The Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation, Léo Heller, will focus his 2019 Human Rights Council report on the human rights to water and sanitation in spheres of life beyond the households, in particular in public spaces.
During his country visits, the Special Rapporteur has observed that access to water and sanitation in public spaces is often not ensured or regulated as part of the human rights to water and sanitation by authorities, while attention has been increasing in other spheres of life such in schools and health facilities. Access to water and sanitation must be ensured in all spheres of life in accordance with the normative content of the human rights (accessibility, quality, affordability, availability, acceptability, privacy and dignity).
In this report, the Special Rapporteur is intending to examine the status and the impact of the inadequate access to water and sanitation on people, in particular those living in homelessness and informal street workers, as well LGBTQI+ people, older persons, women, children and people with disabilities. He will also look at the regulation, accountability and monitoring mechanisms of access to water and sanitation in public spaces.
