SIDE EVENT: RIO + 20

HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITATION: THE CHALLENGE OF IMPLEMENTATION

Remote participation available through twitcam @Fundacion_CEDHA @ECOJURE

Date & Time Slot: Venue (tentative):

16 Jun 2012, 13:30 15:00 T-5 (Rio Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Description of the Workshop

In 2010 the UN General Assembly recognized access to water and sanitation as a human right. In this way crowned the evolution from the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights Observation N 15 as landmark definition of human right to water and sanitation (2002). Although UN has recently recognized good performance of MDGs targets on water and sanitation, in the current context where there are some 2600 million people without access to water and sanitation, the issue of implementation entails a major challenge. From this perspective, this aims not only to take a snapshot of current legal framework, but much more to analyze the complex and diverse realities being faced by governments regarding implementation of such an important right .From the budget constraints of a world in crisis, to participation of non-state actors (as NGOs, water companies), considering available short-term solutions to ensure universal service.

Against this background, the question of implementation requires a pragmatic view based on a rights-perspective to understand what actions should be developed by different actors (governments, business, civil society) at the time to comply, as well as which consequences may arise from lack of implementation or significant delays.

Tentative Agenda
13:30 13:40 Introduction Presentation - Workshop Objectives 13:40 13:55 Efrain Pea Moreno (World League of Environmental Lawyers, LIMAA) The governance of groundwater as a determinant for the human right to water 13:55 14:05 Daniel Taillant (CEDHA) Human Rightsto glaciers?. 14:05 14:15 Cassia Mara Lie Ugaya (UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative) Where's the water?: Water Life Cycle Assessment in LAC 14:15 14:30 Mariana Valls/Alejandro Rossi (ECOJURE) Right to water and sanitation: Exploring the frontiers of enforcement. 14:30 15:00 Discussion

Target Audience
Policy makers, community representatives, civil society organizations, corporate actors, interested or concerned with water sector.

Host Organizations:
The Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA) is a non-profit organization, created in 1999, which aims to build a more harmonious relationship between the environment and people. One of its programs, CEDHAs Legal & Legislative Clinic, is a laboratory of public interest litigation and judicial reflection that works real cases of Human Rights violations resulting from environmental degradation or non-sustainable management of natural resources. This Clinic has an active career in the defense and promotion of the human right to ECOJURE is a newly released think tank focused on water. better addressing technical, institutional and legal approach to sustainable development, accelerating timetables for implementation of MDGs, promoting successful good practices and contributing for an upgraded social approach to growing vulnerability of the poor.

www.cedha.org.ar

www.ecojure.org

Presenters:
Efran Pea Moreno is International Affairs Coordinator of the World League of Environmental Lawyers - LIMAA, Consultant for IDB on issues related to energy efficiency and climate change, Attorney for the Americas of the RAMSAR Convention and Academic Director of the REUNIDA. In his private practice is the Regional Director for Central America and the Caribbean of the Mexican consulting firm SECJA S.A. Jorge Daniel Taillant is founder and Executive Director of the Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA). He has worked for organizations such as the World Bank, EU and United Nations. He coordinates CEDHAs Mining, Environment and Human Rights Program, focusing on improving access to justice in mining conflicts to reduce social and environmental impact of mining, while also assuring more efficient public policy to control and regulate mining. Cassia Maria Lie Ugaya works as Professor at Federal Technological University of Parana (UTFPR) Dr. in LCA theme, MSc. Energy Planning and Mechanical engineer. She is founder of the Ibero American Life Cycle Network and the Brazilian Life Cycle Association. Member of the International Life Cycle Board of the UNEP and SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. Co-author of Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessent and coeditor of Towards Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, both published by UNEP and SETAC. Mariana Valls is founder and President of ECOJURE, author of book Environmental Law: great environmental problems to be faced by Argentina at the end of the sicle (1999), co-Editor of specialized journal www.eldial.com. She has been co-founder of Argentinean Lawyers Network for Environmental Defense (RADA), member of the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL), Director of Environmental Regulations of Argentina and Coordinator of the Federal Commission of Investigation on Agrochemical Substances. Alejandro Rossi is an attorney, and has focused his career on environmental management. He served as Secretary General of the Matanza Riachuelo River Basin Authority (ACUMAR), Programme Manager of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Argentina, and Chief Technical Advisor of UNEP-UNOPS Project for Technical Assistance for Environmental Impact Assessment of mining projects in Peru. Nowadays, he is Executive Director of ECOJURE.

Contacts:
ECOJURE: CEDHA: Alejandro Rossi: alejandro@ecojure.org Tel (+54) 911 4417 5890 Juan Picolotti: jpicolotti@cedha.org.ar Tel (+54) 9 351 642 2654 Alejandro Vera: alejandro@cedha.org.ar Tel (+ 54) 9 351 311 6946