Towards a new governance model for basic sanitation management in Amazonas state: A system of guarantees of rights-based approach

Abstract

The political dimension of basic sanitation management in Brazil, especially the principle of participatory and democratic management, is one of the main challenges to guaranteeing access to these services as a human right. This article describes a proposal for governance of basic sanitation management guided by the system of guarantees of rights. We used a theoretical and methodological framework drawing on Juan Samaja’s theory of social reproduction. The study area comprises the municipalities that make up the Triangle and Upper Solimões River health regions in the state of Amazonas. The operationality of the management governance model is based on a matrix of elements comprising the responsibilities and competency of state and non-state institutions. These are distributed across different dimensions of social reproduction, which represent the locus of action of each institution, respecting their respective missions. The matrix is made up of transversal and intersectoral components that strengthen joint work processes, with the various subjects involved in the process acting in solidarity within the scope of the committee for the ongoing monitoring of living conditions and health.