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Feb 2006—Call from French NGOs at the World Water Forum, 16-22 March 2006, Mexico City.

By Maggie White, Eau Vive.

The theme of the next World Water Forum: ‘local actions for a global change,” could be understood as a reflection of a shift in international water related policies. But let's not be fooled. Insisting on the local level will not solve nothing as long as firm commitment and concrete means will not be set up.

At this time, there are still 1.1 billion human beings without access to drinkable water, and 2.5 billion deprived of sanitation. Each day, 10 000 people die because they drank polluted water. What advances have been made since the last World Water Forum? The NGOs have denounced numerous times the succession of numerous meetings that do little to change this terrible situation, thus questioning the legitimacy of extremely costly and relatively unproductive international summits. It is urgent for our governments to renounce the logic of unimplemented announcements that, each day, undermine their credibility, to apply previously made commitments and to adopt a qualitative and equitable approach to access to water and sanitation problems.

Water is at the heart of all issues relating to poverty: food, health, education and the emancipation of girls and women, food security and sovereignty, economic activities, natural environment preservation, etc.

A number of reports and declarations recognize the social and environmental value of water, expressing a concern for the equity in the access to water, to this public service, and reiterating the necessity to bring together all the relevant stakeholders in the decision-making process and not solely the political and economic decision-makers.

So as to denounce this situation and to demand a paradigm shift in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals and to go beyond, a group of NGOs (1) were reunited to demand France, the international community, and the ensemble of decision-makers of development to mobilize ambitious means and concrete act to:

• Guarantee an equitable and sustainable access to this vital resource
• Support the construction of a public service with local actors

This call will be relayed by the French NGOs, including Eau Vive, present at the next World Water Forum (Official Forum) and to the Citizen Day for the Defence of the Right to Water (alternative/alternating events) that will be held in Mexico City between the 15 and 22 of March. Eau Vive also presented the call to the French Partnership for Mexico, initiative multi-actors, in order to be presented on the premises at the level of the French Stand.

The call insists on:

• The necessity of equitable and sustainable management of water resources,
• The right to access to water
• The importance of adapting the financial decisions to the discourse
• The need to support the construction of a public service with some local actors, strengthening the national and local public actors
• The necessity to associate the citizens to the decisions related to water
• The necessity to permit the emergence of local long term competence and to exclude water services from the GATS

Eau Vive largely participated in the development of this call that is open to all associations wishing to join the list of signatures. The partners and members of Eau Vive are invited, if they would like, to join the list of signatures or those who wish to support the text. For this those who would like this, please send your request directly to Majda Bouchanine: majda.bouchanine@amisdelaterre.org and copying maggie.white@eau-vive.org .

For more information:
http://www.worldwaterforum4.org.mx
The site concerning the alternative events: http://www.comda.org.mx/index.shtml
The site of the French Partnership for Mexico: http://www.eau-international-france.fr/mexico/

The Organizations that have already signed:
Adede – Agir ici - Aitec - Les Amis de la Terre – CCFD - Eau Vive - East – GRET - Hydraulique sans frontières - Ingénieurs sans frontières – Ligue des Droits de l'Homme - Peuples Solidaires - 4D - Réseau Foi et Justice Afrique Europe – Solidarité Mondiale contre la Faim - SOS Sahel International - Terre des Hommes France - WWF France.

With the support of:
ACME - France Libertés

(1)ADEDE, Les Amis de la Terre, CCFD, Eau Vive, Ingénieurs Sans Frontières, Hydrauliques Sans Frontières, Réseau Foi et Justice Afrique Europe, 4D, WWF France.

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