The human right to sanitation was recognized by the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council in 2010 and is starting to receive more attention. What does this recognition mean? What is the status of the human right to sanitation? Is it a new human right? Should it be understood as a distinct human right? – The presentation will address these questions and will situate the right to sanitation in the context of other human rights. It will also discuss different aspects of sanitation combining individual dignity and public health examining the role of the State in realizing human rights.
Inga Winkler is a human rights researcher and consultant and a scholar-in-residence at NYU's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. Since 2009, she has been working as Legal Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation. Inga has also worked as a consultant for various international organizations and NGOs including the European Parliament, FAO, UNDP, and the Global Initiative on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. She lectures regularly on human rights and has held appointments in Germany and in the US, in law and in political science. She has been in residence as a visiting scholar at Stellenbosch (South Africa) and Berkeley. Inga holds a German law degree and a doctorate in international human rights law. Her thesis focuses on the human right to water and its implications for water allocation. She has published and presented widely on human rights with a focus on socio-economic rights, human rights in development, UN human rights mechanisms, and substantive equality.