Status and critical examination of the implementation of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula (2020-2021)
ESCRIDHAS is a project of the WATERLAT-GOBACIT Network’s Thematic Area 3, Urban Water Cycle and Essential Public Services. It is part of the activities carried out as part of the Cooperation Agreement on matters of common interest with the Public Services International (PSI).
Background
The study of substantive democratization processes in the Politics and management of water and essential water services is a key component of the WATERLAT-GOBACIT Network’s aims, objectives, and research priorities. This has included studies of the interrelations between democratization processes and the development of citizenship rights in relation to water, which since the mid Twentieth Century have experienced significant advances in the legal-formal sphere. These advances led to the recognition of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2010. In this connection, the debate about the concept and the practical implications of the HRWS have become the object of research, teaching and practical interventions in our Network, particularly in the context of our Thematic Area 3, Urban Water Cycle and Essential Public Services. In addition to publications, and dissemination activities, the Network also makes regular Public Statements, including the Declaration on the 10th Anniversary of the HRWS” in July 2020. ESCRIDHAS builds on this long-term engagement of the WATERLAT-GOBACIT Network with the processes of substantive democratization of water Politics and management.
Project Objectives
General Objective
Critically reviewing the concept of “Human Right to Water and Sanitation” and updating its state of implementation in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula.
Specific Objectives
- Examining the contradictions and conflicts surrounding the notion of “Human Right to Water”.
- Identifying the public-policy, institutional, and legal-administrative reforms introduced to support the implementation of the HRWS.
- Exploring and analyzing available empirical evidence to assess the level of compliance with the HRWS by providers of water and sanitation services.
- Considering the socio-political conflicts and struggles involving communities, social movements, and other actors connected with the failure to comply with the HRWS by governments, service providers, and other actors responsible for its implementation.
Research Team
Co-ordination
Jose Esteban Castro, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), National University of General Sarmiento (UNGS), Buenos Aires, Argentina and Newcastle University, UK, and Jose Armando Flores Aleman, Foundation for Studies on the Application of Law (FESPAD), El Salvador.
Members (in alphabetical order)
Julia Borges, State University of Nothern Rio de Janeiro Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Thelmo de Carvalho Teixeira Branco Filho, University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil.
Carlos Crespo Flores, Higher University of San Simon, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Ulises Joaquín Deon, National University of Cordoba (UNC), Cordoba, Argentina.
Cristián Flores Fernández, Newenko Foundation, Santiago, Chile.
Daniel Díaz Fuentes, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
Alejandra Dulcey Garrido, Interdisciplinary Centre on the Environment (CIMA), Bogota, Colombia.
Carolina Escobar, Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico.
Ana Elizabeth Godoy Araña, National University of Asuncion, Capiata, Central Province, Paraguay.
Javier Gonzaga Valencia Hernández, University of Caldas, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia.
Ariel Octavio Ocantos, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cuauhtémoc Osorno Cordova, Mexico Branch, World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW), Queretaro, Mexico.
Alejandra Peña Garcia, Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico.
Carlos Armando Peralta Varela, ITESO, The Jesuit University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Hugo Julian Perez Barriga, Higher University of San Simon, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Hermelinda Rocha, DESDEMO Project, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Denise Soares Moraes, Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico.
Damiano Tagliavini, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Federico Vargas, National University of Asuncion, Lambare, Central Province, Paraguay.
Elida Villalba Vargas, University of St Gallen, Zurich, Switzerland.
Diego Viola, Confederation of Water, Sanitation and Environment Workers of the Americas (CONTAGUAS), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
For additional information about ESCRIDHAS, contact Project Co-ordination.