A/HRC/42/47/Add.7 Response of the government of the kingdom of Lesotho to the report of the special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation 1. The Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho wishes to express gratitude to the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation for accepting and honoring the request to undertake an official mission to Lesotho. As it will be recalled, this mission is a result of Lesotho’s observance to her international obligations as she is honouring the recommendations that were presented during her 2 nd cycle of the Universal Periodic review Mechanism, that of extending an invitation to Special Procedures. 2. Whereas Lesotho welcomes the report and some of its findings, we would like to point out that on some issues or areas, a gloomy picture has been painted about Lesotho.  The Special Rapporteur finds that “water, sanitation and hygiene are a bottleneck that holds the Basotho back from improving their lives, making autonomous choices on their way of living and enlarging their freedom”. Although we concede that climate change (which has affected most nations) and variable rain patterns leading to periods of drought, resulting in water shortages have more or less hindered human development and poverty reduction; the above statement is, in our opinion, overstated.  A scenario has been mentioned of rural women and girls who have been hit by HIV/AIDS pandemic and girls not attending school because of lack of sanitation during menstruation, and these have been linked to insufficient water and sanitation. The Government is partnering with civil society organizations and independent women support groups to provide sanitary towels to young school girl. This is meant to curb the number of girls who miss school during their menstrual cycle; and they are taught of maintenance and management of hygiene including the disposal of the towels provided. Pertaining to the high HIV/AIDS prevalence, Government has scaled up its efforts to achieve epidemic control by 2020 as part of initiatives to ensure that eventually Lesotho becomes an HIV free nation.  The report mentions that some of the correctional institutions that were visited are in line with international standards with regards to water and sanitation. The report further indicates that it is expectant that other institutions are also at par. It is worth mentioning that there is a significant number of correctional facilities which have recently undergone massive renovations with the aim of bringing their conditions up to standard set by the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Such facilities include Maseru Central, Leribe, Thaba-Tseka, Mohales’s Hoek and Mafeteng correctional institutions. There are also professional medical officers who play a significant role in addressing issues relating health within the facilities. The Government has enacted the Lesotho Correctional Service Act 2016 which has incorporated most provisions of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners prescribing amongst others, acceptable conditions of prisons.  The Department of Water Affairs is not responsible for water supply but supports Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) and the Department of Rural Water Supply (DRWS) by providing all data and information on water availability, quality and to regulate water use.  The Government of Lesotho is obliged to service its loans regardless of the beneficiary sector. The financial sustainability of the water sector is the responsibility of the Government through its normal annual budget allocations.  The Government has a non-discriminative comprehensive plan towards drilling of boreholes for Basotho which is not inclined to any political affiliations.  Some of the issues raised in the report are specific to certain areas of Lesotho and may not be applicable to the rest of the country. We further note that some of the concerns need to be substantiated by relevant data to avoid blanket coverage. 3. Even though economic social and cultural rights are classified as Principles of State Policy in the Constitution of Lesotho, the Government works tirelessly towards their fulfilment as they considered essential for the enjoyment of other rights (civil and political 2