[Welcome] « From Vision to Action: Accelerating Agenda 2063 and the SDGs in Africa through a Human Rights-Based Approach, with a Focus on Water and Sanitation »

The Geneva Press Club is pleased to host an event organized by The Independent Commission for Human Rights in North Africa (CIDH AFRICA) on the sidelines of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council.

As the world passes the midway point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the first ten-year implementation plan of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the need for accelerated, coherent, and impactful action in Africa has never been more urgent . Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want,” serves as the continent’s strategic framework for delivering on its goal of inclusive and sustainable development, and it is deeply interconnected with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

In a significant demonstration of political will, the African Union has dedicated its 2026 theme to “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063” . This theme recognizes that water and sanitation are not merely basic social services but are fundamental human rights and critical economic infrastructure. They underpin progress across all development sectors, including health, education, gender equality, food security, industrialisation, and climate resilience .

This side event, convening during the 61st session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), provides a timely platform to bridge the development agendas of the African Union with the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations. It will explore how a rights-based approach is essential to ensure that the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs, particularly regarding water and sanitation, is equitable, accountable, and leaves no one behind.

Contact:
Mr. Naji moulay LAHSEN
Director of the CDHI
cidh10@yahoo.com