Equity And Inclusion Is The Core Principles Of Fairness

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Equity and inclusion is a core principle of WASH. To ensure we achieve the vision of a world where everyone has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), it is essential to reach the poorest and most marginalized people.
Equity is the principle of fairness. Equity involves recognizing that people are different and need different support and resources to ensure their rights are realized. To ensure fairness (or equality), measures must often be taken to compensate for specific discrimination and disadvantages.
Inclusion is ensuring that all are able to participate fully. Inclusion is not just about improving access to services, but also supporting people to engage in wider processes to ensure that their rights and needs are recognized.
Ultimately the groups who are marginalised need to be integrated into the political system in order to uphold their rights of access to WASH.

Equity and inclusion are therefore interrelated. In practice, addressing them requires: better recognition and understanding of the differential needs of individuals and groups; identifying and tackling the root causes of exclusion; promoting and supporting their inclusion in decision-making processes; and identifying and implementing appropriate and sustainable solutions.

A needs-based approach aims to change people’s situation of deprivation or lack of access to services, viewing people as passive ‘recipients’ or ‘beneficiaries’. This approach may satisfy the needs of that group of people for now but there are no guarantees that improvements in access will be sustained.
A rights-based approach is a transformational development process in which people are the drivers and subjects of their own development. Moving to a rights-based approach implies focusing on the relationship between state and civil society.
A rights-based approach is about improving wider systems of governance which determine progress towards our vision of a world where everyone has access
Human rights conventions that refer to the right to water and sanitation can be used for advocacy initiatives, where appropriate. This includes UN conventions, as well as regional and national agreements, on the rights of persons with disabilities, the rights of children, the rights of women, of indigenous peoples, of older people and on the elimination of racial discrimination. These can also form the basis for alliances and linkages with other sectors. Alliances with the media can help bring public pressure to bear on decision-makers and ensure the voices of marginalised people are heard.
Mainstreaming equity and inclusion is a means of recognising that rights are universal, and that special measures must be taken to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of the poorest, the marginalised and those in vulnerable situations.
It means ensuring that these principles and issues are incorporated in all

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