| About Water for the People Network |
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Our vision: Water for the people, by the people Water for the People seeks to put forward a "People's Water Code." This is an alternative paradigm that promotes people’s inalienable right to water and their collective right to manage this precious resource. As such, WPN is against any form of private, foreign corporate-led control—from the conservation and rehabilitation of water resources to the operation and management of water infrastructures and services. Water for the People Network asserts that the people's sovereignty on water is the long-term solution to issues and emerging threats surrounding water.
Our mission: Collective action for an equitable water future The network supports various water-related struggles and victories against water privatization at the grassroots; serves as an information and resource center on the ill-effects of water privatization while presenting community-based strategies; and acts as a coordinating body for joint actions and campaigns across the globe. WPN stands by indigenous communities, farmers, fisherfolk, and urban poor, especially the women in these sectors who are the first ones to be affected by water problems. Already placed in a disadvantageous position, they are further marginalized from having meaningful participation in policies and projects that affect their lives and livelihoods.
Our goals: Sustained action for a sustainable water solution Water for the People Network works in two ways: challenge water-related policies, structures and institutions that compromise the people’s right to water and proactively seek community-based pro-people solutions to such problems. WPN calls on the world’s peoples, policymakers, and leaders to:
How it all began Water for the People Network was a collective response to neoliberalism, with water now regarded as an economic good. The privatization of public goods and services, including water, proceeded at an unprecedented pace. Water privatization in agriculture, aquaculture, irrigation, industry, energy and sanitation all over the world have resulted in huge rate hikes; poor services for consumers; massive retrenchment for water district workers; economic and physical displacement for peasants, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples; corruption; tradable water rights; blatant disregard for democratic participation; and unchecked overuse and misuse of water resources. Consequently, anti-water privatization campaigns were launched in Africa, South America and Europe, and met acclaimed success. As Asia’s contribution to this growing global water justice movement, a regional Water for the People Network was formed in 2006. It currently has members in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mongolia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. Since then, WPN has conducted several activities aimed at strengthening peoples’ campaigning on the right to water. This included a Right to Water Capacity-building Workshop in the Philippines (2006), Thailand (2007) and India (2008). It has also organized a People's Alternative Water Resource Management Strategies Workshop, where researchers from selected countries in Asia shared best practices of community-based water management and technologies drawn from varying indigenous knowledge. This led to WPN’s first book, “People’s Water Resource Management Strategies,” the first of a planned series. What we do
Other activities Throughout the year, WPN members carry out individual national education and advocacy campaigns on their particular issues. The network has supported national campaigns and facilitated its articulation in regional and international fora and publications. WPN has engaged the World Water Forum, where it organized events at the WWF and other alternative civil society spaces.
Sign up and Join us Sign up to our mailing list or have yourself or your organization become one of our members. Your suggestions on how we can further boost our campaign are also most welcome. Secretariat Phone Number: +632.927.7060 - 62 ext. 208 |
