Inside the World Water Forum

30 March 2006

For seven days from March 16, the Banamex Center in Mexico City hosted the 4th World Water Forum. More than 19,000 people witnessed an event that gathered academics, ministers, parliamentarians and NGO representatives, where the slogan was local actions for a global challenge.

In the Forum we studied the problems of water from two perspectives, different one with another but with some remarkable similarities. Thanks to destiny and a little sagacity I had the opportunity to experience both of them.

Simple solutions at Mexico World Water Forum © Solange Márquez

On the one hand, the social perspective was represented in the thematic sessions through presentations of more than two hundred examples of local water programmes managed by civil society organizations. These sometimes involved international or governmental institutions but there was also great participation of ordinary people, experts or not. These activities showed that, no matter that there are big problems, there are also possible solutions at community level.

The social perspective was also seen in the great number of alternative events, taking place and organized for those with not

bottles of water that for so many people represent the privatization of water

enough resources to pay the registration fee (600 dollars) or those that, for ideological reasons, didnt want to participate in a forum financed by enterprises like Coca Cola. There was constant availability of thousands of bottles of water that for so many people represent the privatization of water.

World Encounter of Water Legislators, Mexico 2006

From the very different institutional perspective, the most important parts of the Forum were the Ministerial Conference and the first World Encounter of Water Legislators. One success was the creation of an International Coalition of Parliamentarians for Water but the final declarations from these two assemblies contributed little or nothing to the practical realities of solving the worlds problems in water and sanitation.

Some differences emerged in the negotiations to finalize the parliamentarian and the ministerial declarations. In the case of the

there were few legislators with real knowledge about it

parliamentarians I guess it was a good start to be the first one, but there was an obvious lack of political will in dealing with an unfamiliar and problematic topic and there were few legislators with real knowledge about it. There was also poor participation - I found almost empty rooms during the experts presentations with few international parliamentarians present.

In this light it is perhaps not so remarkable that, in the opening and closing ceremonies, the most motivating moment was the presentation of the kids with their perspectives of a better future. Otherwise there were lots of speeches and few proposals, and the eternal dilemma between private and public sector. The final declaration was a consensus of the 140 countries represented but it excluded the most important and controversial discussions. At the end of the day, it is a declaration full of good intentions but says little about the means to provide what everyone desires.

The biggest failure of the Forum to include the assertion that water is a human right in the final declaration will remain in the minds of millions, parliamentarians, ministers or citizens, who realize that we now face an emergency: we have less water and we have it contaminated.

By contrast, the big success of the event was the interest, concern and commitment in the hundreds of proposals presented in the Forum, reflecting little solutions to a big problem. The challenge of water is a reality and we have to face it and find real solutions to solve it.

Solange Márquez is the National Co-coordinator of Rescue Mission: Planet Earth, Mexico (Peace Child International) and Volunteer Editor for the One World Mexico Guide

Links

4th World Water Forum
OneWorld Water and Sanitation Guide
OneWorld Mexico Guide