Monitoring human right to water in rural areas: a Nicaraguan case study

Much effort has gone into the recognition of the hu man right to water. Without doubt, this milestone influences governance and decision making processes at different scales. Now it is essential to shift discussion from legal and conceptual framework to p ractice. Taking this idea into account, the article proposes a methodology for monitoring the implement ation of the right. The work takes the legal and conceptual framework of the right, agreed by intern ational consensus, as a starting point. Moreover, l essons learnt from other indicators and indexes constructi on are considered. It is based on a water & sanitat ion rural services case study carried out in Nicaragua and pa rticularly in Jinotega and Matagalpa -rural departm ents from the north-central region-. The different categ ories of the right to water were included in survey s and structured interviews design that were conducted in rural households and water comities, respectively. Ingeniería sin Fronteras-ApD, an Spanish NGDO, prom oted the study in cooperation with local organizati ons -La Cuculmeca and Coalición de Organizaciones por e l Derecho al Agua (CODA)-. Results show how the inclusion of right to water dimensions gives pertin ent insights both as regards knowledge about the re al situation of rural communities as for improving gov ernance in rural water supply.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Post-2015 WASH targets and indicators: a review from a Human Rights Perspective

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Monitoring sanitation and hygiene in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development: A review through the lens of human rights

International monitoring of drinking water and sanitation has been jointly carried out by WHO and UNICEF through their Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). With the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era in 2015, the JMP has proposed a post-2015 framework for integrated monitoring of water and sanitation targets included in the Sustainable Development Goal no. 6. This article discusses how each element of the proposed sanitation target and corresponding indicators can be understood from a human rights perspective. Building on the MDGs, and although some of the weaknesses and gaps persist, the discussion suggests that the post-2015 proposal is a step forward towards a monitoring framework where human rights elements related to sanitation are effectively promoted. In addition, to support the interpretation and implementation of the normative content of human rights obligations related to sanitation, the study proposes a reduced set of easy-to-assess indicators to measure the normative criteria of this right, which are then grouped in a multidimensional framework to describe increasing levels of sanitation service. To do this, the study combines literature review and specific local experience from three case studies. It is shown that the proposed monitoring tools, namely the indicators and the multidimensional indicator framework, provide guidance on monitoring the human right to sanitation. In doing so, they might ultimately help sector stakeholders in the realization of this right.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Measure to support credit and the financial sector in banking systems considered material for Spain

Artículo de revistaSince March 2020, the world’s major economies have approved financial and regulatory measures to limit the impact of the health crisis on both the overall economy and their respective financial systems. This paper summarises the measures implemented by countries outside the European Union and the euro area that are considered material for the Spanish banking system (the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Chile, Peru and Colombia). It focuses particularly on the measures that remain in force, both those attempting to support the most vulnerable sectors affected by the pandemic (moratoria on loans to households, firms and other entities) and those intended to encourage lending and to support the financial system. The former set of measures has already expired in the vast majority of the countries considered, although some temporary easing of the solvency and liquidity requirements applicable under normal conditions remains in effect. Nonetheless, these measures will foreseeably come to an end in the near future (e.g. the reduced countercyclical buffer requirements and the deferred implementation of accounting and prudential standards)

Remarks on SHD spaces and more divergence properties

The class of SHD spaces was recently introduced in [12]. The first part of this paper focuses on answering most of the questions presented in that article. For instance, we exhibit an example of a non-SHD Tychonoff space $X$ such that $\mathscr{F}[X]$, the Pixley-Roy hyperspace of $X$, $\beta X$, the Stone-\v{C}ech compactification of $X$, and $C_p(X)$, the ring of continuous functions over $X$ equipped with the topology of pointwise convergence, are SHD. In the second part of this work we will present some variations of the SHD notion, namely, the WSHD property and the OHD property. Furthermore, we will pay special attention to the relationships between $X$ and $\mathscr{F}[X]$ regarding these new concepts

El derecho humano al agua y al saneamiento: desafios y oportunidades para mejorar el seguimiento del acceso a los servicios básicos

