Master Classes 2023
Institutional Responsibility in the support of SDG 6 and the rights to water and sanitation
A Masterclass programme coordinated between HR2W, IWRA and WRC, May 2023
IWRA was pleased to announce the launch of a 5-module virtual masterclass event on Institutional Responsibility to support SDG 6 and the rights to water and sanitation. This masterclass series is will be offered in collaboration with Human Right 2 Water (HR2W) and South Africa’s Water Research Commission (WRC).
This five-module masterclass introduced the steps that authorities and businesses can take to understand how they can improve relationships with the community, engender innovative solutions to support sustainable development goals, track the key indicators for enabling SDG-target improvements, and support sustainable water management goals. It provided a practical approach for integrating a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to meet corporate sustainability due diligence standards, thereby improving access to water and sanitation and SDG 6 for all and employing a systematic process to include the needs of vulnerable members of the community. Ground-breaking rights-based indicators are demonstrated for monitoring purposes.
Modules
Hosted by the Water Research Commission and the South African Human Rights Commission, Luxon Nhamo, Samkelisiwe Hlophe-Ginindza and Yuri Ramkissoon
This class gave an introduction to the topic, SDG 6 and human rights; challenges to achieving 100% equitable access to water and sanitation; the responsibilities for businesses, water authorities, utilities and ministries for protecting human rights, with a focus on water and sanitation; the business case for taking a human rights-based approach, e.g. community support and innovation; how monitoring human rights indicators improves sustainability.
Hosted by the University of Bradford, Dr. Pedi Obani
This class gave an explanation of the criteria and principles in relation to SDG 6; Relevance of international human rights law for different types of institution; What are corporate due diligence laws for water and the environment; and Why it is important to integrate into national law and policy.
Hosted by International Water Law Expert, Raya Stephan
This class provided an understanding of the capacity gaps for realising HRWS; Causality, the difference between root causes and temporary solutions; Putting vulnerable people first (link to stakeholder engagement).
Hosted by Water Research Commission and the South African Human Rights Commission, Michelle Hiestermann and Yuri Ramkissoon
This class gave an introduction to stakeholder mapping from a human rights perspective; Non-discriminatory processes; Realising meaningful participation; Accountability and Transparency; Developing a stakeholder plan for project development; Systems for stakeholder feedback, grievance, and redress.
Hosted by the University of Bradford, Dr. Pedi Obani.
This class discussed: What are human rights indicators compared to performance indicators; Methodology for designing the priority indicators for monitoring; Engagement with stakeholders for validation and accountability; Monitoring and evaluation of human rights indicators.
Outcomes and Structure
Outcomes:
Participants gained practical knowledge, templates, ‘how-to’ guides, and exposure to good practices through interactive workshop sessions with other institutions and experts. One goal of the workshop was to set up a community of practice and develop examples of good practice and learning opportunities for sustainable investments in water and sanitation programmes using an HRBA.
Structure:
The series of five weekly classes that took place over five Wednesdays in May were divided into:
1. Public lectures: An hour long open lecture, where the lecturers shared their expertise on the subject; followed by,
2. Skill-building workshops: Each session ran for 90 minutes, where registered workshop participants explored the content of the lecture in depth using case-studies, examples, and experience.
