A/HRC/42/47/Add.1 of households with improved sanitation is on-track while slow progress is recorded on the number of households with improved water”.15 19. While these initiatives are commendable, the Special Rapporteur emphasizes that there is a need to ensure cohesion and consistency throughout the different instruments. One aspect is the need to align them with the Sustainable Development Goals. In regard to the water and sanitation sector, targets 6.1 and 6.2 of Goal 6 provide new definitions for the level of access to services, “safely managed services”, and the target of universal access by 2030. Another necessary element that needs to be incorporated is the framework of the human rights to water and sanitation, which would guide the Government to identify its highest priorities in water and sanitation, including key issues, for instance for those living in the most vulnerable situations, equality and non-discrimination and access to information. The Special Rapporteur furthermore notes that the political instability in past decades in Lesotho, marked by alleged coups or attempted coups, have negatively impacted the continuity of implementation of such policies. Public policies with their lack of binding effect, coupled with political instability, discontinuity and the failure to guarantee their implementation, is a concern that requires further attention. C. Institutional framework 20. The Special Rapporteur wishes to highlight some positive developments of the institutional structure relating to water and sanitation, notably the dedicated Ministry of Water, established in 2015, and the related institutions under its purview described below. 1. Coordination 21. The Water Commission is an interesting development in the institutional framework of the water and sanitation sector in Lesotho. As part of the Ministry of Water, the Commission has a mandate to develop, update and monitor the implementation of water policy, water and sanitation legislation and strategy. A positive achievement worth highlighting is its coordination role. The Commission convenes a quarterly water sector coordination meeting, which is open to all ministries, civil society organizations, international funders and international organizations. The platform is used by the Ministry of Water to discuss plans, progress made and ongoing projects and programmes. Such meetings are important for streamlining and coordinating the work of all the entities that contribute to the progress of water and sanitation provisions, so that they work in a harmonized manner rather than in isolation. It is also an opportunity to monitor how the goals of the various plans are being achieved and identify related challenges. 22. At the same time, the Special Rapporteur sees the one-day coordination meetings that cover six items in its broad agenda as a huge challenge that will likely result in a limitation to the participatory process. Moreover, it is crucial that the coordination role of the Water Commission and the coordination meetings are as transparent as possible. The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Commission be mandated to champion the human rights to water and sanitation across the bodies of the Ministry of Water and other governmental entities. That way, it will function as an oversight mechanism for all related government entities to be compliant with the human rights to water and sanitation in their work. 2. Regulation 23. The Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority was established to regulate the electricity supply industry and the urban water supply and sewerage services subsector. The Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority Act 2011 gives the Authority sole and exclusive 15 6 Available from www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRLSUNContributionsS21.aspx.

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