Los expertos han reconocido la necesidad de rediseñar el marco conceptual utilizado para la medición del acceso a los servicios básicos de agua y saneamiento tanto a nivel local como nacional e internacional. Así mismo, se reconoce la necesidad de avanzar en la definición de los indicadores utilizados de forma que se pueda superar el enfoque estándar, basado en la intervención tecnológica: Acceso mejorado frente al no mejorado. Existen diversas iniciativas sectoriales que han sido utilizadas de forma eficiente para apoyar los procesos de asignación de recursos y priorización en las políticas de desarrollo. Estos trabajos definen un determinado nivel de servicio tomando en consideración distintos aspectos como es el caso de la cantidad, calidad ó continuidad. El reconocimiento del derecho humano al agua y al saneamiento es un hito que contribuye en la evolución de los indicadores de acceso, incluyendo nuevas dimensiones como es el caso de la asequibilidad, la accesibilidad física o la aceptabilidad. Incorporar estos “nuevos” elementos en el seguimiento es sin duda una tarea compleja que exige la definición de nuevos indicadores, el diseño de metodologías para la recolección de datos en el terreno, el análisis estadístico de los mismos y el desarrollo de herramientas de fácil manejo para los tomadores de decisiones. La investigación tiene como objetivo aportar elementos para este reto y desarrolla un marco para el seguimiento del acceso a estos servicios básicos desde un enfoque de derechos. Se proponen indicadores apropiados para el abastecimiento de agua y se aplica el marco conceptual a la caracterización de los grupos vulnerables (no servidos) a nivel comunitario, ejemplificando en un caso de la zona norte de Nicaragua. Finalmente y debido a que es necesario el manejo de abundantes datos y de distintos tipos de indicadores, se concluye que la información debe ser procesada, agregada y difundida de forma apropiada para asegurar su correcta utilización en los procesos de toma de decisiones.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Metas e indicadores post 2015 en agua y saneamiento: una revisión desde un enfoque de derechos humanos

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Metas e indicadores post 2015 en agua y saneamiento: una revisión desde un enfoque de derechos humanos

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An improved evaluation framework to support local level planning

Today, a vast proportion of people still lack a simple pit latrine and a source of safe drinking water. To help end this appalling state of affairs, there is a pressing need to provide policymakers with evidences in base-effective planning, targeting and prioritisation. Amongst others, two major challenges often hinder this process: i) lack of reliable data to identify which areas are most in need; and ii) inadequate instruments for decision-making support. In tackling previous shortcomings, this paper proposes an evaluation framework to compile, analyse and disseminate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) information. In an era of decentralisation, where decision-making moves to local governments, we apply such framework at the local level. The ultimate goal is to develop appropriate tools for decentralised planning support. To this end, the study first implements an innovative methodology for primary data collection, which combines the household and the water point as information sources. In so doing, we provide a complete picture of the context in which WASH services are delivered. Second, the collected data are analysed to underline the emerging development challenges. The use of simple planning indicators serves as the basis to 1.Reveal which areas require policy attention, and to 2.Identify the neediest. Various mechanisms are then proposed to translate previously identified development potentials into development initiatives, in which base the formulation of strategies to steer progress. Three different case studies from East and Southern African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique) are presented. Results indicate that accurate and comprehensive data, if adequately exploited through simple instruments, may be the basis of effective targeting and pri oritisation, which are central to sector planning. The application of the proposed framework in the real world, however, is to a certain extent elusive. We point out to conclude two specific challenges that remain unaddressed; namely the effective and cont inued use of these instruments in sector decision-making processes and the design of data updating mechanisms.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Contributes to Paclitaxel Resistance in Bladder Cancer Cells with Cancer Stem Cell-Like Properties

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays an important role in tumor progression and chemother apy resistance and seems to be essential for the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSC) in several tumor types. However, the interplay of these factors has not been fully addressed in bladder cancer. Here, our goal was to analyze the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in paclitaxel resistance and to study the therapeutic efficacy of its inhibition in bladder cancer cells, as well as to determine its influence in the maintenance of the CSC-like phenotype in bladder cancer. Our results show that paclitaxel-resistant HT1197 cells have hyperactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and increased CSC-like properties compared with paclitaxel-sensitive 5637 cells. Paclitaxel sensitivity diminishes in 5637 cells after β-catenin overexpression or when they are grown as tumorspheres, enriched for the CSC-like phenotype. Additionally, downregulation of β-catenin or inhibition with XAV939 sensitizes HT1197 cells to paclitaxel. Moreover, a subset of muscle-invasive bladder carcinomas shows aberrant expression of β-catenin that associates with positive expression of the CSC marker ALDH1A1. In conclusion, we demonstrate that Wnt/β-catenin signaling contributes to paclitaxel resistance in bladder cancer cells with CSC-like properties.Instituto de Salud Carlos III FIS-PI17/1240Instituto de Salud Carlos III FIS-PI20/1641Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness SAF2017-87358-C2-1-R and -2-RMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2020-118774RB-C21 and -C22Consejería de Salud y Familias PI-0213-2020Consejería de Salud y Familias OH-0017-201