In addition to the preparations for the Forum, the agenda of the movements in defense of water in different parts of the world is busy with mobilization processes against large mining and energy projects.
These projects threaten with depleting rivers for hydroelectric production or polluting water supply sources as a result of gold exploitation, among many other minerals, and as a consequence of agro-industrial processes.

On the other side, the advance of regulatory frameworks towards privatization, of policy changes and laws in the Global South promoted by the World Bank and the World Water Council are the norm.

In this turmoiled context, the challenges faced by the Alternative World Water Forum are not little. The building of a unified discourse in clear rejection to privatization has been well developed since the Forum in Mexico in 2006 (both the official and the alternative forum took place in the capital city of the country Mexico City). But now it is necessary to focus on the alternatives against territorial displacements and thus on the water territories, and on the public and community management models that have been implemented in several countries for years, but that are not today the trend with reference to the future of water in the Blue Planet.

The transition between discourse and alternatives to privatization is one of the issues to address at the Forum. On the other side, one of the issues that calls the attention the most is the one related to the current debates about water as a fundamental human right and about the plans to have the UN to call the next official Forum, and not the World Bank or the World Water Council as has been the case in the six events so far.

In terms of water as a fundamental human right there are strong critiques inspired in the demagogy with which the concept of right has been used, subjecting it to an anthropocentric application and passed by many governments that also promote development models not at all water and territory-friendly, while privatizing their management. In addition, there is a debate about the capture of the concept of fundamental human right as something that can be ensured even by private companies that meet the water requirements of the population.

In terms of being the UN the one to call the next official Forum to discuss the future of the water of the planet, it is surprising how it was the UN itself the one that promoted in the 90s the World Water Council, and voices against the "corporate capture" of the UN are gaining strength.
Thus, the impartiality necessary for decision making would not be ensured by this change around the most important world event on the issue of water.

Without a question, the Alternative World Water Forum is an important space to discuss these and other issues that are part of the heart of the debate and that is expected to result in clearer measures to implement against the establishment of the development model that makes the capitalist capture of water in all its forms to take place. But the event, for those who have participated in previous editions, should allow to define specific actions with reference to specific issues, among them the Summit Rio+20 and the Green Economy process the Summit aims to legitimize, with the subsequent impacts on water and energy.

Call to Action around March 14th: International Day for Rivers and Against Dams

Large Dams are not Green! Protest against the Greenwashing of Dams and the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP)

What: It is a symbolic protest. We’ll create a live river in public, and then a dam. We need you to help us create this scene. If you have a traditional costume of your culture, wear it to represent the cultures of the world that depend on live rivers. If you want to play the role of dam builder come dress like that (with a sign of your favorite builder/financer). We’ll have a dam blocking the river. We could even paint the dam green.
Where: The stairways of the Train Station Gare St. Charles, in Marseille, France.
When: Wednesday, March 14th, 10am.