HRC BG

BITS Model United Nations 2018 BITSMUN/Background Guide/1
Distr.: General
Human Rights Council Date of Submission: 18.10.2018
Original: English
United Nations Human Right Council

BITS Model United Nations 2018, Hyderabad.
SUMBITTED IN ACCORDANCE TO THE AGENDA TABLE OF THE

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
1. Supporting Sustainable Return and Reintegration of Refugees and

Internally Displaced Persons.
2. Equitable Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation as a

Human Right
| The present document intends to make you aware of the background of the problem. Its content does
not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of The BITS Model
United Nations 2018. |
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All Copyrights Reserved by
| The BITS Model United Nations 2018 |
Report Prepared by:
The Executive Board
United Nations Human Rights Council
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
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SECTION I
A. RESEARCH SUGGESTION
1. Read the agenda guide, least 15 days prior to the conference and make a note of everything
that needs to be understood. Do read the background guide. In case of a crisis situation always
read and look for the analysis and plausible rationale on the updates that may be issued a week
before the mun.
2. Google/search everything and find relating documents (UN news articles, scholarly
articles) for whatever was not really understood.
3. After wholly understanding (subject to how in depth you wish to go for the research), try
understanding your allotted country’s perspective on the agenda.
4. Make the stance in accordance with the country’s perspective on the agenda which shall
also define your foreign policy (history, past actions etc.)
5. Understand the cues and hints that are given minutely in the background guide that may
come handy while presentation of contentions in committee.
6. Take a good look at the mandate of council as to what you can discuss and what you can do in
this council. This point is placed here, just because your knowledge base shouldn’t be limited to the
mandate of the council. Know everything; speak whatever the mandate allows.
7. Follow the links given alongside and understand why they were given. Read the endnotes
and references.
8. Predict the kind of discussions and on what sub topics can they take place, thereby
analyzing the sub topic research you have done and prepare yourself accordingly. Make a
word/pages document and put your arguments there for better presentation in council and bring a
hard copy of it to the committee.
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9. Ask the Executive Board your doubts, if you have any, least 7 days before the conference by
means of the given email id and make sure to not disclose your allotted country, until you want to
understand the policy of your country.
10. Download the united nations charter, the Geneva conventions of 1949 and additional
protocols there to and other relative treaties and documents given.
11. Ask questions regarding procedure to speak something etc., if you have any, on the day of
the conference.
B. NATURE OF PROOF AND EVIDENCE
Documents from the following sources will be considered as credible proof for any allegations
made in committee or statements that require verification:
 Reuters: Appropriate Documents and articles from the Reuters News agency will be used
to corroborate or refute controversial statements made in committee.
 UN Document: Documents by all UN agencies will be considered as sufficient proof. Reports
from all UN bodies including treaty-based bodies will also be accepted.
 Government Reports: Government Reports of a given country used to corroborate an
allegation on the same aforementioned country will be accepted as proof.
B. GUIDELINES FOR THE POSITION PAPER
A position paper is an introductory document which reflects your research and the
position of your country with regard to the agenda at hand. At a glance, it should make clear the
urgency of the matter and a wholehearted effort to resolve the same. The format of the Position
Paper should be as follows:
Name:
Committee: UNHRC
Agenda:
Country:
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The position paper begins after the above details and should not exceed 2 pages in Times
New Roman, 12 font, line spacing 1.5. All position papers should be submitted on the first
day of the conference. The paper should cover the following:
 Introduction to the Agenda

 Country position on the agenda
 Treaties and Conventions signed by the country with regard to the agenda
 Work done by country to combat the concerned problem and National Initiatives taken
up by the country
 Suggestions for the International Community
 Possible Solutions for implementation by the United Nations
Sample Position Papers can be found at the following link:

http://www.unausa.org/global-classrooms-model-un/how-to-participate/model-un-
preparation/position-papers/sample-position-paper
(NON SUBMISSION WILL RENDER YOU INELIGIBLE FOR ANY AWARDS IN THIS PARTICULAR
COMMITTEE)
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SECTION II
Supporting Sustainable Return and Reintegration of Refugees and

Internally Displaced Persons
A. UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Human rights are inalienable entitlements established not by law, but by human
birthright, and the history of human rights has been shaped by all major world events and by the
struggle for dignity, freedom and equality everywhere. However, it was only with the signing of
the Charter of the United Nations (1945), the subsequent establishment of the United Nations
(UN) in the shadow of World War II, and the call to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights,”
where human rights finally achieved formal, universal recognition. The UN has remained
committed to “promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental
freedoms for all” through charter-based and treaty-based mechanisms. Charter-based
mechanisms derive from the provisions of the Charter, most commonly as subsidiary bodies like
the Human Rights Council. Treaty-based mechanisms are the human rights covenants and
conventions, along with their respective treaty bodies, which take the force of law and monitor the
implementation of the provisions of the treaties. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR, 1948), a treaty-based mechanism, was adopted by the General Assembly as a “common
standard of achievement” for all peoples and countries to pursue the protection and promotion of
human rights. After decades of standing alone, this cornerstone document was joined by the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976), and the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and its two Optional Protocols to comprise the
International Bill of Rights. It was not just these documents which guided human rights in the UN
system, but also the Commission on Human Rights, which manifested as “the main subsidiary
organ of the United Nations dealing with human rights.
MANDATE
Recognizing the need to preserve and build on the Commission’s achievements and to
redress its shortcomings, the HRC was created to ensure stronger system-wide coherence and
preserve the value of human life “in larger freedom.” The Council was charged with, inter alia,
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assuming the roles and responsibilities of the Commission, promoting the full implementation of
human rights obligations, responding to human rights emergencies, undertaking a universal
periodic review, and making recommendations to States and the General Assembly (GA).
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B. IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS, TREATIES AND DOCUMENTS
Following is the list of documents that need to be perused by all delegates before they
come to the council, without which you may find yourself standing on shore, while the council will
sail away. Please understand that you need to know the following aspects regarding each of the
mentioned documents:
 The reason why this document exists (for e.g. the Geneva Conventions were enacted to lay
down the rules of war and for the treatment of all parties concerned in the wars.)
 The nature of the document and the force it carries, i.e. whether it is a treaty, a convention, a
doctrine, a declaration or a universally accepted custom or norm.
 The areas where the document can be applied or has jurisdiction on (for e.g. international
humanitarian law applies only to situations of armed conflict, whereas the human rights
laws applies at all times of war and peace alike.)
 The contents of the document at hand. You need not memorize any articles or rules of any
convention or treaty, but should know what the document has to say in various situations
that may arise in the council.
The following documents hold the international framework on human rights. Feel free to read the ones
which you feel is relevant to the agenda:
I. International Bill of Rights
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
 Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
 Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at
the abolition of the death penalty.
II. Universal Human Rights Instruments
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In addition to the International Bill of Rights and the core human rights treaties, there are
many other universal instruments relating to human rights. A non-exhaustive selection is listed
below.
Rights of Indigenous People
 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

 Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)
 Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic
Minorities
Prevention of Discrimination
 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)

 International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
 Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice
 Convention against Discrimination in Education
 Protocol Instituting a Conciliation and Good Offices Commission to be responsible for seeking a
settlement of any disputes which may arise between States Parties to the Convention against
Discrimination in Education
 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or
Belief
 World Conference against Racism, 2001 (Durban Declaration and Programme of Action)
Rights of the Women
 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW-OP)
 Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict
 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
Rights of the Child
 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography (CRC-OPSC)
 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in
armed conflict (CRC-OPAC)
 Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
Social Welfare, Progress and Development
 Declaration on Social Progress and Development

 Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition
 Declaration on the Use of Scientific and Technological Progress in the Interests of Peace and for the
Benefit of Mankind
 Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace
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 Declaration on the Right to Development
 Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights
 Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
 Principles relating to the status of national institutions (The Paris Principles)

 Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to
Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
 United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training
Slavery, Slavery-like Practices and Forced Labour
 Slavery Convention
 Protocol amending the Slavery Convention signed at Geneva on 25 September 1926
 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and
Practices Similar to Slavery
 Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution
of Others
 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,
supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
Rights of Migrants
 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of
Their Families (ICPMW)
 Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
Nationaliity, Statelessness, Asylum and Refugees
 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness

 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
 Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals who are not nationals of the country in which they
live
War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, including genocide
 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

 Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against
Humanity
 Principles of international co-operation in the detection, arrest, extradition and punishment of
persons guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity
 Statute of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
 Statute of the International Tribunal for Rwanda
 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
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Humanitarian Law
 Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War

