Dear Members of HR2W,
We are excited to share with you November’s Newsletter! This newsletter is filled with news and upcoming events!
AWSISA Conference, Johannesburg
HR2W was given the opportunity to lead a workshop in the AWSISA Dialogue this November, the first event organised by the African Water and Sanitation Institutions in South Africa. The workshop was centred on using WEFE Nexus (Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems) solutions in rural settlements. Together with the Water Research Commission (WRC), the session was co-chaired by Amanda Loeffen (CEO of HR2W) and Mamohloding Maahlo (WRC).
The Hon. Hemed Mwabudzo, County Minister from Kwale, Kenya was the keynote speaker, highlighting the work that he is doing to improve rural livelihoods in Kwale County. Other experts on the topic included Commissioner Henk Boshoff (South African Human Rights Commission), Professor Tracy-Lynn Field (University of the Witwatersrand), and Mr. Eskendir Demissie (African Development Bank). The case studies and ideas focussed on the challenges of water security in rural areas, the challenges, and the potential ways to protect the human rights to water and sanitation.
The human right to a healthy environment
We conducted studies in more than 25 countries two years ago, to test how water related environmental rights mesh with the human rights to water and sanitation. These country studies are being carefully peer reviewed and re-published with a summary from some of our team.
Uganda
Uganda is one of the few countries to have included the human right to a clean, safe and healthy environment into their constitution. This is a strong foundation for the countries efforts to guarantee citizens access to resources and intergenerational equity. Uganda has successfully established a National Environmental Management Authority that oversees environmental sustainability through different impact assessments that consider both society and the environment. Through key legal instruments such as the Water Act, the Public Health Act, the Land Act – different aspects of the environment can be covered and protected for the future. See the report from Uganda on this topic.
Menstrual Health
We continue to publish the national studies that have been conducted on how the human right to menstrual health and hygiene have been integrated into law in different countries. You can find these published reports on our project webpage here. One of the latest to be peer reviewed is for the Cote Ivoire:
Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire is making significant efforts to protect the rights and dignity of people who menstruate. While the country does not yet have a dedicated national law on Menstrual Health Management (MHM), menstrual health is increasingly addressed through education, health, and gender-equality strategies. A key focus is combating stigma and misinformation by strengthening menstrual health education in schools and communities.
In her latest legal analysis, HR2W Legal Expert Grace Anarfi-Wadieh explores Côte d’Ivoire’s current policy landscape, ongoing gaps in access and affordability of menstrual products, and the need for stronger rights-based approaches. Read the full analysis on our website to learn how Côte d’Ivoire is advancing menstrual health and where further action is needed.
World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day (WTD), as usual, was celebrated on the 19th of November. The day, based on the UN-Water annual theme, was marked with a range of activities and initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of toilets around the world. The key message being “Everybody needs the Toilet” – as members of UN Water, we support this message demonstrating through social media messages how toilets around the world may not look the same, but they are needed by everyone.
Our partnership with The Watoto Program has helped us to raise funds for the children in Kibera to be able to access toilets. We see toilets as essential tools for protecting both people and the environment. For children, especially girls, toilets can be the difference between attending school or staying home. Through Human Right 2 Water’s High Impact Plan, where 100% goes to the Watoto Program, you can help ensure the children to learn in safe environments, receive proper meals, and grow with the dignity they deserve – even a small amount goes a long way.
Upcoming events
Empowering Women in Water Research
HR2W has contributed to a variety of publications this year (not yet published), looking at the difference that women can make when included in water research and innovation. We are raising this topic in a Special Session at the IWRA IX World Water Congress at 08:30am on 3rd December in Marrakech, Morocco. The session “Empowering Women in Water Research: Data, Law and Diplomacy for Inclusive Water Governance” will be moderated by Amanda Loeffen and will feature expert women’s voices from women in three different continents. Including Francesca Greco, Arianna Rossen, Professor Tracy-Lynn Field and Raya Stephan, the session will explore how targeted data, governance reforms, community-driven approaches and international cooperation can strengthen women’s roles in water research.
Human Rights Day Webinar
Human Rights Day is coming up on 10th December!
Acting upon our promise to develop a Community of Practice for our members, we invite you to join us for a Human Rights Day Roundtable at 4pm CET on the 10th of December. Several of our Board and Expert Committee Members will be joining us.
We aim to share some of our national legal mappings on the human rights to water and sanitation, and the right to a healthy environment, together with insights into how this translates in practice, and why it is important to recognise these rights in legislation and preferably in the constitution. You will have an opportunity to join the discussion online. Invitations are going out this week, so please ensure that you RSVP (via email) to join the session. We look forward to seeing you there.
We hope this information is useful and we hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards,
Isabella Cubillo
Communications Officer