGM), the first of our Human Rights Workshop and some updates and opportunities for our members.
Menstrual Health and Human Rights
Last month, HR2W hosted an interactive workshop, Introduction to Menstrual Health Management and Human Rights, examining the legal and policy frameworks behind MHM’s recognition as a human rights issue since 2022. Drawing on comparative analysis across 30 countries, presenters from HR2W, WaterAid, and UNICEF shared findings on legislative benchmarking and country-level case studies from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Liberia. The session highlighted a consistent theme: strong rights-based laws often outpace real-world implementation. The session closed with an update on UNICEF’s Shared Agenda for Action on Menstrual Health, a global initiative now open for public consultation. Read the full recap on our blog here
Workshops like this are provided free of charge to HR2W’s Individual and Institutional Members. Membership also includes access to our growing library of past webinars, training materials and other exclusive resources designed to support learning and professional development in the human rights to water and sanitation.
To learn more about the benefits of becoming a member or to renew your membership, please visit our Membership page.
A gentle reminder that annual membership fees for 2026 are now due. Your continued support enables HR2W to expand its research, training, advocacy and global partnerships, helping to advance the human rights to water and sanitation worldwide.
Protecting Heritage in a Changing Climate
Last month, the Royal Irish Academy convened “New Perspectives on Climate Change and Our Heritage,” bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to confront the growing threat water hazards and climate change pose to cultural heritage. Amanda Loeffen delivered the keynote on behalf of SD-WISHEES and HR2W, presenting the newly completed SD-WISHEES Roadmap. This strategic document is based on three years research and stakeholder engagement and it makes the case that cultural heritage isn’t just at risk from climate change, but it holds knowledge and practices that can actively drive climate resilience. Developed through a rigorous Delphi consultation process, the Roadmap identifies four key barriers (governance misalignment, limited institutional capacity, financial constraints, and cross-sectoral collaboration gaps) and outlines priorities ranging from emergency preparedness to integrating indigenous knowledge into climate governance. The event’s recommendations call for stronger EU–Africa and EU–Balkans partnerships, dedicated funding mechanisms, and structured pathways for youth and community participation in heritage protection.
Our 6th AGM
HR2W held its 6th Annual General Meeting this year, marking a year of meaningful growth across research, partnerships, and our global network. Alongside our continued work on menstrual health management, the Expert Committee introduced a new methodology exploring biodiversity as a human right, building on 28 national legal mapping reports. We were proud to share new publications on water and cultural heritage, public-private partnership innovation, and MHM legislation across Latin America, and to hear from guest speaker Nelson Gomonda (Acting Executive Secretary of AMCOW) on Africa’s new Water Vision, and our members Jim Taylor from South Africa, Ariana Rosen from Argentina and Milton Income from Mozambique. Topics ranged from the power of citizen science in holding water systems accountable, to new advances in testing ambient water quality, and water treatments. Looking ahead, our research continues to expand toward biodiversity as a marker for environmental health, and a new self-assessment tool for water utilities, as an aid to navigate the increasingly complex regulatory environment, and obligations related to human rights.
None of this would have been possible without the support of our members, partners and collaborators. Our 2025 Annual Report showcases the breadth of HR2W’s work over the past year—from influencing international policy and advancing research to strengthening partnerships and supporting country-level action. We hope it gives you a sense of the growing momentum behind the human rights to water and sanitation movement.
New Board Members
We’re delighted to welcome three new members to the HR2W Board, elected at this year’s AGM: Natasha Dokovska (North Macedonia, Women for Water Partnership), brings expertise in WASH, menstrual health, and environmental justice; Geraldine Gene (Costa Rica), a founding member of HR2W shares deep ties across Latin America; and Sanjay Banka (India), holds nearly 15 years of WASH experience across India, Asia, and beyond.
We also extend our sincere thanks to our outgoing Board members, Anand Chiplunkar, Andres Sanchez, Sylvia Rivera and Diana Iskreva, for their dedicated service and invaluable contributions to HR2W. We are especially grateful to Anand, a founding Board member whose vision, leadership and unwavering commitment have helped shape HR2W since its inception and guided its growth into the global organisation it is today. We also thank Andres, Silvia and Diana for their years of commitment, expertise and support, which have been instrumental in advancing our mission and strengthening our network. We wish them all every success in their future endeavours and hope they will remain valued members of the HR2W community.
Following our recent elections, we are delighted to introduce the newly elected HR2W Board, whose expertise and leadership will help guide the organisation through its next chapter. The Board comprises Pedi Obani (President), Callum Clench (Secretary), Mamohloding Maahlo (Treasurer), Dhesigen Naidoo (Past President), Mercedes Castro (Past President), Dominique Gatel, Geraldine Gene, Natasha Dokovska, Olcay Unver and Sanjay Banka. We warmly congratulate each of them and look forward to working together to advance our mission of promoting the human rights to water and sanitation worldwide.
HR2W Joins the Water4All Partnership
We are delighted to announce that Human Right 2 Water (HR2W) has become an official Partner of Water4All, the European Partnership driving research and innovation to tackle global water challenges. This important collaboration strengthens HR2W’s role in connecting science, policy and practice, while ensuring that human rights remain central to future water research, innovation and governance.
As a Water4All Partner, HR2W is contributing to international discussions on the future of water research and innovation, including preparations for the 2028 UN Water Conference, where we are actively involved in shaping recommendations on governance, data, human rights and inclusive water management.
We are also pleased to share that Amanda Loeffen, CEO of HR2W, has been elected Vice Chair of the Water4All Governing Board. This appointment provides HR2W with an exciting opportunity to help shape the strategic direction of one of Europe’s leading water research and innovation partnerships, while strengthening collaboration between researchers, policymakers, civil society and international organisations.
This partnership represents an important milestone for HR2W and reflects our growing international role in advancing evidence-based, rights-based approaches to water governance and sustainable water management.
New call for proposals
Through this partnership, we are pleased to share with you the pre-announcement for the Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call on “Sustainable Water Management” which is now online. Research and innovation proposals submitted under this call are expected to address at least one of four key topics: integrated monitoring and assessment for sustainable water management; nature-based approaches for resilient water management at hydrological and hydrogeological system scale; smart, secure, and adaptive water infrastructures; and resilient water systems through systemic change, policy coherence, and inclusive governance. The full Call Announcement with final details will be published on 8 September 2026, followed by an informative webinar in English on 17 September 2026 (14:00–16:00 CEST). For more on call topics, eligibility criteria, and the provisional timeline, visit the call webpage. We encourage you to share this opportunity within your national networks and research communities, and to help spread the word on social media!
This is all for now!
Best regards,
Isabella Cubillo
Communications Officer