Feature story
The declaration, produced at the “World. Water. All of Us" conference, speaks in unambiguous terms. Water is "the foundation of life," carrying "social, cultural, medical, ethical, religious, and spiritual value" - and, the signatories insist, "a common good for which we all share responsibility." The commitments range from protecting ecosystems and advocating for universal access to clean, affordable water free from commercial exploitation; to using negotiations over water as part of efforts for peace.
Twenty years earlier, in 2005, Protestant and Catholic churches from Switzerland and Brazil had issued a joint declaration on the same theme - one that gave rise to the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, later affirmed as a WCC initiative at the WCC 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2006. Five years after that, in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly formally recognised the human right to water and sanitation through Resolution 64/292. The Bern conference widened that circle considerably: from two church traditions to many faiths.
Dinesh Suna, WCC programme executive for Land, Water, and Food and coordinator of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, was among the speakers. He made the case for what faith bodies bring to water governance that other actors often cannot. "Faith-based organizations have a unique and critical role to play in addressing water justice issues," he said. "Their involvement is not just beneficial but often essential for sustainable, equitable, and community-driven solutions." Suna also called for greater attention to sanitation - including World Toilet Day on 19 November - an issue, he noted, that faith communities often pass over in silence.
The keynote was delivered by Prof. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN special rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. He warned that the commercial exploitation of water cannot continue at its present scale, cautioning that - if current trends continue - humanity could need three planets to meet water consumption demands by 2050. His alternative: "democratically solidarity based water governance," with access to safe drinking water and the health of ecosystems, ranked above industrial and agricultural use.
The event was organised by the Reformed Churches Bern-Jura-Solothurn, Catholic Church Region Bern, and Blue Community. Rev. Heinz Bichsel of the Reformed Churches was among the lead organisers. Nora Horisberger, Swiss Blue Communities Coordinator at HEKS, also presented on the Blue Communities initiative at the full-day event.
Interfaith Declaration on the Importance of Water as a Human Right and a Public Good
