This note is to alert NGOs and other interested people about the upcoming
Ministerial conference being hosted by the Netherlands. The two primary
purposes of the meeting are: (1) to raise awareness about the crises of
inadequate drinking water supplies, water contamination, and degradation of
aquatic ecosystems at the highest political levels, and (2) to make
recommendations to the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
about how it can facilitate action to implement Agenda 21, Chapter 18
(fresh water). We also want to use this opportunity to lobby for reform of
the multilateral development banks loans for mega-scale dams and other
water projects.
There is an International Steering Committee formed by the Dutch to assist
in organizing the Ministerial Conference. Two NGOs were invited to
participate in the Steering Committee: CAPE 2000 (a coalition of U.S.
organizations, including Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund,
Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife
Federation, and Sierra Club) and Approtech Asia (Philippines). We are
expecting Environment Ministers from more than 80 countries, various U.N.
agencies, the multilateral development banks, and about 5-10 NGOs. The
Dutch NGO, Stichting Natuur en Milieu, is also organizing an NGO meeting to
coincide with the official government meeting.
We will present an "Open Letter to the Environment Ministers from NGOs"
with our recommendations for action to ensure that universal coverage for
drinking water supplies and sanitation services is achieved; that solutions
to meet the needs and priorities of local communities, women, and the poor
are pursued; that aquatic ecosystems are protected, and that high quality,
low cost, effective, and sustainable practices, programs, and technologies
are promoted.
The Working Draft of this "open letter" follows this note (about 8 pages).
We are looking for NGOs to comment on, and ideally endorse, this letter to
the Ministers. When we present it in March, we want to have as many
signatories as possible. The essential elements and format of the report
have been finalized based on the input of the 19 groups listed at the end.
For those NGOs who have been working on follow-up to the Rio Earth Summit,
you should be aware of this event and of the actions we are recommending as
they relate to other post-UNCED efforts. For those of you who work on
water issues, you should be aware of what can potentially result from this
meeting that can be used in other arenas to promote sustainable water
management. For all who are reading this note, send us your ideas and
support. We will try to incorporate as many comments as we can.
PLEASE SEND YOUR ENDORSEMENT, COMMENTS, OR INTEREST IN FINDING OUT MORE TO:
DEBORAH MOORE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND
5655 COLLEGE AVE., SUITE 304
OAKLAND, CA 94618
U.S.A
PH: (510) 658-8008
FAX: (510) 658-0630
E-MAIL: deb@edf.org (internet and/or via econet)
=========================================================================
1/27/94 Working Draft
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE WORLD'S ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS FROM NGOS
ON THE OCCASION OF
THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DRINKING WATER AND
ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION
MARCH 1994, DEN HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
This is a clarion call to environment ministers, public health ministers,
water resources ministers, external support agency representatives, and
other concerned citizens: adequate, safe, and clean water supplies are
scarce and endangered around the world. Most often water supply and
sanitation issues are relegated to public works or engineering departments.
But in reality, water supply and sanitation problems are CRITICAL
environmental, health, poverty, women's, and economic issues. Water supply
and sanitation issues are often identified as "local problems." But in
reality, more than 1 billion people live without adequate drinking water
supplies and almost 2 billion people are without adequate sanitation
services, making these problems global.
The world community must recognize the urgency of these problems and act to
enforce people's basic human rights, including the right to clean water.
Indeed, the provision of clean and safe water is a precondition for
sustainable development and for improving people's lives. An integrated
and coordinated global response is needed to succeed in providing water
supply and sanitation services to meet people's basic needs and in
protecting our environment. This conference is the first ministerial level
conference to address the problems of fresh water resources that will bring
together high-level government representatives. YOU -- THE MINISTERS
RESPONSIBLE FOR ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH, WATER RESOURCES, AND OTHER
RELATED DEPARTMENTS -- MUST SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO HARNESS WORLDWIDE
POLITICAL ATTENTION AND TRANSLATE ATTENTION INTO ACTION.
