Sanitation as a Human Right and its Effective Inclusion in the Legal and Institutional Framework of Mexico

Abstract

Sanitation is a human right recognized internationally and nationally. As such, one of the main challenges for States is to achieve progressive realization. However, Mexico faces various problems in addressing sanitation issues, such as technical, sociodemographic, budgetary, institutional, and regulatory issues, which make it challenging to comply with this right, implying that the approaches to address this problem can vary. This work focuses on analyzing the inclusion of the human right to sanitation (DHS, by its initials in Spanish) in public policies in Mexico, specifically in the legal and institutional framework, following international standards to guarantee the effective implementation of this right. We carried out a documentary review that included specialized literature on public policies on sanitation, as well as government reports and legal documents. Among the main results, we found that it is necessary to 1) socialize the definition of sanitation as an autonomous human right that deserves the same attention as other human rights; 2) equitably include all elements of DHS in Mexican legislation; and 3) evaluate the implementation of DHS, both nationally and locally.