Istanbul:
A coalition of civic society and labour groups from across the world have called for discontinuation of water forums in the future, calling the World Water Forum as ",morally and financially bankrupt as well as bankrupt of ideas",.
The call for winding up the very institution of the Forum came on the penultimate day of the Fifth World Water Forum, with senior advisor to the President of the UN General Assembly, Maude Marlow stating that ",it is becoming increasingly evident that the World Water Forum and everything it represents is a cause of the world water crisis and not the solution",.
The coalition demanded that policies about water be decided in an open, transparent and democratic forum rather than a trade show for the world's largest water corporations. It also called for World Bank's private lending arm, International Finance Corporation (IFC) to exit the business of water and removal of key officials at development banks and agencies like the Bank and Asian Development Bank, who have wasted years without achieving results and pushed the agenda of privatization.
The coalition said they were for public-public partnerships in water sector and did not support a private future for water, referring to the growing role of the private sector in water sectors of several countries.
The Forum has wasted so much of political capital as well as money, said utilities officer of the 20 million-strong global trade union federation Public Services International, David Boys.
",The divide remains deep between the people who want quality water and sanitation and the bankers and corporations who control the World Water Council. Their vision is the same one that brought us the financial crisis -- a shrinking government, unregulated markets and corporate profits",, said Boys, adding, ",Our vision is governments that deliver quality public services, financed by fair taxation, with decisions made under conditions of transparency, accountability and participation. The divide has not been bridged here in Istanbul",.
The strong message from the coalition, which claims membership from 70 countries, highlights the divide that exists between those who support privatisation of water assets versus those who consider it a common good to be enjoyed by all human beings.
Since the beginning of the Fifth Forum, a panel of international water rights activists have been demanding that governments and international bodies recognise the right to water and initiate a legitimate forum to protect and defend water for the common good.
",We have deep concerns that the right to water has been blocked from the Ministerial Statement and we are standing with the block of governments led by Uruguay to ensure that it is included. The exclusion of this fundamental right makes clear the need to create an alternate forum under the banner of the United Nations",, said Barlow.
The coalition of the view that the usage and administration of the water resources must be planned and applied long term (sustainable) through considering social equality and ecological/environmental requirements. The decision about water must be taken by the majority of society and through democratic means and the communities and people must be included in the process actively on local and regional level, it added.
Dissatisfied with the agenda promoted by ",private sector lobbies",, the coalition had convened several alternative gathering in the Turkish capital and has also planned an alternate forum.
Several case studies from across the world were presented by the coalition to bring home the point that privatisation of water assets had been often a fruitless exercise for those who were meant to benefit from it.
",The Forum is about top-down solutions when we need bottom-up solutions",, said Tamil Nadu Women's Collective Sheelu Francis, who made a case against privatisation in India. ",Privatisation of water affects small scale farmers, who are in a majority in India. Privatisation has made water inaccessible to subsistence farmers in India and paved the way for large scale monoculture, which has had devastating environmental and social impacts, said Francis.
The coalition was also critical of the role played by certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who had supported the World Water Council's view of a private future for water. It also demanded an apology from the Council for the harsh treatment meted out to certain activists by the Turkish authorities, who were co-organizers of the event. Several protestors had been beaten up and two activists who had come to support the right for water were reportedly deported from the country, said the coalition.
Some experts are of the view that the experiment with water privatisation has failed and the host country Turkey has also witnessed the problems first hand. The water multinationals no longer have the wish or ability to invest in any but the most securely profitable activities in developing countries. There is no rational basis for giving these organisations such a prominent role at a conference that should be focussed on development needs.
The forum should focus on the need to support and develop public finance and public sector operations, rather than continue to focus on the interests of these companies, said David Hall and Emanuele Lobina of the PSIRU in the business school at the University of Greenwich in a note.
The call for winding up the very institution of the Forum came on the penultimate day of the Fifth World Water Forum, with senior advisor to the President of the UN General Assembly, Maude Marlow stating that ",it is becoming increasingly evident that the World Water Forum and everything it represents is a cause of the world water crisis and not the solution",.
The coalition demanded that policies about water be decided in an open, transparent and democratic forum rather than a trade show for the world's largest water corporations. It also called for World Bank's private lending arm, International Finance Corporation (IFC) to exit the business of water and removal of key officials at development banks and agencies like the Bank and Asian Development Bank, who have wasted years without achieving results and pushed the agenda of privatization.
The coalition said they were for public-public partnerships in water sector and did not support a private future for water, referring to the growing role of the private sector in water sectors of several countries.
The Forum has wasted so much of political capital as well as money, said utilities officer of the 20 million-strong global trade union federation Public Services International, David Boys.
",The divide remains deep between the people who want quality water and sanitation and the bankers and corporations who control the World Water Council. Their vision is the same one that brought us the financial crisis -- a shrinking government, unregulated markets and corporate profits",, said Boys, adding, ",Our vision is governments that deliver quality public services, financed by fair taxation, with decisions made under conditions of transparency, accountability and participation. The divide has not been bridged here in Istanbul",.
The strong message from the coalition, which claims membership from 70 countries, highlights the divide that exists between those who support privatisation of water assets versus those who consider it a common good to be enjoyed by all human beings.
Since the beginning of the Fifth Forum, a panel of international water rights activists have been demanding that governments and international bodies recognise the right to water and initiate a legitimate forum to protect and defend water for the common good.
",We have deep concerns that the right to water has been blocked from the Ministerial Statement and we are standing with the block of governments led by Uruguay to ensure that it is included. The exclusion of this fundamental right makes clear the need to create an alternate forum under the banner of the United Nations",, said Barlow.
The coalition of the view that the usage and administration of the water resources must be planned and applied long term (sustainable) through considering social equality and ecological/environmental requirements. The decision about water must be taken by the majority of society and through democratic means and the communities and people must be included in the process actively on local and regional level, it added.
Dissatisfied with the agenda promoted by ",private sector lobbies",, the coalition had convened several alternative gathering in the Turkish capital and has also planned an alternate forum.
Several case studies from across the world were presented by the coalition to bring home the point that privatisation of water assets had been often a fruitless exercise for those who were meant to benefit from it.
",The Forum is about top-down solutions when we need bottom-up solutions",, said Tamil Nadu Women's Collective Sheelu Francis, who made a case against privatisation in India. ",Privatisation of water affects small scale farmers, who are in a majority in India. Privatisation has made water inaccessible to subsistence farmers in India and paved the way for large scale monoculture, which has had devastating environmental and social impacts, said Francis.
The coalition was also critical of the role played by certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who had supported the World Water Council's view of a private future for water. It also demanded an apology from the Council for the harsh treatment meted out to certain activists by the Turkish authorities, who were co-organizers of the event. Several protestors had been beaten up and two activists who had come to support the right for water were reportedly deported from the country, said the coalition.
Some experts are of the view that the experiment with water privatisation has failed and the host country Turkey has also witnessed the problems first hand. The water multinationals no longer have the wish or ability to invest in any but the most securely profitable activities in developing countries. There is no rational basis for giving these organisations such a prominent role at a conference that should be focussed on development needs.
The forum should focus on the need to support and develop public finance and public sector operations, rather than continue to focus on the interests of these companies, said David Hall and Emanuele Lobina of the PSIRU in the business school at the University of Greenwich in a note.
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