Lima, Peru, 23-25 November 2009
Water for Life and Creation
The meeting brought together ministers from various denominations, priests, lay people, environmental technicians and administrators, social movement and political leaders, geologists, trade unionists, journalists, representatives of non-governmental organizations and leaders of indigenous communities from Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Germany.
Sharing experiences
Participants spoke about the experiences of their countries and discussed the challenges they face to ensure equitable access, promote community participation and combat pollution, irresponsible use of water and climate change.
Field visits
Participants also made field visits to Lima's urban periphery to observe the power and strength of community organizations that have taken responsibility for promoting change and transforming their communities.
Eco-silo
Participants also learned about the use of eco-silos and dry toilets to recover organic waste and faeces and produce organic fertiliser.
God's Grace
"God is the centre of values and attitudes, this is not dogma. To be a Christian today, it is not enough to only make a declaration of faith. To have a relationship with God is to have a relationship with your own rights and those of everybody else," said Pastor Rafael Goto of the Centro Cristiano de Promoción y Servicios.
Refilled
At the start of the meeting, participants agreed to reduce the production of waste, for example, by refilling their water bottles.
Unity
Participants mixed water they had brought from all over Latin America and took home bottles of the mixture as a symbol of unity. During the closing session, participants established a mechanism to promote continuity and monitoring of the individual and institutional commitments made at the conference.
