Chief Executive Officer
Catarina de Albuquerque
Chief Executive Officer, Sanitation and Water for All
Catarina de Albuquerque joined Sanitation and Water for All in 2014 and has since increased political will in favor of water, sanitation and hygiene, and positioned SWA as a vital contributor to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6. She was previously the first UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.
In July 2018, following a wide-ranging governance review, SWA created the position of Chief Executive Officer and Ms. de Albuquerque was chosen for the position in a competitive process. Through her strategic leadership as CEO, she is an influential and powerful advocate for SWA and the human rights to water and sanitation. She leads the SWA secretariat and provides strategic leadership compatible with its vision and high-level objectives, including all operational, executive and fundraising activities.
In 2008, Ms. de Albuquerque was appointed by the Human Rights Council to become the first UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. In 2010, she played a pivotal role in the recognition of water and sanitation as human rights by the UN General Assembly. Her work helped ensure that the rights to water and sanitation were incorporated into the language of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Between 2004 and 2008 she presided over the negotiations of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the UN General Assembly approved by consensus on 10 December 2008. She also participated in the development of several other international human rights standards, including the two Optional Protocols: one on the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and the one on Sale of Children, Child Pornography and Child Prostitution.
She was awarded the Human Rights Golden Medal by the Portuguese Parliament (10 December 2009) for outstanding work in the area of human rights. Her work in human rights was also honored by the Portuguese President of the Republic with the Order of Merit (October 2009), which is a recognition of an individual’s personal bravery, achievement, or service. She holds an honorary degree from the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Law Degree from the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and a Diplome d’Etudes Superieures from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales (Geneva, Switzerland).
Ms. de Albuquerque has been an invited Professor at the law faculties of the Universities of Braga and Coimbra (Portugal), at the American University’s Washington College of Law, at the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization. She was also a Senior Legal Adviser at the Office for Documentation and Comparative Law, an independent institution under the Portuguese Prosecutor General’s Office. During her career she has also worked for the Swiss Development Agency, the European Commission, UNICEF, and UNDP, among others. She has country experience in Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, Costa Rica, Egypt, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Moldavia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uruguay, and USA.
Ms de Albuquerque speaks the following languages fluently: Portuguese, English, French, Spanish and German.
Human Rights to Water & Sanitation
Access to water and sanitation is recognized by the United Nations as human rights, reflecting the fundamental nature of these basic needs in every person’s life. The recognition of these Human Rights to was the culmination of several years of concentrated advocacy work with civil society, human rights organizations, and governments. Since then, the rights have been recognized in national constitutions, national laws, as well as international and regional legal standards, and as declarations, political statements, among others.
Catarina de Albuquerque, SWA CEO and former UN Rapporteur to the human rights to water and sanitation speaks about the past, present and future of the recognition of these rights.
Realizing the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation: A Handbook
The Handbook was developed by Ms Catarina de Albuquerque, former UN Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation, and other experts to:
- clarify the meaning of the human rights to water and sanitation;
- explain the obligations that arise from these rights;
- provide guidance on implementing the human rights to water and sanitation;
- share some examples of good practice and show how these rights are being implemented;
- explore how States can be held to account for delivering on their obligations;
- provide its users with checklists, so they can assess how far they are complying with the human rights to water and sanitation.
The target audiences for this Handbook are governments at all levels, donors and national regulatory bodies. It provides information that will also be useful to other local, regional and international stakeholders, including civil society, service providers and human rights organizations.
About SWA'S Strategy 2020-2030
The 2020-2030 Strategy articulates a renewed focus for the partnership, defining the path it will pursue in the closing decade of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) era. The three strategic objectives of the new strategy are mutually re-enforcing, and are designed to allow all partners to adopt and adapt them as needed, to maximize the added value of the SWA partnership to their own context.
In an interview with journalist Allison Roberts, Catarina de Albuquerque speaks on the new strategic vision of SWA, and the role of the partnership in achieving water, sanitation and hygiene for all, always and everywhere.
SWA Strategic Framework 2020-2030
Women's participation in water, sanitation and hygiene
When women are included in decision-making on water, sanitation and hygiene issues, services tend to be more accessible and sustainable, and key matters, such as menstrual health requirements, which tend to be ignored or silenced are brought to the fore. Ensuring sustainable and affordable access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene empower women and girls - allowing them to attend school and work, playing an important role in society, and can reach their full potential.
