Civil society activists will be holding a series of strategy workshops in preparation for the 2006 World Water Forum (WWF). The first, called 'Toward the World Water Forum, Mexico 2006: Strategies for the right to water/anti-privatisation movement', is being organised by Public Citizen at the World Social Forum -  which is being held from 26-31 January 2005 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Corporate Europe Observatory is organising a similar strategy workshop during the 2nd Alternative World Water Forum, which will be held from 17-20 March 2005, in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a recent paper [1], Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians and well-known activist, sketches the growth of the global civil society movement against water privatisation since the 2nd WWF in The Hague, The Netherlands in 2000. She sees the 4th WWF "as the most important of these forums to date".  She calls on the global civil society movement and the local movement in Mexico to work together because “the need for a democratic process over the future of this most precious resource is paramount".

[1] Barlow, M. (2004). The World Water Forum and its civil society opposition. Ottawa, Ontario, Council of Canadians. 4 p. PDF file (500 KB)

Related news: Right to water: NGOs criticise Green Cross International campaign. Source, 23 Nov 204

Contact: Anil Naidoo, Blue Planet Project, Council of Canadians, anaidoo@canadians.org

Source: Right to Water listserv, 22 Dec 2004

Tags: financing, policies & legislation