Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Ethiopia: An International Human Rights Framework

Human rights are the legal claims that individuals have on society on the basis of being human. It is surprising then that water, a basic necessity to life, has only been explicitly recognized as a human right since 2002 by the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and since 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly. Recognition as a human right makes its fulfillment a duty of the state to its citizens, obligating steps towards implementation accountable to international law. Access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) would alleviate 10% of the global disease burden. The magnitude of its effect on health is seen clearly in Ethiopia where 60% to 80% of communicable diseases are attributable to limited access to WASH. Ethiopia has achieved MDG 7c for access to clean water supply and has made good progress on ending open defecation. However, its progress on handwashing lags far behind despite its cost-effectiveness. This is partly because of the differences in the codification of the rights to water, sanitation, and hygiene individually. This paper will examine the implications of the international law framework for WASH implementation in Ethiopia.