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Background
The world
has witnessed chains of international commitments arising
from international fora such as the recently concluded World
Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg. The
poor are always at the receiving end of the so-called negotiations
that are no more than avenues for the exhibition of the wasteful
life styles adopted by world leaders. The poor have also become
unnecessarily popular. The rich nations of the world and their
business allies help to popularize poverty increasing the
burden of the poor by every step that they claim to take to
reduce poverty in poorer nations.
In the
2nd World Water Forum held in The Hague, March 2000, and the
WSSD in Johannesburg, government committed themselves to halving
the number of people having no access to safe drinking water
by 2015.The 3rd World Water Forum holding in Kyoto, Japan
March 2003 focuses on actions to translate this commitment
to sustainable development. However, we are not unmindful
of the fact that the 3rd World Water Forum might just be one
of those political maneuverings like those of the past.
The
Objective
Society
for Water & Public Health Protection (SWAPHEP) is calling
for a Global Action for Water (GAWA) to compel governments
to translate water commitments to actions. To provide safe
and affordable water to the 1. 2 billion people in the world
that have no access to safe drinking water.
The
Action
March
22nd is UN's World Water Day. We propose that every body around
the world should hold out a bucket/cup/bowl or place them
outside the house or some strategic locations. Those in offices
should put an empty cup on their desks on March 22nd 2003,
which is World Water Day 2003. Moreover, year 2003 is United
Nation's Water Year, which is the most appropriate year to
take such an action. Representatives of the civil societies
from across the world, who would be at Kyoto, will conduct
the action simultaneously with other participants at local
and national levels.
Significance of the Action
The significance
of the action is that everyone around the world is saying
that people are dying of thirst due to water scarcity and
we are all calling on governments to fill our empty containers
with adequate, safe and affordable water for all and that
the responsibility of providing clean water to the people
rests with the public sector.
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Volunteering
for GAWA
Volunteers
and collaborating organizations and individuals are being
sought to assist the Global Action for Water at local, national
and international levels in the following ways:
1. Mobilizing
global support through the Internet, web space and/or email
list.
2. Provision of meeting venue in Kyoto/ Osaka/ Shiga.
3. Printing and circulation of handbills, leaflets and posters
4. Collection of Water Testimonies from people across the
world.
5. Advertising on print and electronic media as well TV/radio
talk shows and jingles focusing on the action.
6. Organizing press conference/statements
7. Holding awareness seminars, workshops etc
8. Translating campaign documents to other languages
9. Photographic and video documentations of the events
10. Inscription of the campaign slogan on cups/buckets/bowl
that may be bought and distributed.
11. Others.
Please,
note that we are urgently seeking the assistance of any organization
etc., who already has a space in any of the meeting venues
in Japan, to allow us a time to have a short session on the
action. A web space is also being sought to host an Internet
discussion on the ways to strengthen the action and make it
work.
Who can participate in GAWA?
Everyone:
Civil societies, CBOs, NGOs, labour unions, governments, development
agencies, private investors, institutions and individuals.
Action for water is irrespective of the specific focus areas
of organizations, agencies and individuals as water cuts across
all spheres of human endeavors.
Why
take part in GAWA?
Water
is our common heritage and all humans are one family; what
affects one affects the other. This action promises to be
the single largest civil society action to enforce water demands
in history.
Slogan:
Water is our passion; water is our survival; give us
clean water now!
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