WATER CRISES WORSEN
The U.N. sponsored the International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade
during the 1980s with the goal of achieving universal coverage. This goal
was not achieved for many reasons, and in the meanwhile populations without
adequate drinking water supplies have grown, water pollution and disease
have increased, forests of all types have been logged, fisheries have
dwindled, wetlands have shrunk, rivers have been degraded, and coral reefs
have died. The International Water Decade failed to reach its goals
because, in general:
* Water problems have not been high on the political agenda, and past
solutions have used a sectoral approach that ignored the priorities and
sustainable know-how of women and local communities, and the needs of
water-dependent ecosystems;
* The vast majority of investments for water projects have relied on
expensive, centralized, and resource-intensive technologies, particularly
for irrigation and hydropower, leaving inadequate financing available for
drinking water, sanitation, and wastewater treatment at local, national,
and international levels;
* There has been a lack of appropriate, accessible, and affordable water
supply, sanitation, and wastewater treatment technologies;
* Environmental components of water management, such as protecting rivers,
lakes, wetlands, watersheds, groundwater, forests, fisheries, coastal
resources, and coral reefs, have been largely neglected in the process of
"development". Virtually all "development" -- in the form of logging,
mining, agriculture, large-scale dam construction and channelization, and
industrialization -- affects water resources; and
* Population growth, together with the over-exploitation of water resources
in some sectors (like tourism, irrigation, and hydropower), has outstripped
the gains made in water supplies and sanitation in many areas, particularly
in Africa.
Governments must recognize the severity and complexity of these problems if
we are to design effective solutions to these growing crises and meet the
needs of citizens worldwide.
RECOMMENDED MINISTERIAL ACTIONS
The solutions to many of these water problems are known, what is needed is
for you and your government to make commitments to take action both
individually, in your own country, and jointly, in international arenas.
Government action should be taken in cooperation with communities, the
public, and non-government organizations (NGOs). The following
recommendations, covering seven aspects of the water crisis, should be
adopted as a framework for developing national, regional, and international
strategies to begin safeguarding the quality of life for all peoples and
the planet.
I. ACTIONS TO FOSTER THE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES Water
supply and sanitation projects and programs must not be viewed in
isolation, but should be integrated with health, education, agriculture,
ecosystem protection, women's development, and technology development
efforts. To foster such an integrated approach, ministers should:
1. COLLABORATE with other ministers, cabinet members, the public, the
private sector, and NGOs to create a National Water Action Plan that will
lay out a strategy for providing drinking water, sanitation, and wastewater
treatment services to all in your country, in the context of river basin,
groundwater basin, and coastal resource management.
2. DEVELOP mechanisms for coordination, collaboration, and outreach
between the relevant governmental agencies (health, education, water,
public works, environment and conservation, agriculture, forests, finance,
and planning) and between other national governments, local governments,
the private sector, external support agencies, and communities.
3. RECOMMEND that the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development initiate
reviews and summaries of (1) the status and effectiveness of all existing
international agreements and institutions regarding fresh water resources,
(2) the costs and effectiveness of the full range of water supply,
sanitation, and wastewater treatment technologies, and (3) the
effectiveness of different models of community management of water
resources, both urban and rural.
4. URGE the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development to convene an
international Working Group to develop Guidelines for Investment in the
water sector for both public and private funds at local, national,
regional, and international levels. The Working Group, comprised of
government representatives, multilateral development institutions, and
NGOs, will design a consistent framework for water investments, which
should include:
* a water basin approach,
* a commitment to universal coverage,
* a water code of rights, standards, fees, monitoring and enforcement;
* an emphasis on least-cost planning, preventive approaches, and improved
use of existing water supplies through water conservation;
* a reliance on community-based management, including sustainable
traditional and indigenous water management systems;
* public access to water resources monitoring data and project documents;
* involvement of women at all levels of project design, management,
implementation, and decision-making; and
* allocation of adequate water supplies and water quality to protect and
maintain water-dependent ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, wetlands,
groundwater, coastal zones, and coral reefs.
These guidelines should then be adopted by the international development
organizations, such as the World Bank and the regional multilateral
development banks, and should be enforced to insure that the new approach
to managing water is implemented.
II. ACTIONS TO PROMOTE PEOPLES' PARTICIPATION AND WOMEN'S INVOLVEMENT
Water supply, sanitation, pollution prevention, and water management
efforts are most successful when local communities are directly and
actively involved in program design, management, implementation, and
decision-making. Women, in particular, are key players in procuring water
and food supplies and in promoting hygiene. To promote broader and more
meaningful participation, ministers should:
1. ARRANGE a series of meetings and hearings with the public and with NGOs
to establish a dialogue regarding community-based strategies and
women-oriented programs for providing water and health services and
managing water and related resources.
2. DEVELOP procedures and practices to increase the transparency and
accountability of private and public programs, both in domestic and
international institutions, including "information policies" to insure
access to monitoring data and project documents, "independent appeals
mechanisms" to investigate claims of wrongdoing such as misappropriation of
funds, and "public proceedings" to provide a public arena for debate.
