DATE / TIME:

2013•11•25    17:30 - 20:30

Location:

Hamilton

The November session of the UNU-INWEH Another Drop Seminar Series will feature a panel discussion by Dr. Nancy Doubleday, Dr. Ross Pink, and Mr. Paul General on the right to water, sanitation, hygiene (WaSH), and its impact on health. Catarina de Albuquerque, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, will also debut a special virtual keynote address on this topic.

In 2010, the United Nations declared access to water and sanitation to be a human right. Yet despite this declaration, and the efforts of many NGOs and governments around the world, 780 million people remain without access to improved sources of drinking water and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation facilities (with nearly 1.2 billion people still practicing open defecation).

Water and sanitation are strongly linked to hygiene, and together they comprise WaSH (water supply, sanitation, and hygiene). WaSH problems are especially acute in low- and middle-income countries, which often lack the financial, human and infrastructure resources. There is a critical need, both in Canada and globally, to address the problem of inadequate supplies of clean, safe water in rural, remote communities in order to improve health and well-being.

If you would like to attend, RSVP to contact.inweh@unu.edu.

About the speakers

• Dr. Nancy Doubleday holds the Hope Chair in Peace and Health at McMaster University. In her career as a lawyer, she has contributed to development of international and domestic law embracing human rights, health and the environment.
• Dr. Ross Pink lectures in International Law at the University of Toronto and in International Relations at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He has designed and taught courses on water rights and development.
• Mr. Paul General is Wildlife Officer/Eco-Centre Manager at The Six Nations Wildlife Management Office and Six Nations Land Use Unit at the Six Nations Eco-Centre.
• Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque is the first UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation (formerly Independent Expert).

Visit the Another Drop Seminar Series page on the UNU-INWEH website for more information.