A/HRC/12/24 page 8 17. In political declarations, States have included sanitation in the list of elements of the right to an adequate standard of living. For example, the Programme of Action adopted in 1994 at the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development provides, in principle 2, as follows: “Human beings … have the right to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including … sanitation.”17 18. Principle 11 of the 1996 Habitat Agenda adopted by the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements contains similar wording. 19. United Nations human rights special procedures have also interpreted sanitation as part of the right to an adequate standard of living. For example, the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998), drafted by the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, provide, under principle 18, paragraph 1, that “all internally displaced persons have the right to an adequate standard of living”, and goes on to state in paragraph 2 that “competent authorities shall provide internally displaced persons with and ensure safe access to … [e]ssential medical services and sanitation”.18 B. The right to adequate housing 20. The right to adequate housing has generally been understood to include access to sanitation facilities. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine characterizing a habitation as adequate if sanitation facilities are not available within the vicinity or are inadequate or unsafe to use. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ general comment No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing stipulates that an “adequate house must contain certain facilities essential for health, security, comfort and nutrition. All beneficiaries of the right to adequate housing should have sustainable access to ... sanitation and washing facilities ...”19. The Committee has also referred to sanitation under the right to adequate housing in its recently adopted reporting guidelines.20 The Committee on the Rights of the Child has similarly referred to sanitation under the right to housing.21 CRC/C/DOM/CO/2 (Dominican Republic), para. 77; CRC/C/15/Add.233 (Panama), para. 23; and CERD/C/DOM/CO/12 (Dominican Republic), para. 18. 17 A/CONF.171/13. 18 E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2. 19 E/1992/23 annex III at 114, para. 8 (b). 20 E/C.12/2008/2 (adopted on 24 March 2009). 21 See, e.g. CRC/C/MHL/CO/2 (Marshall Islands), para. 59; and CRC/C/KAZ/CO/3 (Kazakhstan), paras. 55-56.