Rights to water and sanitation : a handbook for activists

The purpose of this handbook is to help civil society and those working on water and sanitation issues to adopt a human rights-based approach to advocacy, so that they can improve water and sanitation service regulation and provision at international, national and local levels. It begins with a brief introduction to the legal basis and content of the human right to water and sanitation and the obligations that governments and other actors hold. Chapter 2 introduces the reader to the steps necessary in planning an advocacy campaign. Chapter 3 describes a number of different advocacy ‘tactics’ or ‘activities’ that could be used on an advocacy campaign, including: lobbying; using media and communications; public campaign/popular mobilisation; capacity building; legal advocacy/litigation; and building networks and coalitions. For each tactic or activity a case study is provided. An appendix includes a list of international commitments, an example of a press statement and a lobbying letter, a list of resources. The handbook is aimed primarily at community groups, human rights NGOs, rights-based development practitioners and aid workers.