Human Rights & Systemic Approach

Since June 2022, GTO has been part of the Global WASH Program of Malteser International. Alongside WASH United and partner organizations UNNATI in India, RSDC in Nepal, and Cafomi/Viva con Aqua in Uganda, GTO is committed to making the human right to water and sanitation a lived reality through a systemic approach. The geographical focus includes the city of Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan, India, the Sarlahi and Mahottari districts in Nepal, and the Ntoroko and Bundibugyo districts in Uganda. The consortium connects existing methods and, in collaboration with all partners, develops a new approach in a global learning process that will be shared internationally. This approach brings about a change in the perspective on development cooperation, requiring a new mindset from all involved parties.

The role of GTO is primarily to contribute expertise in systemic approaches, supporting the participatory nature and networking of the project. The systemic approach, for us, means understanding WASH as a service for citizens, composed of various components, ensuring a long-term and more independent WASH supply. Examples of these components include financing, monitoring systems, environmental aspects, as well as infrastructure that considers supply chains. If you are interested in the topic in detail, you can complete the IRC WASH Systems Academy, which provides insight into the basic principles and one of the many systemic approaches.

The human right to water and sanitation serves as a starting point to ensure secure access to water and adequate sanitation. However, currently, over 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to clean drinking water, and over 4 billion people lack secure sanitation. Deficiencies in India, Nepal, and Uganda are evident in various ways, despite all three countries having signed the human rights to water and sanitation.

In India, the project focuses on improving the living conditions of informal workers in the waste and sanitation sectors. In Uganda, work is carried out in a predominantly rural context on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, often reliant on humanitarian assistance. The project region in Nepal, bordering India, is densely populated but more rural and prone to natural disasters. Structural challenges exist in all contexts.

The Global Program combines the Making-Rights Real (MRR) approach and WASH System Strengthening to specifically ensure WASH measures for the realization of water and sanitation services for all. The goal is to foster stronger and engaged governments, civil society organizations, and communities that understand and acknowledge the contribution that approaches to realizing WASH services can make, working together towards this common goal.