Claudia Campero Arena

Claudia Campero

Brenda Rodríguez

Coalición de Organizaciones Mexicanas por el Derecho al Agua (COMDA)

Water struggles in Mexico, as in the rest of the world, have been ongoing for decades. Although water was very much at the centre of these, they were seen as environmental, human rights, land or community problems separately. This hindered the possibility of seeing the relationships and commonalities of these struggles. It has not been until recently that social and civil organizations have got together to discuss them as water struggles that bring together environmental and social justice issues.

When diverse organisations started to find out about the Forth World Water Forum (4^th WWF) that was going to take place in our country, the widespread water crisis – manifested in numerous local conflicts related to access, damn building, urbanisation of catchment areas, pollution and privatisation – and the need to organise to face it became evident. These very diverse organisations around the country started to arrange workshops, conferences, d

emonstrations and publications relative to water issues. Communication among these actors existed to some extent, but it was not continuous nor complete. At the same time international organisations started to communicate with many groups to collaborate in opposing the 4^th WWF.

Coalition formation

A group of nongovernmental organisations and community base organisations, started to share information and view points in a more continuous basis. It was clear to us that the context of hosting an event of this nature could be very problematic for the policies and practices it promoted, but also because it could provoke tensions among civil society organisations. We decided first to discuss common principles about water and water management that could allow us to work in the defence of water before, during and after the 4^th WWF. Through this process we built COMDA – Coalition of Mexican Organisations for the Right to Water – committing ourselves to work towards four topics: the right to water, against water privatisation and for public and community management, for sustainability and democratic control. It was until October 2005 that we decided we would engage in the organisation of a forum that would show opposition to the 4^th WWF.

Building a larger group

With all these water related activities, it became clear to many that there were a great amount organisations, besides COMDA, planning to oppose the 4^th WWF. The diversity was tremendous: ecologists, human rights advocates, students, union workers, indigenous groups, urban popular movements, different NGOs, etc. We decided to get together to discuss what lied ahead. After an initial discussion it was clear that we had different ways to view water issues, different organisational logics and tactics, but we had one thing in common: We were all convinced that the 4^th WWF did not represent us, we strongly disagreed on its agenda and we were all against water privatisation. We all wanted to do activities to show our point of view in contrast with the forum, but we acknowledged that advocating for “one” alternative activity would divide us and would not represent the whole. This whole entity later became know as the Assembly in Defence of Water and Land and Against Privatisation (Asamblea for short in Spanish) which was the first collective event organised by this alliance.

We were clear that in order to oppose this huge event we needed at least to maintain a dialog and coordinate what we were planning. We knew that the diversity among us could be a strength as long as we committed to respect one another. It was not easy, but we needed to engage in different committees to coordinate media reach, popular education, finances, logistical matters and political issues. With this commitment of respect and understanding we decided that the issue about inside vs. outside strategy – which started as a heated debate – should be left for individual organisations and not to the whole group. This was a big step towards allowing the diversity of approaches coexist as long as the basic principles were there. All this work was being done simultaneously with the international organisations and things came back and forth to make it as participatory as possible.

Rallies in the Defence of Water (Jornadas en Defensa del Agua)

The Rallies in the Defence of Water were an umbrella of activities that aimed to construct spaces of reflexion and citizen awareness around water issues; to discuss water policies, and the social, cultural and spiritual significance of water, as well as sustainable, just, equitable and democratic management. Eventually, organisations and people from 27 Mexican states and 40 countries participated in these rallies.

Once we decided we needed a variety of activities to show the diversity of the group, but also to build up momentum, we determined to start two months before the 4^th WWF with a key event: the Assembly in Defence of Water and Land and Against Privatisation. We made a call for all movements in water issues, particularly grassroots organisations, to join in a space where water struggles would be heard and proposals for future activism would be put forth. People from all over the country came to this call and for the very first time in Mexico indigenous groups, academics, women groups, urban popular movement, ecologists, human rights activists and so on, came together to discuss water issues. Two of several important resolutions were to challenge the 4^th WWF and to meet weekly to organise this with a now even larger group of organisations.

Several activities followed: workshops, demonstrations, seminars, indigenous ceremonies, book presentations, ecological technologies construction, and indigenous people, utility workers and damn resistance fora. Most were concentrated during the week the 4^th WWF started. Also we needed a space for people that came from other parts of Mexico to stay, so we did a campsite with an effort of sustainability. This became also a place for alternative water cultural activities and a cultural market.

A key consensus, that took a lot of effort, was organising the march called Mobilisation in the Defence of Water. We were all concerned about maintaining it peaceful, but strong. We discussed everything openly: the route, speakers, security, even the title it would have! This effort was not in vain. The day the 4^th WWF started 25,000 people marched in Mexico City in the defence of water! This has been the largest mobilisation of its kind to date.

Finally, in cooperation with international friends, we organised the International Forum in the Defence of Water which gave voice to people from all over Mexico and the world. It was a three day forum discussing: the right to water, water privatisation, public and community democratic alternatives and sustainability. Most importantly we decided to set some space and time to arrange for strategy meetings about the future of the international water movement. As a result, we made several commitments to defend water from privatisation and pollution and also to unite in a simultaneous global activity called Blue October which has celebrated now its second year of existence.

The activities in resistance to the 4^th WWF changed the International Water Justice Movement, and it also allowed for the construction of the Mexican Water Movement. The process required a lot of work and patience, but the results were magnificent. The success was thanks to the attitude of all who participated in the process. It allowed grassroots movements and NGOs to work together and activities reflected the true diversity. It clearly contested the 4^th WWF discourse with worthy arguments and gave space for an alternative to view and manage our water differently.

Labels: Foro Mundial del Agua

# posted by Claudia Campero Arena @ 11:15 PM