Water and sanitation: UN Special Rapporteur to visit Senegal
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 11, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque, will visit Senegal from 14 to 22 November 2011 to hold a dialogue with the Government and other concerned stakeholders about the progress made, and difficulties encountered, in promoting the full realization of the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.
“This mission will particularly consider the situation of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups with a special emphasis on the human rights principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation and accountability,” said the Special Rapporteur. “It is the human right of all people, without discrimination, to have access to safe drinking water and sanitation, which is affordable, acceptable, available and safe.”
During her seven-day mission, the human rights expert will meet with a wide array of Government ministries with competencies in the areas of water and sanitation, as well as with representatives from civil society organizations, UN entities and the donor community. Ms. de Albuquerque will visit informal settlement in the capital, Dakar, as well as some of the areas where serious disparities with regard to access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation exist. Her findings and recommendations will be presented in a report to the Human Rights Council in 2012.
A press conference will be held at the end of the mission, on Monday 21 at 12:00. Details on the venue will be announced closer to the date.
Catarina de Albuquerque is a Portuguese lawyer currently working as a senior legal adviser at the Office for Documentation and Comparative Law (an independent institution under the Portuguese Prosecutor General’s Office) in the area of human rights. She holds a DES in international relations with a specialization in international law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. Ms. de Albuquerque was appointed in September 2008.
Learn more about the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and work, log on to: www.ohchr.org/SRwaterandsanitation
OHCHR Country Page – Senegal: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/SNIndex.aspx
SOURCE
United Nations – Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
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