As you know,
WATER MATTERS is an international campaign
in this International Year of FreshWater and the POSTCARD
CAMPAIGN calls on the Prime Minister, John Howard, to
raise our spending on water and sanitation in line with our commitment
to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. The campaign will continue
throughout the year. A postcard will be sent with the next
issue of INFORM-ACTION. You can order your
own postcards from TEAR Australia – email tearaust@tear.org.au
or phone 1800 244 986.
Three actions
that reflect the global significance of water have taken place
recently:
1 The Third
World Water Forum (Kyoto, 16-23 March 2003)
Even though
the World Water Forum (3WWF) that took place in Kyoto two months
ago is not part of IYFW,
it does have
a particular
significance in the context of the IYFW.
By any
standard, it was a ‘big’ event with 24,000
participants. The central question was how to
bring safe water and sanitation to the entire world. Many
critical
issues were
analysed including water wars, and the question
of peace raised particular concerns. To achieve a sound management
of the resource,
most countries will require effective governance,
capacity-building, popular participation and adequate financing
infrastructures.
What are
the outcomes of the 3WWF?
The Final
Statement was expected for 15 May, in time to provide input
to the next G-8 meeting
in June.
On the final day,
the Ministers and Heads of delegations issued
a common Ministerial Declaration. Additionally, 100
new commitments,
that reflect
the diversity of themes treated, were made
by the delegates at the close of the Forum. These commitments
involve
international organisations such as the United
Nations, World Bank, national
governments and regional institutions. Some
commitments
have a global scope, others focus on regional
or
local issues.
Details
are available at http://www.unido.org/en/doc/5165.
2 An alternative
forum: Water, a common good for all living beings
As is for
other world summits, the 3WWF was subjected to criticism
by the proponents
of an alternative
globalisation. According
to them, the 3WWF is the expression
of a
new global water
oligarchy, dominated by private transnational
water corporations backed
by the World Bank and the IMF. The
critics of the 3WWF claim that the privatisation
model promoted
by these
corporations
is nothing less than an effective tool
to seize control of the world’s
water resources. A parallel event was
organised in Florence (Italy), the
First People’s World Water Forum
(21-22 March 2003). This Forum centred
its debates
on the access to drinking water
for all the world’s citizens
and the recognition of water as a common
good.
3
The Vatican speaks out as well: Water, an essential element
for life – a
note prepared by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
This
document was presented in Kyoto
by Msgr R Martino as the Holy
See’s
contribution to the 3WWF. The
Note shares similar concerns with the
People’s Forum organisers,
in the light of the Catholic
Social Teaching. The document
is divided
into
six parts.
This document
is a preparatory Note. In the light
of the conclusions
of
the Forum,
the
Pontifical
Council for Justice
and Peace
is preparing a more developed
document. Click
here for the
full text of the Note.
