Glass Half-Full or Glass Half-Empty? A human rights assessment of the WASH targets in the SDGs

The human rights community has engaged at an unprecedented level in the elaboration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the water and sanitation targets. The SDGs have given rise to a complex ecosystem of instruments, documents and initiatives undertaken by different actors at various levels. The article examines these various instruments and processes to assess whether they support a further institutionalisation of the human rights to water and sanitation. To what extent are these targets grounded in human rights? Do the processes put in place to monitor and implement the targets lead to an institutionalisation of these human rights? Should we consider the SDGs a glass half-full or a glass half-empty in terms of their potential for institutionalising the human rights to water and sanitation?