USHRN and Grassroots Groups Testified at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at a Thematic Hearing on the Human Right to Water
On October 23, 2015, grassroots organizations from all over the country gathered in Washington, DC to raise the issue of the human right to water and sanitation in the U.S. at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) 156th Session. Human Rights experts heard from communities directly affected by water and sanitation rights violations in the U.S. Learn more about the testifiers here. In addition to the hearing, there were productive meetings with HUD and the EPA on the human rights to water and sanitation, and we will continue to engage with them in the pursuit of ensuring the human rights to safe, clean, and affordable water and sanitation for everyone who resides in the U.S. A hearing request for a follow-up hearing specifically on the human rights to water and sanitiaiton in the U.S., with U.S. government representatives invited, for the 157th session of the IACHR in April 2016 was submitted on January 20, 2016.
Follow the conversation on Twitter @USHRN and #WaterIsAHumanRight and watch the video of the hearing: https://t.co/BNCbLSVYpE.
For more information, contact Rebecca Landy, USHRN Human Rights Outreach & Advocacy Manager: rlandy@ushrnetwork.org
Schedule:
Thursday, October 22, 2015
- 12:30-2:00pm Side Event: The Human Right To Water Crisis in The United States, Georgetown Law School
Friday, October 23, 2015:
- 1:00 -2:30pm - Side Event at United Methodist Building - 100 Maryland Ave NE, Room 1-2 Washington, DC 20002
- 4:15-5:00pm IACHR Thematic Hearing on the Right to Water in the Americas - 1859 F Street, N.W. Padilha Vidal Room (TL Level) Washington, DC 20006 (Livestream).
Resources/Press:
Inter American Commission for Human Rights Hearing Request on the Right to Water (July 2015)
International Human Rights Commission to Hold Hearing on Right to Water and Sanitation in U.S. (Sep, 2015 announcement)
Final General Human Rights Policy Asks for IACHR Week of Advocacy
IACHR Right to Water Coalition Schedule (October 2015)
Media Advisory - October 21, 2015
Press Release - October 22, 2015
"End the Shameful Violations of The Right to Water" Huffington Post by Ejim Dike and Wenonah Hauter
NPR Weekend Edition Story [minutes 1:54 -2:40]
"What if Your Tap Water was Too Polluted to Drink? The Nation
#WaterIsAHumanRight Storify - Collection of Tweets
Fact Sheets (1-pager | 2-pager)
Links to Partner Organizations:
The US Human Rights Network (USHRN)
UC Berkeley, School of Law, International Human Rights Law Clinic (IHRLC)
Community Based Advocacy Organization Signatories:
Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise Co. Inc.
The Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice
Detroit/Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW)
Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Massachusetts Global Action/Color of Water Project
The Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless
Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
National Economic & Social Rights Initiative
New Mexico Environmental Law Center
The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE), Northeastern University
Santa Clara University's International Human Rights Clinic School of Law
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Individuals and Law Firms/Legal Teams Signatories
Curtis Cooper, the Law Office of Curtis Cooper
Cynthia Soohoo, Associate Professor CUNY Law School
Edwards and Jennings PC
Lyda et al. v City of Detroit, Dept of Water and Sewage, Pro Bono Legal Committee
For more great photos of the hearing itself, go to the IACHR Flickr Page.
International Human Rights Commission to Hold Hearing on Right to Water and Sanitation on October 23, 2015
International Human Rights Commission to Hold Hearing on Right to Water and Sanitation on October 23, 2015
(Photo Credit: Daniel Cima / IACHR Flickr)
