IHRB pays tribute to Catarina de Albuquerque, first UN Rapporteur on right to water

Former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to water, Catarina de Albuquerque, has died aged 55. 

Catarina inspired and led ground-breaking work to recognise water and sanitation as a human right by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 July 2010.

“IHRB mourns the passing of Catarina de Albuquerque, who spear-headed global recognition for the right to water and sanitation. Catarina is rightly described as a force of nature; but she was a gentle force, and devoted her life to make access to clean, safe water a global goal, by explaining the rationale, understanding the economics of supplying water, and stressing that the lack of access was a political problem, not a technological difficulty. 

“As a Special Rapporteur, Catarina built the momentum that ultimately led to the recognition of water as a human right. She was among the first UN Rapporteurs to see the importance of the work being done by John Ruggie and his team in defining the relationship between business and human rights. We at IHRB worked with Catarina and her team in developing our own work on corporate responsibility towards the right to water. She received high honours in Portugal, and the human rights community is poorer without her.”

– John Morrison, CEO, IHRB

Catarina studied law at the University of Lisbon (Portugal), holds an honorary degree from the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Diplome d’Etudes Superieures from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales (Geneva, Switzerland).  

In 2008, Catarina was appointed by the Human Rights Council as the first UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. In 2010, she played a pivotal role in the recognition of water and sanitation as a human right. Her work helped ensure that the right to water and sanitation were incorporated into the language of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

In 2014, Catarina joined the civil society organisation Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) later became Chief Executive in 2018, where she continued to be an influential and powerful advocate for the right to water and sanitation. 

She was awarded the Human Rights Golden Medal by the Portuguese Parliament for outstanding work in the area of human rights in 2009. Her work in human rights was also honoured by the Portuguese President of the Republic with the Order of Merit, which is a recognition of an individual’s personal bravery, achievement, or service.

Related:

• More than a Resource - Water, Business and Human Rights (Report)
• Are business practices intensifying water scarcity? (Podcast)

Watch the video below, showing Catarina's inspiring campaigning for the right to water.