 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
 Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of
Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I)
 Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of
Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II)
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SECTION III
Equitable Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation as a Human
Right
A. Introduction to the Agenda
A central practice to the United Nations is the protection of humanitarian rights. Article 14 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 it reads “Everyone has the right to seek and to
enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution,” and from this declaration the United Nations’
commitment to the protection and assistance of refugees, displaces persons, and asylum seekers
began. The United Nations uses the umbrella term of Persons of Concern to include refugees,
Internally Displaced People, Asylum seekers etc.
According to the United Nations statistics, there are around 68.5 million forcibly displaced
people in the world today, which is the largest number since the Second World War. This is a
testament to the amount of unrest in various parts of the world. Not only is taking care of these
refugees an important part that the United Nations Human Rights Council is closely associated to
but also the reintegration and return of these displaced people in a sustainable manner so as to
ensure that they can start their lives from where they left it off. Post-crisis refugees face what
UNHCR calls the four R’s (Repatriation, Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction). This
process of assisting the displaced population from an asylum country to a third country to help
them return to their homes, if safe, is integral to restore peace in post-conflict zones.
The countries hosting large refugee populations are usually themselves not just developing
but poor. Refugee hosting communities are in remote areas where high level of poverty prevails.
These countries need to be encouraged and supported in their receptivity to refugees. Hosting
refugee populations for protracted periods have long-term economic and social impact that, if not
adequately addressed, can create conflictual situations and insecurity.
Programs to return refugees and Internally Displaced People have not been huge successes in
the past because of multiple reasons, such as a lack of long-term plan and engagement by
implementing authorities, insufficient attention being given to urban areas and a flawed
assumption that reintegration means only restoring these people to their former lives, this leaves
far too many without viable futures.
It is important to remember that the places that these people are returning to have changed
in a lot of ways. These zones are generally characterized by lack of economic opportunities, a weak
governance and inadequate public service infrastructure. While reclaiming land or receiving
compensations for losses is important and an integral part, the challenge for most returnees is to
settle in a manner that they can maintain sustainable livelihood, have access to healthcare and
education. Hence, returning refugees and IDPs should be assisted for a sufficient amount of time.
For an international organization like the United Nations this might mean involving greater
flexibility and creativity for people returning to urban areas. In post-conflict situations, the
reintegration of returnees poses considerable challenge. After the initial assistance provided by
humanitarian actors, which is of an emergency nature, the subsequent process of reintegration to
longer-term reconstruction does not occur in a seamless fashion. In the politically fragile
environment which is characteristic of post-conflict situations, returnees are left in deprived
condition for extended periods without means and opportunities for the future. Many opt to return
to their country of asylum. This is the phenomenon of back-flows that is witnessed in repatriation
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operations when reintegration is not sustainable. To achieve a more equitable sharing of burdens
and responsibilities and to build capacities to receive and protect refugees and to resolve their
problems on a durable basis, one of the objectives for Protection is to use resettlement more
effectively as a tool of burden sharing.
There were more than 4.5 million returnees by the end of 2017, who needed to be
reintegrated into their former countries. The needs of refugees and returnees have not
systematically been incorporated in transition and recovery plans by governments concerned, the
donor community and the UN system. Refugees and returnees are often not part of the national
development planning. Ignoring the needs of displaced populations in development planning and
most importantly, their positive contribution to society may result in returnees becoming a
possible source of instability to the country’s rebuilding efforts.
Traditionally, the Office has exercised that responsibility most directly in relation to refugees.
Now that UNHCR has assumed an enhanced role in the inter-agency response to the challenges of
internal displacement, the Office is equally committed to the task of finding durable solutions for
IDPs. This will be done in partnership with national authorities and other key actors, whilst taking
account of the distinct features of the return and reintegration process for refugees and the
internally displaced
B. International Conventions and Treaties
1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 additional Protocol
In the aftermath of the Second World War, refugees were high on the international agenda,
The UN General Assembly Third Committee decided to set up the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees with effect from 1 January 1951. Initially set up for three years, the
High Commissioner’s mandate was regularly renewed thereafter for five-year periods until 2003,
when the General Assembly decided “to continue the Office until the refugee problem is solved”.
The origins of the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, which reflected recognition by
UNHCR and the States members of its Executive Committee that there was a disjuncture between
the universal, unlimited UNHCR Statute and the scope of the 1951 Convention, were quite different
from those of the latter. Instead of an international conference under the auspices of the United
Nations, the issues were addressed at a colloquium of some thirteen legal experts which met in
Bellagio, Italy, from 21 to 28 April 1965. The Colloquium did not favour a complete revision of the
1951 Convention, but opted instead for a Protocol by way of which States parties would agree to
apply the relevant provisions of the Convention, but without necessarily becoming party to that
treaty.
The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document. ‘Refugee’ and outlines the rights of the
displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them. According to the legislation,
States are expected to cooperate with The United Nations in ensuring that the rights of refugees
are respected and protected.
The Convention is sometimes portrayed today as a relic of the cold war and as inadequate in
the face of “new” refugees from ethnic violence and gender-based persecution. It is also said to be
insensitive to security concerns, particularly terrorism and organized crime, and even redundant,
given the protection now due in principle to everyone under international human rights law. The
Convention does not deal with the question of admission, and neither does it oblige a State of
refuge to accord asylum as such, or provide for the sharing of responsibilities
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United Nations Millennium Declaration
Article 26 of the United Nations Millennium Declaration stated that ‘to strengthen
international cooperation, including burden sharing in, and the coordination of humanitarian
assistance to, countries hosting refugees and to help all refugees and displaced persons to return
voluntarily to their homes, in safety and dignity and to be smoothly reintegrated into their
societies.’ This was one of the first times that the international community had discussed the
importance of reintegration of Internally Displaced People along with refugees.
UNHCR framework for Durable Solutions
In 2003, UNHCR developed a framework for “durable solutions” to refugee populations that
would spread the burden more evenly across member states. Recognizing that less-developed
countries receive the majority of refugees, the framework calls for more deliberate efforts to settle
conflicts so refugees can be repatriated in their country of origin. Failing that, the aim is to resettle
and integrate them into other countries, worldwide.
4Rs is a programme concept referring to the related repatriation, reintegration,

