Sanitation for society, including all

Co-convenors: University of Leeds, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, Slum/Shack Dwellers International and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

At an individual level, both the SDG target and the human right to sanitation imply that everyone must have access to sanitation which is safe, private, dignified, hygienic and affordable. At a societal level, improved sanitation is a public good that generates economic, health, environmental, social and cultural benefits for society as a whole. There is a huge task ahead to ensure full sanitation coverage, safe management of excreta, and availability of handwashing facilities with soap and water in schools and health care facilities, in accordance with the human right and with the SDG target. All this must be done in both urban and rural settings, with their different sanitation problems and solutions. During the era of the MDGs the poor, children, elderly and ethnic minorities were the most neglected in sanitation service provision; now the concept of inclusiveness requires that they and any other disadvantaged groups be served in ways that protect health and dignity.

This seminar will therefore discuss how to ensure that all members of society are included in achieving sanitation for all. Some possible questions follow. How is inclusiveness improved by particular stakeholder involvement methods, technologies, services, financing mechanisms etc? How do different actors (e.g. national and city governments, public or private sector service providers, and households) contribute to achieving sanitation for society, including all? How are the societal goals and benefits of sanitation made compatible with the individual goals and benefits? How does the legal responsibility to progressively realize the human right to sanitation correlate with the aim of including everybody?

Please read more on how to engage and submit your abstract here.

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