Lessons learned, experiences and proposals for the future of the Fund’s work
The Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation was established with a strong commitment to rights, which has been further developed since its inception in 2009. Among the principles guiding its action, human rights to water and sanitation are recognised as the guiding principles for the Fund’s interventions, promoting sound water management: sustainable, participatory and transparent, promoting universal access and paying special attention to those who, for various reasons, may be excluded from access to water. Programmes therefore give special priority to the most fragile countries and the most vulnerable populations.
In this sense, throughout 2021, work was carried out to draft a document that would compile the lessons learned, experiences and proposals for the future of the Fund’s work in this area. The text was published in December 2021 under the title Learning from the Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation. Human Rights to Water and Sanitation.
It compiles examples of the Fund’s good practices related to the fulfilment of human rights to water and sanitation and reviews the history of the recent recognition of both rights as such by the United Nations. Spanish Cooperation has played an important role in this work, promoting, along with Germany, successive resolutions on the subject, both in the United Nations General Assembly and in the Human Rights Council, and supporting the figure of the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights. This has helped to shape the content of both rights, reinforcing their recognition and shedding light on how they are implemented. This has also been achieved thanks to the fact that both countries have supported the creation of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on HRWS, which since 2020 has been entrusted to Spaniard Pedro Arrojo, with whom the Fund maintains a close collaboration. Arrojo participated in the meeting ‘Right to Water, Right to Life’, held in Guatemala in September 2021 to celebrate 10 years of the Fund in the country.
Throughout 2021 we have also worked with the NGO ONGAWA to create a self-diagnosis tool for the incorporation of the perspective of human rights to water and sanitation (HRWS) in the municipal management of water and sanitation services in Latin America. The project is part of the line of support to local governments to advance in the progressive incorporation of Human Rights to Water and Sanitation in the public water and sanitation services provided to their citizens. The aim is to strengthen their capacity to plan, regulate and provide these services, favouring participation and social auditing by the beneficiary population. The tool will allow municipalities to self-assess their situation in terms of access to the HRWS, as well as to establish a line of work based on the aspects on which further work is required. It will be a completely anonymous, accessible and free tool for all municipalities wishing to carry out the diagnosis
Human Rights to Water and Sanitation Seminar:
In February, the Water Fund participated in the Human Rights Seminar organised by the Human Rights Office and the Diplomatic School, with a specific module on Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS), which was also attended by Rapporteur Pedro Arrojo.
Journalism and Human Rights to Water and Sanitation:
In September 2021, a course on Journalism with a Human Rights Perspective on Water and Sanitation was held in Bolivia, aimed at journalists and communicators in the country interested in the sector. The online training was offered free of charge thanks to the scholarships granted by the AECID, and focused on journalism as an agent of change for the full exercise of Human Rights to Water and Sanitation, the water crises in the country and the impact of climate change. In addition, the students then visited various projects implemented in Bolivia by the FCAS in order to write reports.
Related News:
Periodismo y los derechos humanos al agua y al saneamiento
La Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) y el Fondo de Cooperación para Agua y Saneamiento, con el apoyo de la Unión Europea, han puesto en marcha el curso “Periodismo con perspectiva del Derecho Humano al Agua y el Saneamiento“, destinado a periodistas y comunicadores de Bolivia.
Herramientas específicas para analizar y avanzar en el enfoque de derechos:
Furthermore, the Fund has some specific tools to analyse and advance the rights approach, such as the Checklist for the Fulfilment of Human Rights in Water and Sanitation Programmes, a tool that allows project managers to thoroughly analyse the content of human rights to water and sanitation and thus facilitate their incorporation in each of the phases, as well as to assess whether they have taken into account human rights to water and sanitation.
The tool is available in three languages and can be downloaded from the “Publications” section on the Fund’s website.
Throughout 2021, this self-diagnostic tool has continued to be applied to a number of the Fund’s projects, and has proven to be a very useful practical tool for advancing the effective fulfilment of HRWS.
The 2030 Agenda is the strategic framework and benchmark for the Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In relation to SDG 6, “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation”, the Spanish Cooperation is working on most of the goal’s targets, such as improving safe access to water and sanitation, capacity-building, fostering the participation of local communities, promoting research, protecting ecosystems and integrated water resources management. SDG 6 is configured as a lever goal because it facilitates the achievement of other goals related to health, education, reducing inequality, sustainable cities, gender equality and climate emergency, among others.
