Consultations on human rights and access to water

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is hosting a consultation on human rights obligations related to access to water and sanitation on 11 May 2007 in Geneva.

The Human Rights Council requested OHCHR to consult with States and other relevant stakeholders during the study’s preparation. Through the consultation, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights aims to:

1) Consult with a wide range of stakeholders on issues relevant to the study;

2) Gather inputs for the study from a range of different actors;

3) Discuss the scope and content of human rights obligations related to access to safe-drinking water and sanitation

The Consultation will be held in Geneva, in the Palais des Nations, Room XI, on 11 May 2007 from 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00.

Participants in the consultation will include representatives of States, inter-governmental organizations, civil society and business. The consultation is open and other organizations or individuals are welcome, subject to pre-registration by 1 May 2007. As such, representatives of organizations and individuals wishing to participate in the consultation must register with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights by 9 May 2007 at the latest.
To register, a representative should either fax or email to OHCHR a complete version of the registration form available which is provided for below. The email address for registration is: water@ohchr.org. The fax number is: +41 22 928 90 10 – please mark for the attention of Nathalie Mivelaz. OHCHR will then accredit each representative in time for the meeting.

A background paper and the agenda for the meeting will be available prior to the seminar on the OHCHR website. The working language of the seminar is English and there will be interpretation (English, French and Spanish). There will be no translation of documents.

Documents:

- Registration form
- Information note
- Agenda
- Guide to Discussion