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Dear colleagues and friends,
In this second EWN Newsletter of the year, we would like to call your attention to an urgent announcement: The UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) has requested civil society to provide information with relevance to the OHCHR’s study on the human right to water. The deadline is short: Any information needs to be submitted by April 15th.
The completed study will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in November 2007 and it is likely to have an important impact on the way the human right to water is interpreted and implemented. Let’s use the opportunity and make sure that the voices of churches and NGOs are heard!
Your team from the Ecumenical Water Network,
Maike Gorsboth & Guillermo Kerber
Contents of the Newsletter:
1. Submissions for OHCHR study - only until April 15th
2. World Water Day 2007
2.1 FAO, UN, and the Holy See: Official ceremonies and statements on World Water Day 2007
2.2 World Water Assembly for Citizen’s and Elected Officials (WWACE) and protests against the European Commission’s water policies in Brussels
2.3 “Access to water – a human right” (Bern, Switzerland)
2.4 Churches and NGOs commemorate World Water Day at the UN in New York
2.5 NCC marks 'World Water Day' with new water stewardship resource
3. World Social Forum 2007: View reports and photos online
1. Submissions for OHCHR study - only until April 15th
In November 2006, the UN Human Rights Council has decided that the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) should conduct “a detailed study on the scope and content of the relevant human rights obligations related to equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation”. The completed study is to be presented to the Human Rights Council in November 2007.
As part of its preparation, the High Commissioner has now requested stakeholders to provide information - until April 15th. Any relevant information is welcomed and can be submitted. Among other, information about national legislation, court cases, public policies, and best practices related to the access to safe drinking water and sanitation has been asked for. It has been highlighted that information related to private sector provision should also be brought forward.
Please submit information if you deem it relevant. There is no requirement for submissions to be a legal or technical expert opinion and also no special status with the OHCHR is needed! However, it might be helpful to partner with human rights NGOs or academic institutions.
For more information on the study and how to submit information, please see:
2. World Water Day 2007: “Coping with Water Scarcity”
On March 22nd, around the world people and organizations have commemorated World Water Day. Besides a number of official and formal ceremonies such as the one that took place at the FAO headquarters in Rome, many seminars, conferences, marches, and other events were held by civil society organizations and movements. Here are a few examples of what has been happening.
2.1 FAO, UN, and the Holy See: Official ceremonies and statements on World Water Day 2007
An official ceremony took place at the FAO headquarters in Rome. FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf stated that coping with water scarcity was “the challenge of the 21st century”. A message from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was also read, in which was highlighted that water was not to be considered as a simple economic good like others but should be regarded as a common good of the human family. He called out to promote access to water for all, and particularly for those living in poverty.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon stressed in his message for World Water Day the importance of integrated and sustainable approaches to water management. As reasons for the growing pressure on available water resources, Ban Ki Moon mentioned not only high population growth but also pointed out “unsustainable consumption patterns, poor management practices, pollution, inadequate investment in infrastructure and low efficiency in water-use” as major causes for the water crisis.
Further information:
2.2 Protesting against the European Commission’s water policies in Brussels, Belgium
In Brussels, a demonstration took place on March 19th that took participants to the General Directorate “Trade Policies” of the European Commission. Already in the run up to World Water Day, the Ecumenical Water Network and over 60 other civil society and labour organisations had published a joint statement commenting on the policies of the European Commission regarding water and sanitation in developing countries.
The European Commission has been funding since 2005 the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), a multi-donor agency closely related to the World Bank which promotes and supports privatisation in developing countries. At the same time, the Commission has recently launched its own Private Sector Enabling Environment Facility (PSEEF), and it has been pushing for water services to be included in free trade negotations such as the GATS and EPAs.
Also in Brussels and from March 18-20, the World Water Assembly for Citizens and Elected Officials (WWACE / AMECE) took place, bringing together elected representatives, trade unions, and civil society organizations dedicated to water-related issues to discuss practical solutions to promote access to water and implement participatory structures in water management.
For further information:
Leading up to World Water Day, a half-day conference on “Access to water – a human right” was organized by a group of Swiss organizations. Representatives from the German and Swiss government, civil society, and business discussed the meaning and consequences of talking about access to water as a human right. Among the speakers were Maude Barlow, winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize. Juerg Gerber from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) took the place of Carlo Donati, Executive Vice President Nestlé Switzerland, who had cancelled his participation.
The event was also supported by the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and the Ecumenical Water Network.
The United Church of Christ with the Ecumenical Working Group at the UN New York and the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples sponsored a very successful celebration on March 22 at the Church Center at the United Nations. Beginning with a well appreciated worship service rich in music and replete with water images and symbols , the worshipers from many parts of the UN community celebrated "God's Gift of Water."
In the afternoon the highly acclaimed film, "Troubled Waters" was shown. The film is a United Church of Christ production in partnership with ABC-TV. It raised the critical issues related to water on a global scale with case studies from specific contexts. This was followed by a very informative and stimulating panel discussion with experts from UNICEF, the NGO Indigenous Decade Committee, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Earth Values Caucus.
The concluding speaker was from our own Ecumenical Water Network, Rajyashri Waghray of Church Word Service. After a wide ranging discussion there was a closing reception allowing the participants to continue there conversations about the pressing issues concerning access to clean water, the impact on women and children, scarcity and development issues.
The National Council of Churches USA's (NCC) Eco-Justice has commemorated World Water Day with a new water stewardship resource for congregations entitled "Water Stewards: A Toolkit for Congregational Care of Local Watersheds".
This resource assists congregations in learning how they can be good water stewards, provides theological foundations for water stewardship, and an adult water curriculum for churches wishing to do further reflection and study.
From January 20th to 25th, the World Social Forum took place in Nairobi. As announced in our first newsletter of the year, the Ecumenical Water Network was present and organized a number of activities. Besides several successful presentations and workshops, at one time the young (and young-at-heart) danced and sang to the tunes of well-known Kenyan bands – and the motto was “maji”, the Swahili word for water.
Several other organisations also dealt in their events with the challenge of ensuring access to water for all. Particularly exciting was the birth of the “African Water Network” which has been created to resist the on-going push towards privatization and liberalization of water services on the African continent.
Newsletter of the Ecumenical Water Network, Number 3 - March/April 2007 