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Mercy Global Concern - 2003
The World Water Forum
The World Water Forum will start in several days and it appears
that the giant water corporations and many national governments
are going to use the WWF to push for greater involvement and control
of the world's water. Many civil society organizations will be there
to challenge the corporate control of water and will demand that
the forum define water as a human right and not a commodity to be
sold to only those who can afford it.
What you can do to help?
Join the Civil Society World Water Vision for Action.
The signatory groups to this Civil Society World Water Vision for
Action reject the founding principles of the World Water Council,
which was adopted in The Hague for the following reasons:
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The vision proposes a model for water management that relinquishes
all control over water resources to the private sector through
commercialization, privatization, and large-scale development;
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It prioritizes water use for large scale industrial agriculture
at the expense of small-scale, communal and traditional practices
of indigenous and peasant peoples;
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It promotes the expansion of genetically modified seeds for
the purpose of "economizing" water use, thereby threatening
the biodiversity of the planet.
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The World Water Council is an unrepresentative and undemocratic
body that derives its influence from an exclusive membership
of international financial institutions, large multinational
water corporations, non governmental organizations tied to these
interests;
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The WWC and its vision proclaim to have achieved a "consensus"
on the world's water without any consultation, discussion, or
approval by organizations that represent the peoples of the
world.
This model is being standardized globally, thereby destroying the
diversity of ecosystems and the peoples who rely on them, and will
lead to the cartelization of the world's freshwater resources, ecological
devastation and the death of perhaps billions of the world's people.
Water belongs to the earth and all species for all time. It is
an inalienable human right and a public trust to be protected and
nurture by all peoples, communities and nations, and the bodies
that represent them at local, state and international level. Based
on these unwavering principles, we make the following claims:
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Water is not a commodity and must not be left to the whims
of the market because no person or entity has the right to profit
from it. Water must not, therefore, be commodified, privatized,
traded or exported for commercial gain. Water must be excluded
as a "good", a "service" and an "investment"
in all international, and bilateral trade agreements.
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Every human being has the right to clean water. We demand that
governments of the world substantially increase spending on
clean water and sanitation for the poor people with little or
no access. We affirm that by reducing current astronomical levels
of military spending that clean and safe water can be provided
for every living person on this planet. We maintain that debt
cancellation is essential for water security in poor countries,
and we demand that privatization cease to be used as a condition
on international lending.
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Furthermore we believe that a tax on international currency
speculation and a reduction and redirection of military spending,
particularly by the worlds' largest military powers, could pay
for water services around the world.
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We proclaim that the key to sustainable provision of water
for life is the maintenance and production of the ecological
integrity of all ecosystems. We call for the adoption and the
implemention of a restoration agenda for the rehabilitation
of degraded ecosystems. Further, we proclaim that a water-secure
future is incompatible with industrial farming and the monopoly
control of food and seeds by small number of corporations. We
support the goal of local self-reliance food production. We
also consider large-scale water development projects such as
mega-dams to be ecologically and socially unsustainable. As
such, a water-secure future is dependant upon the acknowledgement,
respect and the protection of the rights of indigenous, peasant,
and fisher peoples and their traditional knowledge. We insist
that the voices of these groups and the women around the world
be given a central place in water management issues, as these
are the communities most affected by water insecurity.
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The peoples and communities that rely on it for their livelihoods
must control water, as a public trust and an inalienable human
right. The management of water services must not only remain
in public hands, but also must be revitalized and strengthened
to make community and worker participation central in order
to democratize decision making processes and ensure transparency
and accountability. This participation must be extended to the
state, regional and international levels in all decisions pertaining
to water resources and should be governed by international legal
instrument binding all states and peoples to these principles.
Furthermore, all water resource development projects must respect
the rights of the affected communities and must provide full
and meaningful participation in decision-making.
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Finally, we proclaim that the management and protection of
the world's water resources must absolutely be based on the
principles of justice, solidarity reciprocity, equity, diversity
and sustainability, because water is a human right. As stated
in the Porto Alegre Declaration of 2002, we call upon all legislators
and parliamentarians to take the necessary steps to meeting
in encode this vision. Furthermore, in opposition to the 3rd
World Water Forum, meeting in Kyoto water activists are gathering
together in water social forums in Florence, Italy; Sao Paulo,
Brazil; Accra, Ghana; New York City, USA; and New Delhi, India,
which will coalesce in alternative worldwide assembly on the
future of water.
The Forums are as follows:
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Peoples Water Forum; Florence, Italy (March 21-22)
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African Conference on Water; Accra, Ghana (date to be determined)
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Water Conference and Festival; New York City (march 16-23)
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Peoples' National Water Forum; New Delhi, India (March 15-16)
To sign to the statement, please send an email to: Icoletta@canadians.org
with your full name, the country you are emailing from, and the
organization you represent. For a complete list of signature, please visit: www.blueplanetproject.net/resources
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