A/HRC/42/47/Add.1 needs. In that regard, the Special Rapporteur strongly recommends that the Government of Lesotho use the framework of the human rights to water and sanitation to inform those criteria. Using the framework of human rights as a guide would help the Government to identify the highest priorities in the water and sanitation sector. That would take into account key issues, such as people in vulnerable situations and questions surrounding equality and non-discrimination, as well as participation and access to information. 81. The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that the adoption of a comprehensive approach to implementing the human rights to water and sanitation will guide Lesotho to focus on the most vulnerable populations and “leave no one behind” in accordance with its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ultimately, by adhering to the human rights to water and sanitation, Lesotho will progressively realize universal access to water and sanitation services for all the Basotho. Providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation through the human rights framework can act as an enabler of human development. That would provide more years of school attendance, better health, more work opportunities and, most important, autonomy and emancipation to all the Basotho. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a fundamental precondition for the enjoyment of several human rights, including the rights to food, education, housing, health, life and work, and it is a crucial element in ensuring gender equality and the eradication of discrimination and poverty. 82. In that connection, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government of Lesotho: (a) Enact national legislation explicitly recognizing the human rights to water and sanitation and fully incorporating the normative content of the human rights to water and sanitation; (b) Ensure the continuity of plans and policies on water and sanitation and the implementation of those policies in line with human rights; (c) In regard to the institutional framework: (i) Make public the decisions of the quarterly water sector coordination meetings; (ii) Adopt the human rights to water and sanitation as a permanent agenda item for the water sector coordination meetings; (iii) Ensure that the Department of Rural Water Supply consults the National Information System for Social Assistance when deciding in which villages to implement its water and sanitation programmes; (iv) Guarantee the independence and autonomy of the regulatory body for water and sanitation services; (v) Enhance budgetary and technical resources for rural water and sanitation services with an emphasis on maintenance; (d) Finalize the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission with autonomy and ensure that its mandate includes issues of economic, social and cultural rights; (e) In regard to availability: (i) Include hygiene and menstrual hygiene management as part of national policy; (ii) Prioritize the provision of water and toilets to all levels of schools, including preschools and day-care centres; (iii) Review the process of identifying water sources, taking into account projections of water availability during periods of drought; 17