The meeting of social networks, that will end on March 17th, will be carried out in parallel to the World Water Forum called by the World Bank and the World Water Council, and where governments will participate. This official forum is considered by the civil society gathered in the International Movement in Defense of Water as a promoter of the privatization of the essential resource.

On Tuesday, when the official ministerial declaration came to light, Real World Radio’s correspondent in Marseille, Danilo Urrea*, interviewed Mexican activist Claudia Campero, of the Coalition of Mexican Organizations for the Right to Water (COMDA) and the Blue Water Project.

The leader told Real World Radio about the meeting held on Monday in Marseille by representatives of the International Movement in Defense of Water and the governments of Bolivia, Uruguay, the US, Germany, Spain, Panama, Nigeria and the local government of Paris. “The aim was to bring a common message to the meeting to delegitimize the World Water Forum which has basically served to advance the interests of the water transnational companies”, said Campero.

The social activists took advantage of the space to reaffirm the governments about the need of the human right to water and highlight the “problems” of green economy and the agenda towards the UN Conference on Sustainable Development which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Another of the issues raised in the meeting was the demands by the civil society of water fora to take place under the framework of the UN and not the World Bank and the World Water Council. "For us it is very important to make clear that the World Water Foum is not a space to discuss the issue of water and this meeting in a way sends this message", said Campero.

The Mexican activist said that the official forum “is losing presence”, it has many “empty spaces” and denounced that the organizers announced Tuesday that the official ministerial declaration has been approved with a standing ovation, when actually the disagreement by the official delegation of Bolivia was hindered. Venezuela, said Campero, did not even go to the official Forum showing its disagreement with the process. “We see a clear strategy to lie”, said the activist, “they continue speaking of false consensus”.

Then, Campero talked about the activities by the Mexican Movement of People Affected by Dams and in Defense of Rivers (MAPDER) in several states of the country in the framework of the celebration on Wednesday of the International Day against Dams, and for Rivers, Water and Life.

*Member of CENSAT Agua Viva – Friends of the Earth Colombia

Photo: Claudia Campero, sent by Danilo Urrea