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Joint Declaration of the Movements in Defense of Water
Mexico City, March 19, 2006
From March 14 to 19th, we, human beings with a holistic vision of
life, activists from social movements, non-governmental organizations,
and networks that struggle throughout the world in the defense of
water and territory and for the commons, have shared ideas, struggles,
worries and proposals. At the same time we have realized how our
struggles have brought change around the world, slowing the process
of water privatization. Now that we are not on the defensive, we
are capable of promoting concrete proposals advancing in the life
of every corner of our world.
With the spirit of Caracas which brought together many global organizations
in the defense of water, now we have in our history and in our hearts
the struggles of La Parota, La Laguna, Xoxocotla, Acuitapilco and
many others of Mexico and around the world. The humanity and the
commitment of those who have organized this Forum is a great success
in the construction of our movement.
For all of this, in continuity with the meetings of previous years
during the World Social Fora, social movements around the world
struggle for a holistic and ecological vision of the right to water
and against its commodification in all spheres (domestic, agricultural
and industrial), and we come together in a platform of common action,
seeing the struggles of each locality within the framework of a
global strategy.
CONSIDERING THAT
Water in all of its forms is a common good and access to water
is a fundamental and inalienable human right. Water is the heritage
of communities, of the people, and of humanity, the basic element
of all life on our planet. Water is not a commodity. For these reasons
we reject all forms of privatization, including that of public-private
partnerships that have been revealed to be a complete failure around
the world.
Management and control of water must be public, social, cooperative,
participatory, equitable, and not for profit. It is the obligation
of all local, national and international public institutions to
guarantee these conditions from the planning stages through the
delivery of water services.
Solidarity between present and future generations should be guaranteed,
and for this reason we reject the neoliberal, consumerist development
model that promotes overexploitation of Mother Nature.
Sustainable management of ecosystems and the preservation of the
water cycle is necessary by way of the proper administration of
territories and the conservation of natural environments. Watersheds
are fundamental units of public management, a factor in community
identity and unity, where popular participation is effected. The
defense of water implies recuperating the health of ecosystems from
the catchment basin to the treatment of residual waters.
In regards to the aforementioned, we affirm our direct opposition
to all World Water Fora as meetings of large transnational corporations,
international financial institutions (the World Bank, the Interamerican
Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, etc.) and of the
world’s powerful governments, for being exclusive and antidemocratic.
For these reasons we reject the legitimacy of these organizations
which ignore the demands and the real needs of the people and which,
on the contrary, continue seeking new forms of commercialization
of water, disregarding the extremely high human, social and ecological
costs of this neoliberal model.
WE CALL
On all organizations, social movements, governments and parliaments
to include these principles in local, national and international
laws and regulations.
On all citizens of the planet to develop collective actions to unite,
organize, and realize proposals for change through the articulation
of a global water movement.
WE DEMAND
The exclusion of the WTO and of all international, multilateral
and bilateral free trade agreements from water.
The abolition of the International Center for International Centre
for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), considering the experiences
of Cochabamba and other localities that want to restore the sovereignty
of their common resources to public control.
The restoration and promotion of the public, social cooperative,
participatory and holistic management of water.
We demand that every human being have access and the right to water
of good quality and in quantity sufficient for hygiene and good
nutrition and that, in places where there is potable water delivery
service, the minimum necessary amount should be allocated free of
charge regardless of any differences, whether of culture, society,
religion, geography, economy or gender. We reject any double standard.
No corporation, government or international institution can stop
water service in domestic uses for lack of payment.
Industries and corporations responsible for contamination of water
resources must repair any damage, whether environmental, human,
or economic, that they have caused.
WE REJECT
As illegitimate all demands for profits and indemnities by transnational
corporations.
Any financing from International Financial Institutions that is
conditional on the liberalization and privatization of water services.
National and regional legislation that invites the process of privatization
and commercialization of water.
The predatory and unsustainable model of water management based
on mega-projects, dams, port construction, mining exploitation and
bottling water.
WE PROPOSE
To promote the development of high-quality public water management
services that function democratically and by way of the equitable
exchange of skills and knowledge, sharing all knowledge whether
it be technical, capacity-building, or involving financing schemes
and proposals for a model that is public, social, cooperative and
participatory.
To promote education and community organization about the responsible
and sustainable use of water.
To share and make known experiences of the development of solidarity
funds for the financing of public, social, cooperative and participatory
water management.
The creation of international and regional observatories as meeting
points for social organizations, movements and cooperative networks
in order to exercise social control over the activities of transnational
corporations and international financial institutions, and which
will also involve parliaments, local governments and democratic
institutions.
To advance the demand that governments and businesses repair the
damage they have caused to human populations through contamination
and lack of access to water services.
To strengthen existing international tribunals and to promote the
formation of additional such tribunals in diverse regions of the
world.
WE COMMIT
To promote a global action plan to continue the process of the
construction and mobilization of solidarity networks in the defense
of water.
To promote, from the base of local struggles, a solidarity platform
on a global level that will strengthen and unify a global water
movement.
To value the contribution of women, indigenous and aboriginal peoples,
youth and all people incorporating the defense of their rights in
the development of models that show that another form of water management
is possible.
To continue this process and to enrich it with all possible contributions
in the succeeding gatherings that our movements will organize around
the world, from the Encuentro Enlazando Alternativas Unión
Europea-America Latina in May in Vienna, the Gathering of the Community
of South American Nations in Bolivia in September and the Assembly
of Citizens for Water in Brussels in December.
Under these conditions the world water movement commits to realizing
three collective actions:
A simultaneous, collective, global action between September and
October of 2006.
To take up a common slogan for all of our activities: The right
to water is possible: public, participatory management.
This declaration will be made public through press conferences
in each locality upon returning to our homes as a collective statement
of the global water movement.
Signed on this 19th day of March, 2006, in Mexico, Tenochtitlan,
by the organizations from more than 40 countries participating in
the International Forum in the Defense of Water.
NOTE: KAIROS Canada is a signatory to this declaration
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