rehabilitation and reconstruction processes of a given operation and which aims to ensure
linkages between all four processes so as to promote durable solutions for refugees, ensure
poverty reduction and help create good local governance. The concept provides an overarching
framework for institutional collaboration in the implementation of reintegration operations
allowing maximum flexibility for field operations to pursue country specific approaches.
The report drew to the conclusion that, durable solutions for refugees cannot be attained by
UNHCR alone. This task requires UN system-wide consideration and systematic inclusion of this
group into the relevant planning and programming instruments. The aim of working in
partnership with the World Bank, bilateral development partners and the UN is that such a cross-
cutting concern will be seen as a collective task and that sister agencies, the donor and
development communities will inscribe this imperative on their agenda. In this way, the
opportunities could be maximised in better responding to the challenges inherent in refugee and
returnee issues today.
C. List of Significant Events
Case Studies
Afghanistan
Since 1980s, it is estimated that nearly one-third of the population has left the country for
short or long periods of times. Approximately 6 million fled to the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders
where they found shelter in internationally assisted camps or to Iran where they were allowed to
settle and work in urban area but were provided with very little international assistance Armed
resistance to Soviet Invasion and tribal conflicts to the Taliban, all these things have led to creation
of refugees and IPDs. Afghan returnees in the early 1990s, and after 2002 received short-term
resettlement packages from the UNHCR, which along with NGOs, also mounted agricultural and
community reconstruction projects. These investments, however, were woefully short of what was
required for Afghanistan for a long-term reintegration process. New investment is still blocked by
the lack of stringent security measures, compounding onto the problems being faced by the people.
The rural population of Afghanistan was greatly transformed as the population of Kabul became
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threefold over the period 2001-2007. A great number of refugees from Afghanistan lack private
property within the country. Due to this lack of facilities and opportunities, migration still persists
but the resistance to entry of Afghans has increased and the existing settlers in Pakistan and Iran
are facing great pressure to return. It is thus, widely believed that the country will experience a
continuous influx of returnees, and for that urban redevelopment has to be taken up as they will
become the centerpiece of economic opportunity in the coming years. Mobility to urban areas has
become a major coping mechanism to fight the problem of unemployment and lack of private
property ownership. The country as a whole is urbanizing but urban planning is all but absent.
Greater attention and support is necessary from both the National Government and the
Internaional Community in this area.
South Sudan
UNHCR achieved a major success in southern Sudan in supporting the voluntary repatriation
of more than 135,334 refugees between late 2005 and May 2008. This represented a significant
achievement. UNHCR’s contribution to return and reintegration should also be judged as a
significant part of a joint effort that has variously overseen the return of possibly two million
people to South Sudan since 2005 without an immediate crisis occurring.
Despite these positive findings, more could have been done, and it could have been done
better. The reasons for these shortcomings do not lie in a lack of planning, oversight or
commitment, but arise more from the inevitable pressure of maintaining, once started, a large
return operation, and from constraints such as the limited presence of partners, staffing turnover
and unpredictability of funding. The South Sudan programme has tended to focus on repatriation
and maintaining the numbers of returnees, while giving less emphasis to reintegration. An
insecure funding base tended to undermine strategic planning. Shortfalls often meant going
forward with only part of a plan, or made it necessary to cut short ongoing commitments. This has
compounded problems arising from the 3 scarcity of implementing partners and has complicated
working relations with other agencies. Protection has been insufficiently incorporated within the
reintegration operation. Despite strong initial inputs on key issues such as land and property, and
the development of community-based protection mechanisms, these were gradually de-prioritized
as the repatriation operation gained momentum.
Iraq
Large number of Iraqis had to flee the nation during the regime of Saddam Hussein, the US-
led invasion and the following ethnic and religious violence has led to large scale problem of
refugees and IDPs. As the war against ISIL draws to a slow close, people have started to trickle
back into the country. At such a time it is imperative that we look at the past mistakes and ensure a
more comprehensive solution. While certain aspects of the current crisis in Iraq certainly are
unique, many elements and their likely evolution still bear comparison with previous crises and
the international responses to them. A large number of refugees that left countries like Denmark in
early part of the 2000s, soon returned to asylum countries looking for refugee including issues as,
change in homeland, lack of political and social structures. Lack of jobs makes these returnees
more vulnerable and make the country into a post-conflict society.
All of these motivations or factors are present in differing forms in our empirical material.
They can thus be said to have contributed to the refugees’ decision to give up their repatriation to
Iraq and return to other countries as USA .Additionally, given that there are so many different
elements which contribute towards making repatriation untenable, it seems reasonable to state
that repatriation is a complex, many-faceted process whose success and durability depends on the
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combination of numerous factors.
The repatriation and reintegration of Iraqi refugee populations will represent one of the
major challenges facing the post-conflict governing structures in Iraq, as well as facing the
international community. If the Iraqi people demonstrate a commitment to heal the ethno-political
problems behind the current displacements, returns will contribute to the momentum necessary
for the country’s future reconciliation and stability. It is also important to ensure that the plan in
place for the return of these people is better thought off. It is recognized, however, that the
sustainability of returns, will depend on several factors, including the ability of the leadership in
Iraq to muster broad internal and external support, to maintain the territorial integrity of Iraq, to
establish a more representative political system and to defuse potential conflicts between religious
and ethnic groups. It will also depend on the scope of the institutional reforms undertaken, the
integration of existing institutions. One reason why refugees who repatriate may feel like outsiders
in their countries of origin, is that the remaining population in that country treats the returnees as
strangers or foreigners. Refugees may lack adequate information about the circumstances in their
countries of origin prior to their repatriation. A possible reason behind the lack of information
provided to refugees about their country of origin can be the inadequacy of official counseling
regarding the situation in the home country prior to repatriation, which leads them to not being
ready about the difficulties and ways in which the country has changed during the time that the
returning person was not there.
D. Bibliography
 http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
 http://popstats.unhcr.org/en/overview
 https://www.unhcr.org/5b2cfab97.pdf - a case study into the reintegration in Afghanistan
 http://www.unhcr.org/research/evalreports/48e47f972/evaluation-unhcrs-returnee-
reintegration-programme-southern-sudan.html?query=reintegration – a case study into the
reintegration in South Sudan
E. Further Reading and Research
 FRAMEWORK FOR DURABLE SOLUTIONS FOR REFUGEES AND PERSONS OF

CONCERN http://www.unhcr.org/partners/partners/3f1408764/framework-durable-
solutions-refugees-persons-concern.html
 http://www.unhcr.org/resettlement.html
 Preliminary Repatriation and Reintegration Plan for Iraq, April 2003

 http://www.unhcr.org/subsites/iraqcrisis/3ea9554e4/preliminary-repatriation-
reintegration-plan-iraq.html?query=reintegration
 Circular repatriation: the unsuccessful return and reintegration of Iraqis with refugee
status in Denmark http://www.unhcr.org/research/working/48eb34c72/circular-
repatriation-unsuccessful-return-reintegration-iraqis-refugee.html?query=reintegration
 International Law of Voluntary Repatriation

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http://www.unhcr.org/5ae079557.pdf
http://www.unhcr.org/419b79970.pdf
 UNHCR’s roles in supporting return reintegration of displaced population

