Thirsting for Justice “Defending the Global Water Commons”

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Thirsting for Justice “Defending the Global Water Commons” R9490 L.A.W. Magazine 30/4/07 8:10 AM Page 1 ***LATIN AMERICA WEEK 2007 (programme inside) 15-21 APRIL*** THIRSTING FOR JUSTICE “DEFENDING THE GLOBAL WATER COMMONS” © water for people Water wars: Exploring the 20th-century neo-liberal context and the struggle against water privitisation. Voices of resistance: From North and South, Latin America and Ireland. Global challenges Water and Gender. Water and Youth. Water and Debt. Water and Culture. Water and Environment... Latin America Solidarity Centre 01 6760435 [email protected] www.lasc.ie LASC gratefully acknowledges funding from Irish Aid & TRÓCAIRE L.A.W. 1 R9490 L.A.W. Magazine 30/4/07 8:10 AM Page 2 LATIN AMERICA SOLIDARITY L.A.W. 2007 concentrates on the CENTRE (LASC) lessons that we here in Ireland can TABLE OF CONTENTS 5, Merrion Row, Dublin 2 learn from the Latin American Tel: + 353 1 6760435 struggles for access to water. How did Water Wars – The Neoliberal Background 3 Fax: + 353 1 6621784 some of our brothers and sisters in E-mail: [email protected] Latin America manage to regain Enclosing the Water Commons 5 Website: www.lasc.ie control of their water services in the face of neoliberalism? How did they Water struggles in Latin America 7 manage to throw some of the most EDITORIAL powerful water corporations in the The record of water privatization in developing countries 8 On behalf of LASC I’m delighted to world out of their cities? present you with the programme for These are success stories – or are they? Water struggles in Ireland Latin America Week 2007, ‘Thirsting We look forward to hearing what the for Justice: Defending the Global situation is in Bolivia after the Water Beating the water charges in Dublin 9 Water Commons’. Wars and after president Evo Morales Opposition to water charges in Northern Ireland 9 Latin America Week (L.A.W.) is an set up the Water Ministry, the first of annual festival of development its kind. And what the Water Water protest in Limerick 10 education, campaigning solidarity Referendum (organised by popular and cultural events, co-ordinated by demand) has really meant for the most Water privatization in SLIGO? 10 marginalised sectors of society in LASC but implemented by a host of Water facts 11 organisations and individuals around Uruguay. Or how the people of San the country. It focuses on a particular Cristobal de Las Casas are faring after Water: a global challenge – A view by Progressio Ireland 13 theme each year. the mass mobilisations that put a stop Voices from Bolivia Last year’s Latin America Week to water privatisation in their (L.A.W. 2006, ‘Draining Away Our community. Water Privatization in Bolivia and the Struggle of the People 14 Wealth: Ownership of Natural We have assembled here a collection of The voice of a Cochabamba Water Warrior 14 Resources’) kick-started Year One of articles to explain why we are working Water and solidarity: reflections on a community’s struggle on water privatisation, to give a a three-year period in which we for water 14 would work on this theme. Last year snapshot of the global water justice our intention was to introduce the movement as it stands in early 2007, The water justice movement theme, and to research potential and to give detailed background North and South, it’s our water dammit! 15 action points we could then focus information on the various struggles upon. Our Latin American guests around water about which our invited The Latin American Water Tribunal spoke of their experiences with speakers will tell us. Putting water polluters on trial 16 grassroots struggles around water, oil, The speakers we have invited will Sustainable access to safe drinking water: gas and illegal logging, which opened participate in workshops, conferences A Millennium Development Goal 16 a debate on privatisation, particularly and other events all around the island the privatisation of gas and water of Ireland. They have all taken risks to Mexico and Ireland: Lack of access to water in which are hugely contested here in speak out as leaders of their respective marginalised communities Ireland. movements, and are no less than heroes Selling the water commons from right under our noses: of the struggle for water justice, which In the course of our research and a Mexican reality 17 communications over the past year, it is no more than the latest phase of the became clear that the greatest 500-year struggle of Latin Americans to Water and Travellers: an Irish reality 17 potential for offering our solidarity to resist oppression and exploitation. You grassroots struggles for justice in can meet them in small development Water and Gender 18 education workshops during the Week, Latin America, as well as for learning Water and Youth: the facts 19 from Latin America how best to fight be inspired by their visionary