World Water Forums: seeking sustainable water management solutions

In March 2012, two global but contrasting forums in search of sustainable solutions to the water crisis took place in Marseilles, France.

The realisation of the human right to water and sanitation was prominent in the declarations of the both the 6^th World Water Forum (WWF) [1] and the Alternative World Water Forum (FAME 2012) [2].  In addition, the WWF6 declaration officially recognised disaster mitigation and emergency response as a priority. Where the WWF6 declaration fell short though, according to the Butterfly Effect, a group of 90 civil society organisations, was that it did not explicitly mention the commitment of states to implement the right to water and sanitation. [3]

Watch the video of the Public-Private debate at WWF6.

While the WWF was home to the water and development industry, FAME 2012 gave a voice to the uncompromising group of anti-privatisation water activists. Loïc Fauchon, head of WWF organiser, the World Water Council, dismissed the alternative forum as “insignificant at best and harmful at worst”. A commentator added that “the pro- and anti-privatisation debate grew stale a long time ago” [4]. As if the anti-privatisation activists anticipated claims that they present infinite criticisms but few alternatives, two new studies [5,6] promoting public management of services have been released.

Watch a video Prof. David McDonald of the Municipal Services Project (MSP) Canada talking about his new publication “Alternatives to Privatization“.

The WWF and FAME 2012 are taking their declarations to Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June. The next World Water Forum will take place in Daegu Gwangyeoksi, South Korea, in 2015.

For more commentaries on the two forums see:

• Babatope Babalobi, How Marseilles hosted two World Water Forums in one week, eWASH, 10 Apr 2012
• Daniel Moss, The right water debates in the wrong place, Huffington Post, 02 April 2012

[1] 6^th World Water Forum – Ministerial Declaration, 13 Mar 2012

[2] Alternative World Water Forum – Declaration, 13 Apr 2012

[3] Butterfly Effect reaction to the 6th World Water Forum ministerial declaration, Freshwater Action Network (FAN), 15 Mar 2012

[4] Claire Provost, No single course for providing water, Guardian Poverty Matters blog, 22 Mar 2012

[5] Pigeon, M. et al. (eds), 2012. Remunicipalisation : putting water back into public hands. Amsterdam: Transnational Institute. Available at: <http://www.tni.org/tnibook/remunicipalisation> [Accessed 14 May 2012]

[6] McDonald, D.A. and Ruiters, G., 2012. Alternatives to privatization : public options for essential services in the global south. Cape Town: HSRC Press. Available at: <http://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/product.php?productid=2287> [Accessed 14 May 2012]

Related news: World Water Forum: water unites but forums divided, E-Source, 03 Apr 2009

Related web sites:

• 6^th World Water Forum – official website | Solutions for Water
• Alternative World Water Forum
• International Secretariat for Water – The Butterfly Effect
•  IRC at the World Water Forum 2012

World Water Council: UN agencies join board despite activist lobby

Three UN agencies, UNESCO, FAO and UN-HABITAT, have been elected on the new Board of Governors of the World Water Council (WWC), organisers of the World Water Forum (WWF). Activists see the election as a reaction to their own lobby to get the United Nations to organise the next World Water Forum instead of the WWC. The activists say that 26 countries’ governments had endorsed their call for a UN-led forum after the 5th WWF in Istanbul in March 2009.

After it became known that the WWC was lobbying to get the UN on board, activist groups started a counter-lobbying offensive with a petition directed at the UN’s Secretary General to prevent UN agencies from joining. The petition, which attracted nearly 700 signatories, was an initiative of the Blue Planet Project of the Council of Canadians.

Reacting to the news of the UN agency sign-on to the WWC, Anil Naidoo of the Blue Plant Project said “it was not unexpected, but is a disappointment. The reality is that these UN agencies have been under severe pressure for some time. I can tell you that there are many good people within the UN who are disturbed by the degree of corporate influence within their agencies”.

The WWC’s new Board of Governors will oversee and guide the Council’s work for the coming three years. The elections took place during the triennial General Assembly for which more than 280 members had gathered in Marseille, France. Through majority rule voting, the members elected the 36 Governors from 74 candidatures and appointed Loic Fauchon to continue to serve as President of the World Water Council.

The rector of UNESCO-IHE Institue for Water Education Andras Szollosi-Nagy was elected as one of the four WWC Bureau Members. UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka and the Service Chief of FAO’s Water Development and Management Unit (NRLW) Pasquale Steduto are the two other UN representatives on WWC’s board.

Several other UN agencies are WWC members. In the June 2009 membership list we find the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank and the World Meterological Organisation (WMO).

Water unites but forums divided

Three forums on water remained divided during the 5th World Water Forum. Civil society and other organisations boycotted the World Water Forum in two separate events, the Alternative Forum, which focuses on environmental protection and dam issues, and the Counter Forum, which was primarily concerned with stopping the privatization of water. Even within the World Water Forum, there was a significant physical separation between the civil society in the NGO village and the other pavilions. As a result, protests marked yet another set of forums, which separated decision makers from civil society and may have impacted the Ministerial Declaration which had a marked absence of the Right to Water.

Read more: Nick Dickinson, IRC News, 02 Apr 2009

 

Johan Kuylenstierna (left), Chief Technical Advisor, UN-Water, facilitating the high-level roundtable on “Adapting to global changes in transboundary basins,” to commemorate World Water Day 2009. Photo: IISD

See below a Democracy Now video report on the different World Water fora

Protests at 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul

The fifth World Water Forum could not have had a more dramatic opening. A group of protestors from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were reportedly beaten up by Turkish policemen outside the venue of the Forum on March 16 just hours before 11 heads of states are to address a huge gathering of stakeholders.

