Pro Bono - First UN Report on the Right to Sanitation

Earlier this month, 11 UCLA Law students met with UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Water and Sanitation, Mr. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, and his legal team. Under the guidance of UCLA Law alum and our Legal Advisor, Amanda D. Brown, they began research for his upcoming report to the UN General Assembly on the human right to sanitation without discrimination. As all previous reports have focused on the right to water, this will be the first time that this aspect of the mandate is addressed by the Special Rapporteur.

Students are researching the legal scope of the right to sanitation, including issues such as water access, menstrual hygiene, human waste infrastructure, and the treatment of industrial waste. Another group is researching national constitutions across the globe to investigate which countries explicitly recognize the right to sanitation, and how that right is defined.

The Special Rapporteur has issued a call for input to his report, which recalls:

The human right to sanitation remains an unresolved challenge for millions of people, disproportionately affecting women, girls, and persons in vulnerable situations. Hygiene, including menstrual hygiene, although often not explicitly included in legal formulations, is an integral part of the practical enjoyment of these rights and a cornerstone of the human right to sanitation without discrimination.