http://www.unhcr.org/excom/standcom/47b06de42/unhcrs-role-support-return-
reintegration-displaced-populations-policy-
framework.html?query=reintegration%20of%20refugees
 http://www.unhcr.org/protection/migration/4ba09a4a9/10-point-plan-expert-
roundtable-no3-return-non-refugees-alternative-migration.html?query=reintegration
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SECTION IV
Abbreviations:
CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
CRC - Convention on the Rights of the Child
CRPD - Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
EECCA - Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia
HRC - Human Rights Council
ICCPR - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR - International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
JMP WHO/UNICEF - Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation
MDG - Millennium Development Goal
PWH - Protocol on Water and Health
UDHR - Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UNECE - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
WHO - World Health Organization
WSP - Water Safety Plans
A. Introduction to the Agenda
Why Water and Sanitation?
Water is the basis of any form of life. It is essential for human beings, animals and our
environment. Access to clean water and access to sanitation are inseparably combined since both
are needed for a life in dignity and the lack of one component leads to an aggravation of the other.
Many human rights cannot be enjoyed without water, such as the right to an adequate standard of
living and the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. The execution
of other rights is also dependent on the right to water and sanitation.
Water is high on the international agenda since globally approximately 884 million people
lack access to improved water sources and over 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic
sanitation. Furthermore, the reduction of people without access to water and sanitation is one
target (7 C) of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals were set by
world leaders in 2000 committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce poverty.
What is a Human Right?
Human rights are universal legal guarantees protecting individuals and groups against
actions (as well as omissions) which interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity.
Some of the most important features of human rights are:
• They are internationally guaranteed;
• They are universal;
• They are legally protected;
• They protect individuals and groups (rights);
• They obligate states and state actors (duties);
• They cannot be waived/taken away;
• They are equal and non-discriminatory;
• They are interdependent and indivisible.
| 19 |
Human rights standards are made by states, in the case of codification texts are negotiated
and agreed upon by states in various forums. Human rights are laid down either in customary law
or treaty law and other types of instruments. Customary international law as well as treaty law are
legally binding for states, in the case of treaties only so far as the state is a party to the respective
treaty. Other types of legal instruments, such as declarations, recommendations, bodies of
principles, codes of conduct and guidelines are not legally binding, but serve as guidance to states
and bear a moral force.
Obligations, Implementation and Monitoring
States have the obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights. The obligation to
respect human rights requires that states refrain from interfering directly of indirectly with the
enjoyment of the rights. To protect rights means that states haveto prevent third parties from
interfering in any way with the enjoyment of rights. And the obligation to fulfil requires states to
adopt all necessary measures directed towards the full realisation of the rights. States have to
engage proactively in activities that strengthen peoples’ access to and the use of resources to
ensure the full enjoyment of human rights. At the individual level, while we are entitled to our
human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others. Art. 2 (1) of the International
Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) provides that states have the obligation
of “progressive realisation” of human rights, which means that states have to take steps using all
their available resources to achieve the realization of the rights contained in the Covenant.
This can vary according to time and available resources, but efforts should be constant and
continuing. The enjoyment of human rights requires the monitoring of their implementation by
different actors on different levels. National actors can be government agencies, national human
rights institutions, NGOs, the judiciary, parliament and the media.
Internationally, this role can be taken up by international NGOs and the United Nations.
The UN undertakes monitoring in two ways:
• “conventional” (treaty-based) monitoring exercised by treaty based bodies mainly through

analysing periodic reports submitted by state parties and by individual complaints submitted to
these bodies; and
• “extra-conventional” (Charter-based) monitoring based on procedures established by the

Human Rights Council through individual complaints or special mechanisms, that examine the
situation of human rights in specific countries or related to specific issues, e.g. to water and
sanitation.
Why Is It Important to Know Your Rights?
Since access to water and sanitation is now clearly a right and not a matter of charity it
means for individuals (or also a group of individuals) to hold a claim. This claim corresponds with
a duty on the other side, the state. In order to claim a right one needs to know what the right is
about and what it entails. It is also important to know where the right comes from and which
development it has undergone. The same knowledge is essential for monitoring human rights,
which is crucial for their implementation and can only be performed by an informed and
committed civil society.
In addition, a basic knowledge of the human rights framework is essential to understand how
| 20 |
human rights work. Several principles are inherent to the human rights framework, in particular
these are the principles of non-discrimination, public participation and accountability.
B. The Right to Water and Sanitation
History and Development
Several treaties contain rights that are closely linked or contain indirectly the right to water
and sanitation. These are the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) in Art. 14 (2) (h), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Art. 24 (2)
(c) and the Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Art. 28 (2) (a).
However, the first treaty that contained the right to water and sanitation within the content
of two other basic human rights, was the ICESCR of 1966 . Art. 11 (1) ICESCR guarantees “the right
of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food,
clothing and housing” which contains the right to water and sanitation. And Art. 12 (1) ICESCR
provides for “the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical
and mental health.” Therefore, these two provisions have historically been quoted mostly when
referring to the existence of a right to water and sanitation.
This was manifested with the provision of guidelines on the right to water as a component of
Art. 11 ICESCR by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2002 General
Comment No. 15. Article 2 of the General Comment sets out specific criteria that define the right
precisely: “the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe (quality), acceptable,
physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses.” Originally, the stress
was on the right to water. The Guidelines on the “Realization of the Right to Drinking Water and
Sanitation” of 2005 start using these criteria for the right to sanitation respectively.
On the regional level, the UNECE Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on
the Protection and Use of Trans-boundary Watercourses and International Lakes of 1999 refers
strongly to the existence of a right to water and sanitation. In particular the general provisions of
Article 4 call upon states to provide for adequate water supply and adequate sanitation facilities.
Article 5 (principles and approaches) includes some of the cross-cutting criteria that are now part
of the content building body of the human right to water and sanitation.
On 1 November 2008, Catarina de Albuquerque took up her functions as the Independent

Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and
sanitation. Since then the development of the human right to water and sanitation accelerated and
its content was shaped more clearly. Furthermore, her work has been highlighting the inevitable
link between the right to water and the right to sanitation.
In July 2010 the right to water and sanitation got recognised by the UN General Assembly
(A/RES/64/292) and in October 2010 the Human Rights Council (HRC) affirmed it
(A/HRC/RES/15/9) so that the right is now legally binding. The HRC resolution not only provides
the legal basis for the right to water and sanitation, but also recognises that it is inextricably
related to the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as well as the
right to life and human dignity, both codified in the ICESCR.
Content of the Right
General Comment No.15 still serves as a basis for defining the content and the scope of the
| 21 |
human right to water and sanitation. The Independent Expert on Water and Sanitation further
developed these criteria: 5 of which are normative criteria (availability, accessibility,
quality/safety, affordability, acceptability), and 5 are cross-cutting ones (non-discrimination,
participation, accountability, impact, sustainability).
In international law the interpretation of these criteria is still quite wide and open and varies
which is reflected in the overview below. However, when looking at the cross-cutting criteria it
becomes obvious that they all require proper public participation. Without the information, the
inclusion and participation of the public the cross-cutting criteria cannot be met.
Normative Criteria
First, the right is characterised by availability, i.e. one should have access to a sufficient
amount of water in a reliable and continuous way (absolute WHO minimum 7.5 litres per capita
per day) . Furthermore, a sufficient number of sanitation facilities (with associated services)
should be available within, or in the immediate vicinity, of each household, health or educational
institution, public institution and the workplace.
The physical accessibility is one of the core concepts. According to the Independent Expert on
Water and Sanitation facilities for sanitation and water must be within, or in the immediate
vicinity, of each household, health or educational institution, public institution and the workplace.
In some cases in the EECCA (Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia) region, water sources
are remote in more than one kilometre from the house, which leads to unsafe water storage
practices. Additionally, people have to walk long ways to reach the source. This criterion calls for a
water source that can be reached within less than 30 minutes of walk and closer than 1 kilometre.
This is important, in particular for women, as they face particular dangers on a long way from
home. For sanitation facilities this criterion has to be interpreted even stricter, since they have to
be accessible easily day and night. In particular for women, the risks to the physical health should
be minimal when using the toilet.
The third criterion is safety/quality. Water and sanitation should be hygienically and
technically safe, i.e. there should be no threat to human health. This criterion is meant as safeguard
to protect the population from the consumption of polluted water or from insanitary facilities and
includes the regular maintenance and cleaning of the facilities. It also requires taking into account
the special needs of people with disabilities and children. Special requirements of women for
menstrual hygiene, such as the provision for hygienic disposal of sanitary towels, tampons or other
menstrual products, also have to be ensured.
The acceptability implies that water should be culturally and socially acceptable. Depending
on the different cultures this includes privacy, separate facilities for women and men and specific
hygienic requirements, including menstruation needs. Water should also have an acceptable
colour, odour and taste. Finally, water and sanitation facilities must be affordable for everyone.
This requires that water and other related services as well as the use of sanitation facilities should
match the paying ability of local people. The paying ability of people for these services should not
limit their capacity to acquire other basic goods and services, such as food, housing, health and
education. Furthermore, support for the poorest should be granted, e.g. by social tariffs or cross-
subsidies.
Cross-cutting Criteria
The cross-cutting criteria, such as non-discrimination, participation, accountability, impact

| 22 |
and sustainability, also have to be considered.
Non-discrimination is central to human rights. Discrimination is prohibited on grounds of

race, sex, age, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth and disability. In
order to avoid discrimination most marginalised and vulnerable or socially excluded groups have
to be addressed specifically, inter alia, by positive measures. In particular, this means focussing on
women, children and disabled people.
Participation is also a key principle of the human rights framework and itself one cross-
cutting criterion. All processes related to the planning, the design, the construction, the
maintenance and the monitoring of water and sanitation services should be participatory. This
includes the right to any information related to these issues, as well as the participation in the
different decision-making processes and the consideration of such when taking decisions. It is
important to include representatives of all concerned individuals, groups and communities in the
participatory processes. In order to guarantee meaningful public participation training and
capacity-building are essential. As already laid down in the Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development (1992) sustainable solutions are best found with the participation of all concerned
citizens.
Furthermore, responsive and accountable institutions are required for proper

implementation of the right to water and sanitation. A clear structure of responsibilities and
coordination mechanisms between all different state and non-state actors in the field of water and
sanitation have to be provided. Here again communities on all levels should provide access to
information and should be able to participate in the decision-making processes related to the
issues of water and sanitation. Furthermore, they shall be part of the monitoring and evaluation
which play a significant role in securing accountability. Accountability also includes the right to
accessible and effective judicial or other appropriate remedies in a case of violation.
Impact and sustainability are the final two criteria. Good practices in water and sanitation
have to be economically, environmentally and socially sustainable and their impact must be
continuous and long-lasting.
Examples of Good Practice
There are many examples of good practices and the Independent Expert on Water and Sanitation
collected cases from all over the world. One of the good practice solutions developed within
WECF’s network is as follows
Water related
In many rural areas citizens depend for their drinking water on unprotected water sources and
hence depend on unsafe drinking water. The World Health Organisation (WHO) initiated the Water
Safety Plan (WSP) approach. The WSP focuses on the safety of all different aspects of water supply,
which can vary from a large-scale supply providing water to several millions of consumers to a
small-scale system, e.g. a bucket well.
The WSP is a concept to develop a process-orientated observation of the water supply with the
goal to identify and eliminate all possible risks in the entire water supply system: from potential
risks of water pollution in the catchment area all the way along the line to the consumers.
Since several years Women in Europe for a Common Future, WECF, in cooperation with local
| 23 |
partners, has been observing and monitoring water pollution of small-scale water supply systems
such as dug wells, in rural areas of the EECCA region. WECF’s experience shows that the proof of
severe anthropogenic pollution of drinking water via water tests does not automatically trigger
any action by local or regional authorities to start water protection measures. To address the
above-mentioned problems and aims, WECF created an educational package (WSP toolbox) for
schools to develop community based WSP for local small-scale water supply systems such as dug
wells, boreholes and public taps. The aim of the activities on developing WSP for small-scale water
supply systems involving schools was building local capacity and strengthening and mobilising the
community for improved access to safe drinking water. WECF’s WSP toolkit provides schools and
other stakeholders with a WSP manual containing background information about the aims of the
WSP, about properties of drinking water and sources of pollution and related health risks. The
toolkit includes questionnaires for collecting information from citizens, local health authorities and
local authorities responsible for water sources. Further, the toolkit includes sanitary inspection
forms on the current state and potential risks of (private) wells, and materials and instructions for
carrying out simple water tests. WSP were carried out in 2008/9 by 8 schools in Romania. In
2009/2010 schools in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova started with developing WSP for their villages.
C. What to Do with Your Right on Water and Sanitation?
Once one knows his/her rights one can make use of them. This includes different steps:
firstly, awareness of human rights within the public domain is a general prerequisite of using them.
Therefore, it is important to raise the awareness of human rights in general, and the right to water
and sanitation in particular.
This can be reached by, inter alia, initiating a campaign. Secondly, violations of the right have
to be identified and the duty bearer, the state (at national, regional and local level) has to be made
aware of taking on its responsibilities (monitoring). And thirdly, the right can be claimed before
different forums, the last resort is a legal case against the respective state. At national level this
might be possible depending on the respective national legislation, at international level there are
different mechanisms in place, no real legal complaint is yet possible to claim a violation of the
right to water and sanitation. Possible international interventions are the following: Providing
information about the implementation of the right to the Independent Expert on Water and
Sanitation 29 who might be inclined to take up a country visit and report about the situation of the
right in the respective country to the HRC. Furthermore, civil society has the possibility to report
about the situation of the right to UN bodies via the reporting system.
Countries do have to report on a regular basis to different committees of treaty-based bodies

