The human right to sanitation is simply not optional; it is not a strategy that can be voluntarily adopted (or not). All countries in the world have recognized the human right to sanitation. These commitments are underpinned by legally binding obligations in human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) which are almost universally ratified.
While human rights may sometimes seem narrow and rigid, they actually offer a flexible framework for ensuring adequate sanitation for all. The human right to sanitation does not call for conventional sewers or any other particular technology. The people who use, and often construct and finance, sanitation facilities determine what is an appropriate solution. Even more than for other human rights, participation is key for determining solutions for a service as personal as sanitation. Human rights do not ignore costs and other constraints—the notion of progressive realization (provided for in the ICESCR) allows for a phased approach of improvements over time.
But as Gordon McGranahan pointed out in a recent contribution, the real challenge is finding the most appropriate strategies for implementation. The handbook by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation provides broad guidance, which, together with the involvement of sanitation professionals, can take the implementation of human rights to the next step.
