The Manual of the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation for Practitioners aims:. To introduce the principles and concepts contained in the United Nations resolutionsrecognizing the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation (HRWS). To clarify the language and terminology used in the promotion of human rights, and. To provide guidance on the roles and responsibilities for everyone who contributes to theprogressive realization of the HRWS, and on how the human rights principles and actionscan be incorporated into their essential functions.The Manual highlights the human rights principles and criteria in relation to drinkingwater and sanitation. It explains the international legal obligations in terms of operationalpolicies and practice that will support the progressive realisation of universal access.The Manual introduces a human rights perspective that will add value to informed decisionmaking in the daily routine of operators, managers and regulators. It also encouragesits readership to engage actively in national dialogues where the human rights to safedrinking water and sanitation are translated into national and local policies, laws andregulations. Creating such an enabling environment is, in fact, only the first step in theprocess towards progressive realisation. Allocation of roles and responsibilities is the nextstep, in an updated institutional and operational set up that helps apply a human rightslens to the process of reviewing and revising the essential functions of operators, serviceproviders and regulators.