on the implementation of the commitments they have made by ratification or accession of/to
specific treaties, e.g. to the Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. At this point
civil society has the opportunity to provide input on the status of the right to water and sanitation
or to present its own shadow report. The individual complaint procedure is not yet open for
violations of rights under the ICESCR. However, the Optional Protocol 30 to the ICESCR, which
allows for individual communications to the Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, has been adopted in 2008, but has not yet entered into force.
Awareness, Education, and Advocacy
In the beginning most practicable is awareness raising and monitoring of the right. Awareness
raising on the right to water and sanitation helps to promote the visibility of the right and the
knowledge about it. For the newly established human right to water and sanitation this is essential
| 24 |
for it to come to life. Awareness- raising includes the elements of education and advocacy. A
common medium to raise awareness is a campaign with the aim to achieve long-term benefits by
means of changes.
A campaign consists of the following key elements:
• Identify priorities and researching the issues;

• Mobilising support and shaping a message;
• Informing the public (education);
• Lobbying decision-makers (advocacy).
D. Case Study
Nicaragua: Gender Equality as a Condition for Access to Water and Sanitation
Challenges:
In Nicaragua, 43 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, and only 46 per cent of this
subset has access to potable water and sanitation. The departments of Leon and Chinandega are
characterized by vast underground water sources; however, the population and local authorities
emphasize water scarcity as the main problem. This issue has been aggravated by population
growth and the inherited environmental deterioration resulting from agricultural
industrialization.
In the latter part of 1998, Hurricane Mitch hit Nicaragua, leaving in its wake more than 4,000
deaths. Leon and Chinandega, located in the northeastern region of the country, were the most
affected and to this day still bear the signs of tragedy. By 1999, the rural communities of this area
faced a double tragedy: a period of drought (characteristic of the area) and high levels of
contamination of the scarce water sources. For the members of the communities located in this
area, the transport, use and management of water resources, as well as sanitation activities, were
considered the responsibility of women and children. During this period there were no
mechanisms that supported gender equality to accomplish these tasks or social recognition of the
problems the women faced as they conducted these activities.
Programme/Projects
The human and environmental impact and the losses due to Mitch resulted in the creation
and expansion of several institutional programmes in the area. CARE-Leon already had expertise in
water and sanitation and health education, thanks to their implementation of an earlier Water,
Latrines and Sanitation Project (PALESA I), from 1995 to 1998. In early 1999, the Water and
Sanitation Programme (AGUASAN) of the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (COSUDE)
began a partnership with the Leon Office of CARE International in Nicaragua, to implement the
second phase of the project (PALESA II) and later continued with the implementation of the
PALESA III project between 2002 and 2003. The goal of this project was to exercise the right and
access to water for the 17,000 inhabitants living in the 45communities of these two Nicaraguan
departments. It sought to achieve this goal through the construction of latrines and new water
systems. PALESA II was characterized by an institutional commitment of both agencies to gender
equality, which was deemed a priority in order to achieve the main project’s goal of improving the
rural population’s quality of life. Gender inequalities were identified as a challenge to overcome in
order to initiate community participation and to improve the project’s sustainability. Promoters of
the project, both women and men, lived in the community three days out of each week in order to
| 25 |
gain the trust of all community members. They waited for the time when men would be
home(usually in the afternoon) and distributed invitations to the community assembly by sectors.
Promoters also recorded the gender inequalities found in the use, transport, and management of
water. A gender sensitization workshop was launched to teach both men and women about the
importance of their integration into the planning, organization, direction, construction, and
administration of water systems. After conducting three sessions (one consisting of only females,
one of males, and one mixed), men’s perceptions about the use of potable water and sanitation
changed. This resulted in more than 85 per cent of the 687 male participants understanding that
handmade wells may not be secure sources of potable drinking water. They also accepted that
household connections would benefit the community at large, both women and men.
Outcomes
Increased involvement: The gender workshops conducted in 2001 and 2002 with women
and men guaranteed greater women’s participation (56 per cent). Women were elected to more
than 70 per cent of the committees’ posts and gained posts which were previously filled by men,
such as coordinators, vice-coordinators and financial managers. Women’s participation in training,
operation and maintenance of the 276 water works was encouraged, resulting in a 37 percent
participation rate of women. Once the water systems were installed, the female leadership with its
capacity and quality moved to other initiatives.
Education: Discussions about sex, gender roles, self-esteem, identity, rights and commitments
benefited women directly. Moreover, the discussions also changed men’s perceptions about the
management and use of water. The methodology utilized in the education and training component
increased the knowledge and the information levels of women living in rural areas, who were
previously in a disadvantaged position.
Conclusion
The human right to water and sanitation is still new and needs interpretation as well as
implementation in order to come to life. For different countries different solutions are appropriate,
but a certain common standard is essential as human rights are universal. However, when taking a
practical approach on the realisation of human rights many different tools and ways are available
and possible based on local needs, capacities and resources.
| 26 |
References
1 WHO/UNICEF, Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water, 2010 Update.