The group — “No to Commercialization of Water” — was chanting slogans and carried banners, which went against the grain of unbridled privatisation of water assets. Their concern was that the Forum’s participants were treating water as a commodity and not as a right for all.

While 17 protestors from the group of over 150 have been arrested, several others had to clash with the security forces. Some of the media persons were also reportedly hurt.

[...]

A participant from one of the African countries at the Forum said the situation outside the venue was ironical given the fact that the theme of the forum was “Bridging Divides for Water,” aimed to facilitate solutions to the world’s water problems and promote cooperation among states and organizations.

But, World Water Council officials were quick to add in a press conference a little later that the right to water was very much on the agenda of the Forum with several countries attempting to mobilize political will to implement it.

[...]

According to the organizers of the Forum, some 27,000 people from 182 countries have already registered for the gathering where participants engage in 109 sessions to advance legitimate solutions for a scarce and contested resource: water. By the end of the week, a compilation of the various agreed upon proposals and actions will coalesce to launch the Global Water Agenda, Istanbul 2009.

For more on the protests see the World Water Forum blog

Source: Girish Chadha, NDTV.com, 16 March 2009

Counter World Water Forum, 12-22 March 2009, Istanbul, Turkey

International and local water activitists will be hosting a series of events in Istanbul before and during the 5th World Water Forum.  At the same time solidarity events will be held around the world during the Global Week of Actions for Water Justice from 14-22 March 2009. Activists will mark World Water Day on March 22nd by “declaring water a human right and a central component of the global commons”.

In Istanbul, Maude Barlow (Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the UN General Assembly) and Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, will attend both the official and “Counter’ World Water Forum events.

Below is a preliminary list of activist events – an updated list is maintained on www.peopleswaterforum.org

• 10-13 March: Water Tribunal – 4 cases to be heard in a similar format to the Latin American Water Tribunal conducted during the 4th World Water Forum
• 14-22 March: Global Week of Actions for Water Justice.
• 14 March: Demonstration in central Istanbul
• 15 March: Demonstration in Kadikoy Square
• 16 March: Official opening of the World Water Forum -activists organizing press conferences and protests against WWF
• 17-18 March: Platform workshop event at TMMOB Taksim Square office
• 17 March: Evening, Public Water Event organized by international activists – featuring UN representation and others – (unconfirmed)
• 19-20 March: Platform plenary events at MKM Congress Center
• 19 March: Demonstration planned
• 20-22 March: Campaign’s Alternative Water Forum – Bilgi University
• 22 March: Closing of official WWF and World Water Day
• 23 March: Solidarity delegation to Diyarbakir region of Turkey

At least two different groups inside Turkey are organizing events. They are referenced as the Platform and the Campaign but are formally The Platform “No to Commercialization of Water” and Another Water Management is Possible Campaign.

Activists are also planning, as yet undisclosed, inside-activities for the official World Water Forum.

Source: Anil Naidoo, eauwateragua [registration required], 10 Feb 2009

3rd Children’s World Water Forum, 12-17 March 2009, Istanbul, Turkey

Held in conjunction with the 5th World Water Forum.

The Children’s World Water Forum (CWWF) tradition was established in Kyoto at the 3rd World Water Forum and attracted just over 100 children at each of the previous two editions.

The involvement of children in dealing with global issues exemplifies the need for policy-makers to put children at the forefront of their water and sanitation priorities. Moreover, involving children in large multi-stakeholder gatherings is an opportunity for children’s representatives to engage in meaningful dialogue within a unified objective of bringing about significant change on water issues. Children are a crucial stakeholder in water deliberations and decisions to “Bridge Divides for Water”.

Registration for the CWWF closed on 31 January 2009.

Contact: childrenforum [at] worldwaterforum5.org

Read more

Right to water and sanitation – contributions sought for World Water Forum

Contributions are requested for four sessions on the subject of the Right to Water and Sanitation for the Fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul (Theme 4: Governance, Topic 4.1)

Guidelines on how to contribute for these sessions are available on the Freshwater Action Network (FAN) web site.

Topic 4.1: Implementing the Right to Water and Sanitation for Improved Access

• Session 4.1.1: Best practices of implementation: What measures need to be put in place by governments in sector reform, budgeting and policy formulation?
  Contact: Thorsten Kiefer, COHRE (thorsten@cohre.org)

• Session 4.1.2: Is the right to water and sanitation really making a difference for the poor and marginalised? What steps are needed to improve their ability to use the right as a tool to gain access and to hold governments and other actors to account?
  Contact: Sanderijn van Beek, FAN (wwf5@freshwateraction.net)

• Session 4.1.3: What does the right to sanitation comprise?
  Contact: Oliver Cumming, Water Aid: (olivercumming@wateraid.org)

• Session 4.1.4: What is the added value of a rights-based approach to emergencies, in terms of field and advocacy practices?
  Contact: Julie Aubriot, Action Contre la Faim (rechercheEAH@actioncontrelafaim.org)

Deadline for contributions: 12 January 2009
Notification of acceptance: 9 February 2009

Successful contributions will be included in a book of Good Practices of the Right to Water, as well as a limited number of interested parties being invited to present their cases at the World Water Forum in Istanbul.

For more information go to FAN web site

Through the Financial Aid Programme (PAID), the 5th World Water Forum offers grants for participants from the least developed and developing countries and participants from least-favoured groups, covering registration fees, full board accommodation and travel expenses within Istanbul. Deadline 01 January 2009. For more information click here. (Please do not send requests to this blog).