Dear Members of HR2W,
We are excited to share with you October’s Newsletter! This newsletter is filled with news, past and upcoming events and other opportunities!
Human Right to Healthy Environment Reports
This month we released two new Human Right to Healthy Environment (HRHE) Country Legal Mapping reports. Both South Africa and Turkey show great commitment and progress in integrating and prioritising the human right to a clean, safe, healthy environment for their citizens. South Africa’s report demonstrates frameworks to achieve equitable and sustainable water governance including human rights and environmental protection. Turkey’s report shows commitment to the HRHE and the human rights to water and sanitation, supporting human dignity and intergenerational equity.
Read the summary analyses on our website, from members of our legal team, Chelsea Agbasiere and Grace Anarfi-Wadieh .
UN Water 42nd Meeting
Human Right 2 Water participated in the 42nd UN-Water Meeting in Geneva at the end of September. Members and partners discussed the UN System-wide Strategy on Water and Sanitation and preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference. The meeting celebrated record visibility for World Water Day 2025 and reviewed progress on joint programming, capacity development, and integration of water across climate and development agendas ahead of COP 30. Participants also reflected on the implications of the UN80 reform initiative, reaffirming their commitment to collaboration despite global uncertainties. The UN80 Initiative is a major reform agenda launched by the United Nations in March 2025 (marking its 80th anniversary) to make the organisation more efficient, responsive and fit for the challenges of the 21st century. Looking ahead, HR2W continues to advocate for the inclusion of human rights and civil society voices in shaping the global water agenda beyond 2030.
Water4All Advisory Board
HR2W participated in the Water4All advisory Board, Malaga, 22-24th October, as an associated partner of Water 4 All and Vice-Chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Board. We presented a briefing note and facilitated a discussion on the way that Water 4 All can encourage disruptive innovation with the potential to meet unmet needs in the water sector. The meeting was followed by attendance at the Final Water JPI workshop, the precursor and founder of Water 4 All. The 2-day workshop created a discussion forum for celebrating the work programme and research projects of the 15-year programme, the learnings and recommendations for Water 4 All, and an environment for exploring the needs for the research community.
Grants and Opportunities
Here are the opportunities with upcoming deadlines you should prioritise:
UN Water Call for Inputs
UN Water has invited us to help gather insights for their new survey to gather global perspectives on the impacts and lessons of SGD 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. These insights will be included in the third United Nations SDG 6 Synthesis Report and presented at the High-Level Political Forum in 2026. If you wish to provide any insight on how the SDG 6 has been useful (or not) in driving action, collaboration, investment or inclusion submit your inputs here - Deadline: November 21st by midnight EST
Grants
Entries open for House of No Waste Competition - Deadline: 1 December, 2025
Grant Project Competition for Financing Feasibility Study Visits in Development Cooperation Projects – Deadline: 31 December, 2025
Feature on Our Partner’s Research
Water and Faith
Environmental legal education plays a pivotal role in empowering communities to understand and advocate for their water rights; its impact is often limited by sociocultural barriers and low levels of legal literacy. ‘Our Partner’s Research’ web-page features a new paper on ‘Water and Faith’ developed by Grace Anarfi-Wadieh, from our legal team. The report shows how integrating faith-based approaches with legal education can enhance community engagement, strengthen water governance and promote long-term water security.
Did you know you can publish your research on our website? Contact us if you are interested in submitting any research of interest
.
Upcoming Events
AWSISA Workshop
Human Right 2 Water and the Water Research Commission (WRC) are joining forces on November 10TH to host a workshop at the AWSISA Africa and Global South Water and Sanitation Dialogue event in South Africa. This in-person workshop titled “Integrated Water, Energy, Food, Ecosystem (WEFE) Solutions in Rural Locations” is being co-chaired by Mamohloding Maahlo (HR2W Board Member, and WRC) and Amanda Loeffen (HR2W CEO). The session will feature a presentation from Hon. Hemed Mwabudzo (Minister of Water and Sanitation for Kwale) on water facilities for inclusive socio-economic rural livelihoods in the Kwale County, Kenya, and then a roundtable discussion on the WEFE Nexus with Commissioner Henk Boshoff (South African Human Rights Commission), Professor Tracy-Lynn Field (University of the Witwatersrand), and Mr. Eskendir Demissie (African Development Bank).
World Toilet Day
The World Toilet Day theme this year is ‘Sanitation in a Changing World’. Together with the UN Water Network HR2W is raising awareness on the importance of safe access to sanitation and toilets. Celebrate World Toilet Day on November 19th by sharing these messages:
1. We’ll always need the toilet. No matter what lies ahead, we will always rely on sanitation to protect us from diseases and keep our environment clean.
2. Toilets are under pressure. Rising demand, climate change, ageing infrastructure and low investment all threaten our human right to sanitation.
3. We need toilets fit for the future. We must urgently invest in ‘future-ready’ sanitation – resilient to climate change and accessible to everyone, everywhere, always.
You can access the campaign’s communication materials here.
Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is on 10th December, and this year we will commemorate by hosting a roundtable with HR2W expert members to showcase how international human rights law translates into local practice. This online and interactive event will feature a selection of our country legal mapping research studies and highlight best practices.
Reach out to us if you wish to contribute during the session with an interesting case study.
We hope this information is useful and we hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards,
Isabella Cubillo
Communications Officer