Pedi Obani – författare

Addressing water insecurity through increased investment in water infrastructure and technologies has become a key priority in several arid and water scarce countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Yet, advancing water security is not solely technological - it also has profound law and policy implications. Given the implication of water security for sanitation, food, energy, land, human rights, peace and conflict prevention in the region, holistic legal and institutional frameworks that advance the sustainable management of water resources across all sectors are essential. This book offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the guiding principles and rules on water in the MENA region. It introduces readers to the applicable legislation, institutions and rules underpinning the design, approval, financing and application of water infrastructure and technologies across the MENA region. It concludes with reflections and recommendations on legal and regulatory innovations that can help unlock sustainable and rights-based implementation of water law and policy in the MENA region.

Over a third of the current 7.3 billion people worldwide are burdened with poor sanitation services. The resulting social, relational and ecological exclusion make the realisation of the human right to sanitation (HRS) a critical concern development concern. However, the literature has evolved in a largely compartmentalised manner, focusing on the formal recognition of the HRS in domestic legal systems, without sufficiently addressing the drivers of poor sanitation services. This research expounds on the impact of the HRS on human wellbeing and the environment within the context of a developing country like Nigeria as a case study. The findings show that contrary to the focus in the literature, the drivers of poor sanitation services are not confined to legal factors, such as the formal recognition of the HRS within domestic legal systems. Rather, the drivers include social, economic and environmental limitations to improved sanitation services. Based on the findings, the book argues that the focus in the literature on the formal recognition of the HRS in national legal systems is insufficient for tackling the main drivers of poor sanitation services. It is therefore necessary to reformulate the HRS discourse using complementary governance instruments that advance social, relational and ecological inclusion.