MRR talk: Open hour

About MRR Talk: Open hour

Practitioners working in civil society organisations from Bangladesh to Ghana and from India to Kenya are aware that water and sanitation are internationally recognised human rights. Many use human rights in their work, invoking rights with government, lobbying for policy change, or activating people to claim their rights.

However, human rights often remain an abstract concept that’s difficult to apply to the complex mix of challenges:

• Government officials can be reluctant or unable to live up to their duty.
• Change is slow and this creates frustration. International human rights seem meaningless when marginalisation is based on age-old social norms.
• Or there may simply not be a budget for duty bearers to work with.

We are all aware that water and sanitation are internationally recognised human rights. MRR talk: Open hour provides a space for learning and exchange on the questions and challenges of working with rights – and the positive experiences that have contributed to real change.

What to expect

Talk, discussion, questions! Working with human rights makes a difference, but at the moment, this remains hidden. By connecting people with similar experiences, questions and challenges across countries and contexts, we can learn from each other. Don’t be shy and join us to make MRR talk: Open hour as lively and useful as it can be!

Who can join?

The talks will be interesting for anyone working in civil society organisations – whether you are already using human rights in your work or are interested in doing so (more). For those working with human rights at a more international level, it can be a valuable space to hear about the challenges of applying rights in practice. In any case, everybody with an interest in the practical use of the human rights to water and sanitation at local level is welcome to join!

How to join

MRR talk open hour will be live on Zoom every second month. There is no set agenda – simply join at any time and listen in, ask a question, share an experience. Don’t be shy! We all have questions all the time! Every Open hour will host two of the experts from our panel and discussions will be moderated by Hannah and Laura. There is no need to register in advance, simply click the Zoom link to join.