2 Ibid.
3 As defined by WHO and UNICEF, ibid.
4 Customary international law develops through a general and consistent practice of states
because of the belief and sense
of legal obligation.
unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/a5458d1d1bbd713fc1256cc400389e94?Opendocument.
5 Treaty law as compiled in treaties, conventions and covenants, such as the ICCPR or ICESCR.
6 See annex.
7 There are nine treaty-based bodies that monitor the implementation of the nine core human
rights treaties, such as the
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination Against Women.
8 Such as the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe
drinking water and sanitation.
9 See annex.
10 See annex.
11 See here
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/a5458d1d1bbd713fc1256cc400389e94?Opendocument .
12 Commission on Human Rights, Guidelines on the Realization of the Right to Drinking Water and
Sanitation, 2005.
13 See annex.
14 See annex.
15 Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access of safe drinking
water and sanitation, see at
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/water/Iexpert/ - further referred to as the Independent
Expert on Water and Sanitation.
16 See annex.
17 WHO, Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, Vol.1, 3 edition, 2008, p. 90 (see for full document
here http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/gdwq3rev/en/)
18 Report of the independent expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to
safe drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque, A/HRC/15/31, 29.6.2010, p.16 (see
http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/6920173.76422882.html).
19 Ibid., p.16.
20 WHO, The Right to Water, 2003.
21 Report of the independent expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to
safe drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque, A/HRC/15/31, 29.6.2010, p.16 (see
here http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/6920173.76422882.html
22 Statement by the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access
to safe drinking water and
sanitation at the 65th session of the General Assembly (A/65/254), 2010.
23 Ibid.
24 See:
| 27 |
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?documentid=78&articleid=1163.
25 See here
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/water/iexpert/stakeholders_questionnaire.htm.
26 See here http://www.wecf.de/english/publications/2008/wspmanuals-revised.ph.
27 For the WSP manual see here http://www.wecf.eu/english/publications/2008/wspmanuals-
revised.php
http://www.wecf.eu/download/2009/July/WP-153WSPengl.DruckkomplettfrInternet.pdf ; for a
case study on the results of WSP involving schools in Romania see here
http://www.wecf.eu/download/2010/03/wsp_romania.pdf
28 For definitions of wat/san categories see http://www.wssinfo.org/definitions-
methods/watsan-categories/.
29 Part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.
30 See here for more information http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/index.htm.
31 Sayers, Richard, Principles of Awareness-raising, UNESCO, Bangkok 2006, p.21.
32 Fan Global, Rights to Water and Sanitation, A Handbook for Activists, 2010, p.21 and Statement
by the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe
drinking water and sanitation at the 65th session of the General Assembly (A/65/254), 2010.

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BITS Model United Nations 2018 BITSMUN/Background Guide/1

United Nations Human Right Council

SUMBITTED IN ACCORDANCE TO THE AGENDA TABLE OF THE

1. Supporting Sustainable Return and Reintegration of Refugees and

2. Equitable Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation as a

All Copyrights Reserved by

| The BITS Model United Nations 2018 |

Report Prepared by:

The Executive Board

United Nations Human Rights Council

B. NATURE OF PROOF AND EVIDENCE

B. GUIDELINES FOR THE POSITION PAPER

 Introduction to the Agenda

Sample Position Papers can be found at the following link:

Supporting Sustainable Return and Reintegration of Refugees and

A. UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

B. IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS, TREATIES AND DOCUMENTS

I. International Bill of Rights

 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

II. Universal Human Rights Instruments

Rights of Indigenous People

 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)

Rights of the Women

 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

Rights of the Child

 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Social Welfare, Progress and Development

 Declaration on Social Progress and Development

Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

 Principles relating to the status of national institutions (The Paris Principles)

Slavery, Slavery-like Practices and Forced Labour

Nationaliity, Statelessness, Asylum and Refugees

 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness

War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, including genocide

 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

 Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War

B. International Conventions and Treaties

1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 additional Protocol

UNHCR framework for Durable Solutions

4Rs is a programme concept referring to the related repatriation, reintegration,

C. List of Significant Events

E. Further Reading and Research

 FRAMEWORK FOR DURABLE SOLUTIONS FOR REFUGEES AND PERSONS OF

 Preliminary Repatriation and Reintegration Plan for Iraq, April 2003

 International Law of Voluntary Repatriation

 UNHCR’s roles in supporting return reintegration of displaced population

A. Introduction to the Agenda

Why Water and Sanitation?

What is a Human Right?

Obligations, Implementation and Monitoring

The UN undertakes monitoring in two ways:

• “conventional” (treaty-based) monitoring exercised by treaty based bodies mainly through

• “extra-conventional” (Charter-based) monitoring based on procedures established by the

Why Is It Important to Know Your Rights?

B. The Right to Water and Sanitation

History and Development

On 1 November 2008, Catarina de Albuquerque took up her functions as the Independent

Content of the Right

The cross-cutting criteria, such as non-discrimination, participation, accountability, impact

Non-discrimination is central to human rights. Discrimination is prohibited on grounds of

Furthermore, responsive and accountable institutions are required for proper

Examples of Good Practice