Workshop on equitable access to water and sanitation, Geneva

Information notice and call for contributions
The Workshop on Equitable Access to Water and Sanitation - Challenges, good practices and lessons learned will be held on 4 and 5 July 2011 in Geneva.
The workshop will be organized under the leadership of the Government of France, with the support of the UNECE secretariat of the Protocol on Water and Health, and in cooperation with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. With the aim to support the realisation of the human right to water and sanitation, the workshop will address inequities in access to water and sanitation that are still widespread in the pan-European region:

Geographical disparities: in many countries people living in rural or remote areas have significantly lower levels of access to safe water and improved sanitation;
Affordability constraints: in some countries, people with low incomes often find access to water and sanitation unaffordable; this situation will be exacerbated as countries move towards full cost recovery of water and sanitation services;
Inequities suffered by vulnerable and marginalized groups, as well as groups with specific needs (such as Roma and Travellers, ethnic minorities, disabled persons, etc.) who face additional barriers to access than those of ordinary citizens.

The workshop is part of the process for the development of a Document on “Good Practices on Equitable Access to Water and Sanitation” prepared under the Protocol on Water and Health for the Sixth World Water Forum (Marseille, March 2012). It is organized under the leadership of the Government of France and in cooperation with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

It will bring together countries and other stakeholders from the European region engaged in the provision of water and sanitation services, with the aim to:

Analyse the specific challenges and debate the political, economic and practical implications of equitable access to water and sanitation;
Exchange practical experience and share lessons learned on the policies and measures to be enacted to provide access to water and sanitation to vulnerable and marginalized groups, to reduce geographical disparities in access and to address affordability issues;
Identify good practices, success factors and lessons learned;
Support Governments in complying with the requirements of article 5 of the Protocol on Water and Health as regards promoting equitable access to water and sanitation, as well as their obligations under international human rights law.

Contributions are invited by 16 May 2011 to the UNECE secretariat ( Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spambots. Es necesario activar Javascript para visualizarla ) on the following topics:

Experiences with policy measures to promote access by vulnerable and marginalized groups, as well as groups with specific needs, to water and sanitation
Experiences with policy measures to address geographical disparities in access to water supply and sanitation
Experiences with policy measures to address affordability concerns

Eligible participants from countries with economies in transition may apply for financial support to facilitate their participation in the workshop. Requests for financial support should be submitted to the UNECE secretariat ( Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spambots. Es necesario activar Javascript para visualizarla ) as soon as possible, but not later than 16 May 2011. No application will be accepted after this deadline. Due to the limited funds available, priority will be given to experts providing inputs to the workshop.

More information on the workshop will be made available on the UNECE website
Information notice
Registration form

Ultima actualización ( viernes 29 de abril de 2011 15:23 )

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