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Implementing the human right to water and sanitation: a study of global and local discourses

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  • Madeline Baer
  • Andrea Gerlak

Abstract

This article explores global and local discourses on how to implement the newly recognised human right to water and sanitation (HRtWS). We analyse the potential limitations of the human rights frame in the context of critiques that human rights are a liberal, Western discourse that does not reflect the lived experiences of non-Western countries. Through two case studies we find that there are two discourses emerging on how to implement the HRtWS. At the global level, as seen in the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the HRtWS, we find a hegemonic discourse that is state-centric and market-friendly. In Bolivia, a country currently implementing a human rights-based approach to water services, we find a counter-hegemonic discourse on implementation. We argue that the hegemonic discourse is incomplete and does not fully address barriers to fulfilment of the right, such as state corruption and the needs of peri-urban residents.

Suggested Citation

  • Madeline Baer & Andrea Gerlak, 2015. "Implementing the human right to water and sanitation: a study of global and local discourses," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(8), pages 1527-1545, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ctwqxx:v:36:y:2015:i:8:p:1527-1545
    DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2015.1043993
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    Cited by:

    1. Edith Kauffer & Carmen Maganda, 2022. "The adoption of global water norms in Central America: What separates normative coherence from normative hegemony?," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(S1), June.
    2. Pranjal Deekshit & Simran Sumbre, 2022. "AFTER THE RIGHT TO WATER: Rethinking the State and Justice in Mumbai," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 711-720, July.
    3. Yates, Julian S. & Harris, Leila M., 2018. "Hybrid regulatory landscapes: The human right to water, variegated neoliberal water governance, and policy transfer in Cape Town, South Africa, and Accra, Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 75-87.
    4. Emmy De Buck & Hans Van Remoortel & Karin Hannes & Thashlin Govender & Selvan Naidoo & Bert Avau & Axel Vande Veegaete & Alfred Musekiwa & Vittoria Lutje & Margaret Cargo & Hans‐Joachim Mosler & Phili, 2017. "Approaches to promote handwashing and sanitation behaviour change in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a mixed method systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 1-447.

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