As a member of the Network "Friends of the Right to Water", the Boell Foundation will work inside the World Water Forum and outside at the "International Forum in the Defense of Water" on the Human Right to Water. " Friends of the Right to Water" is an international network of NGOs working for the recognition of the Right to Water on all levels (local, national and international) - other members are the Council of Canadians/Blue Planet Project, COHRE, Red Vida, Bread for the World, FIAN, Alliance Sud, Food and Water Watch, Corporate Accountability International.

The International Forum in the Defence of Water

The Heinrich Boell Foudation is co-sponsoring the “International Forum in the Defense of Water” - an alternative forum which is going to take place from the 17th till the 19th of March. This Forum is being organized by the Coalition of Mexican Organizations for the Right to Water (COMDA) together with international NGOs. For more information on the International Forum in the Defense of Water please consult the COMDA-Website.

The International Forum in the Defense of Water is part of the Ralleys in Defense of Water, a set of activities around water taking place from the 21st of January till the 22nd of March. The Boell Foundation is also convoquing for these Ralleys.

Water Tribunals

One of the most important parallel and independent activities is the First Latinamerican Audience of the Water Tribunal which will be held in Mexico City from the 13th till the 20th of March (with the exception of Sunday 19th) in the National Museum of Anthropology. The 20th is the most important day as all the "judgements" (veredictos) will be read out that day (with simultanous translation to English). Each tribunal consists of the hearing of the cases (about 2 hours each case, aprox. 45. minutes each side -plaintiff and defendant). There will also be side activities related to the cases - one example is a public speak-out on Suez organised by Food and Water Watch.

The Latinamerican Water Tribunal is an independent, autonomous organization trying to fill in the gap of impunity in environmental/ water issues. If judiciary was working the way it should, the Water Tribunal as an ethical tribunal would loose its raison d'etre.  The Tribunal is based in San Jose, Costa Rica, but their consultative network spreads all over Latinamerica.

13 cases from all over Latinamerican countries will be judged during the audience in March: cases from Mexico, Centralamerican countries and Southamerican countries (Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru...) have been presented. In general, the idea is to have paradigmatic cases. Privatization, dams, mining, oil industry, contamination, tourism and sewage problems are to be addressed.

Inside the World Water Forum

On Sunday, March 19, the Heinrich Boell Foundation, together with the Network "Friends of the Right to Water" and other NGO's,  will participate in a session on the Human Right to Water inside the World Water Forum. The aim is to challenge the definition of the Right to Water as it is given by World Water Council, World Bank, industries and other actors and to allow civil society groups and users from all over the world to rise their voice and their concerns. Although the World Water Forum pretends to be a dialogue forum for all stakeholders, the high entrance fees of several hundred US-Dollars effectively prohibits the participation of local groups and representatives.

The program of the Water Tribunal can be downloaded here