Harvard Kennedy School - Human Rights to Water & Sanitation

Harvard Kennedy School | Harvard University

Through research, publications, and dialogue among practitioners and academics, the Carr Center's Human Rights to Water and Sanitation Program seeks to provide critical guidance on how the human rights to water and sanitation can influence law and policy. Nearly one billion people lack access to drinking water, nearly 2.6 billion people lack access to sanitation, and nearly 1.6 million people die every year from preventable water and sanitation-related diseases. In 2010, the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council recognized a human right to water and sanitation, which means that everyone, without discrimination, should have access to adequate amounts of safe, accessible, affordable, acceptable water and sanitation. Understanding how to translate this mandate into practical policy mechanisms requires wrestling not only with matters of science, technology and management, but also with fundamental legal, political and moral questions. In 2010, the Carr Center created the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation Program to examine these critically important issues. Read More >


Printable Program Overview (PDF)

Contact Us:
If you are interested in learning more about the Carr Center's Right to Water Program, please contact Sharmila Murthy or Mark Williams, both fellows at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

Water in the News

	February 16: Carr Center Fellow Sharmila Murthy spoke on a panel that examined land and water rights in India at the Harvard HPAIR 2013 Asia Conference. Also on the panel were Namita Wahi and Jasdeep Randhawa. The panel was moderated by Erum Sattar.
	January 28: On December 7 and 8, 2012, Professor Mathias Risse of Harvard Kennedy School, Professor Tyler Giannini of Harvard Law School and Sharmila Murthy of the Carr Center organized a thought-provoking inter-disciplinary Radcliffe Exploratory Seminar on "The Human Rights to Water and Sanitation: From Theory to Practice."
	October 12: Radcliffe Institute is hosting a series of events related to water this semester. There is an all-day conference called "Cloudy with a Chance of Solutions: The Future of Water" on Friday, October 12, as well as lectures on several Monday evenings throughout the fall. Click this news item for more details.
	September 26: Stephanie Cappa, Masters in Public Policy Candidate, a former Hill staffer and advocate gave a fascinating talk on the real world challenges of effectively translating ideals into policy with a focus on the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act and the proposed Water for the World Act."
	September 20: Professor David McDonald of Global Development Studies at Queen's University, Canada, and Co-Director of the Municipal Services Project gave a thought-provoking talk on "alternatives to privatization" in the delivery of basic services in the water sector throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. The conversation was framed by books he co-edited: "Alternatives to Privatization: Public Options for Essential Services in the Global South," and "Remunicipalization: Putting Water back into Public Hands."

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The Carr Center Human Rights to Water and Sanitation Program is hosting an all-new study group series this academic year.

Study Group Schedule

~ March 2013 ~
Tuesday, Mar. 5 4:00 PM	Ana Paula de Barcellos presents "Sanitation in Brazil: Can Courts play a role in fostering access to sewage treatment systems in poor communities?" Watch this event on video! more >
Thursday, Mar. 7 4:00 PM	Lawrence Susskind presents "Involving Civil Society in Water Management Decisions in Times of Great Uncertainty" Watch this event on video! more >
Thursday, Mar. 28 4:00 PM	Olivier Donat Andriamahefaparany presents "Madagascar: Water and Sanitation Issues on an Island Country" Watch this event on video! more >
~ April 2013 ~
Thursday, Apr. 18 4:00 PM	Rishi Rattan, MD presents "Using advocacy to translate technical expertise into tangible change: the UN, cholera, and the drinking water crisis in Haiti." Watch this event on video! more >
~ May 2013 ~
Thursday, May. 2 4:00 PM	Annette Huber-Lee and Nidal al-Azraq present "Water and the Wall: Contrasts in Access between Israel and Palestine" more >

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