activism, injustice at home, lay in water. and explore and contribute your own Water and Debt attitudes, views and information. Please Water is the most vital substance for Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink! 20 all forms of life. Its ownership is a see the list of events, at the centre of matter of vital importance for anyone this publication for a workshop near Water and Culture in Latin America 21 concerned with the planet and with you. Water, Neoliberalism and the Environment 22 human dignity. To restrict access to As an article in this programme states, water only to those who can pay ‘the global water justice movement is Use and abuse of water for gold mining in Cajamarca 22 represents the ultimate young, and it is critical to share commodification, and has aroused capacity, ideas, strategy and victories.’ Further reading 23 fierce public resistance. L.A.W. 2007 is a part of this global In Ireland too it is a burning issue. In movement, and launches Year Two of Northern Ireland the ‘We Won’t Pay’ our current strategic plan. campaign is attracting cross- Year Three involves taking action for community support, fighting the change, and we expect that a specific London government’s plan to privatise campaign will grow out of this year’s Northern Irish water. Privatisation of Latin America Week. We hope that you Latin America public water was defeated in the can participate, and help shape our Solidarity Centre Republic in the mid-1990’s, but is solidarity with Latin America for the believed to be re-entering via the ‘back years to come. 01 6760435 door’ of water charges for commercial Azucena Bermúdez [email protected] users (see within). LASC Coordinator www.lasc.ie R9490 L.A.W. Magazine 30/4/07 8:10 AM Page 3 WATER WARS – THE NEOLIBERAL BACKGROUND By Aidan Cahill, LASC Chairperson ****** *Water war in Bolivia Photo by Muireann de Barra* Globally, water wars have only been a was the date Augusto Pinochet, backed by feature of the past decade. In this article US companies, the CIA and Henry we examine the 20th-century context of a Kissinger, overthrew the leftist 21st-century phenomenon. government of Salvador Allende in a The 21st century’s first great victory bloody coup. The Chicago Boys, a group Why would a against corporate power was won high in of neoliberal economists from the the South American Andes, when the University of Chicago, rushed to Chile to citizens of Cochabamba, Bolivia advise the new military government. democratically successfully resisted the privatisation of Nationalisations were reversed, public their drinking water services. Hundreds assets were sold off, and natural resources of thousands of ordinary working people and social security were privatised. elected battled police in the streets in early 2000, Foreign firms were courted, indulged and in what became known as the first Water guaranteed the right to repatriate profits. government War. (Incidentally, thirty years later the same Why would a democratically elected neoliberalism would be brought to Iraq, also by the gun, using the other government hand over public property, th hand over in the face of enormous public September 11 in 2001 as a pretext.) opposition, to a wasteful, predatory and In the decades since, international aid incompetent private sector? Why would donors – most importantly the World public it, beat, imprison and even kill its own Bank, the International Monetary Fund, citizens for expressing this opposition? and the development aid programmes of “ some rich countries – have insisted upon The story stretches back to the mid- property, in twentieth century when the dominant poor countries adopting ‘sound’ economic theory in those countries economic policies, meaning of course the face of sometimes known as ‘the West’ was based neoliberal ones, as a condition of vital on Keynesian economics, with its loans and aid. This is fortunately not true emphasis on taxation and redistribution of the Republic of Ireland’s official aid enormous of wealth from rich to poor, albeit within programme, Irish Aid, which has been a capitalist framework. Unions made singled out for praise in this regard. gains in the post World War Two decades Thanks to the Debt Crisis – generated in public in terms of salary and worker no small part by World Bank policy in protections, enough to threaten the 1970’s – governments in the Global opposition, to established financial interests. South have had no choice but to The doctrine of ‘neoliberalism’ – whose implement policy which is against the name harks back to the mid-nineteenth- interests of the majority of their citizens. a wasteful, century laissez-faire economics which led, ‘Free’ trade agreements, a pillar of amongst other things, to economic neoliberalism, have been forced upon stagnation and famine in both Latin them, ensuring a flow of resources from predatory and America and Ireland – was resurrected.
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