3. RE-ORIENT the priorities and policies of water supply, sanitation, and
water and environmental management programs to identify the needs of women
and local communities, to make better use of their local knowledge,
techniques, and skills, and to enhance women's and communities'
participation in all aspects of the program, particularly decision-making.
4. IMPLEMENT the re-oriented priorities and policies -- within an enabling
environment (e.g appropriate time frame, adaptive planning) and through
institutional arrangements facilitating the capacity of local communities,
NGOs and women -- to organize and play meaningful roles in decision-making
affecting their livelihoods. Such arrangements should be based on mutual
respect, complementarity, and accountability.
III. ACTIONS TO INCREASE FINANCING OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-SOUND WATER PROJECTS
To ensure that greater investments are made in water supply and water
quality, both public and private resources must be re-directed. It has
been estimated that current investment is about $10 billion per year, and
that $50 billion per year of additional investments will be required to
extend water services to all by the year 2000. This quintupling of
investment capital will not be available from the public sector alone,
which means that private investment must be mobilized. To mobilize greater
funds for environmentally-sound water programs, ministers should:
1. ESTABLISH higher budget priorities for water supply, sanitation, water
conservation, and pollution prevention and control programs at the national
level and in your requests for development aid and private investment,
recognizing that such investments will have "win-win" effects by reducing
disease, decreasing the pressure for new sources of water supply, and
lowering the cost of water and wastewater treatment.
2. DIRECT your country's representatives to the multilateral development
banks and external support agencies, such as the World Bank, regional
development banks, U.N. agencies, and relevant bilateral agencies, to
establish higher budget priorities for water programs to complement the new
national priorities for the water sector, by re-directing funds from
high-cost mega-scale dams and expensive urban water supply systems.
3. SHIFT investments away from large-scale, subsidized infrastructure
projects towards cost-effective, high quality sustainable approaches that
will benefit the poor and local communities.
4. URGE the participants of a re-structured Global Environment Facility
(GEF) to redefine the International Water Component of the GEF and make
funds available for water supply, sanitation, and wastewater treatment
projects as part of integrated water resource management programs, in the
context of the broader, ongoing reform of the GEF's governance structure,
project development procedures, and multilateral lending practices. Making
these GEF funds available for such purposes will facilitate the achievement
of other stated GEF goals, such as protecting international waters and
biodiversity, including coral reefs.
5. EXPAND access to credit and make "smaller bundles" of development aid
and investment capital available to local communities, cooperatives, small
business, and NGOs. Build partnerships with these organizations for the
efficient and reliable delivery of services and for innovative pricing and
cost-recovery practices, such as community-level collection. In this way,
community-based water supply and sanitation projects can be promoted and
needed services will be delivered faster than via large-scale,
government-run projects.
6. MOBILIZE private investment for the implementation of sustainable
development of water and environmental services at the local level through:
transferring of environmentally-sound technologies; implementation of
true-cost and fair pricing with "lifeline rates" for the poor; levying of
local taxes and bond initiatives; stimulation of venture capital,
public-private partnerships, and cost-shares, and establishment of
regulated private utilities and water districts.
IV. ACTIONS TO ENCOURAGE THE USE AND SHARING OF APPROPRIATE, AFFORDABLE,
INDIGENOUS, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY-SOUND PRACTICES AND TECHNOLOGIES Many
companies, agencies, and NGOs have experience with water supply and
wastewater treatment, but do not have awareness, experience, contacts, or
access to markets in other countries. Furthermore, many indigenous and
traditional practices and technologies are effective and sustainable for
meeting community needs and conserving water and natural resources. By
supporting the sharing and expansion of these experiences and practices,
and providing access to both new and indigenous technologies, governments
will make more efficient use of human and natural resources. This will
assist in reducing dependency on external sources of finance and other
assistance flows. Therefore, Ministers should:
1. SUPPORT the initiatives of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable
Development to establish a clearinghouse for technology information and
referrals. The CSD should recommend that various U.N. agencies and
committees (UNICEF, Water Committee, Natural Resources Committee, Science
Advisory Committee, UNEP, UNDP, FAO, WHO, and WMO) compile, review, and
summarize information on modern, indigenous, and traditional systems and
technologies for water supply, sanitation, wastewater treatment, water
conservation, water supply protection, and water management, technology
cost and effectiveness, and supply and demand for various technologies to
support and promote their sharing and transfer on an ongoing basis.
2. RECOMMEND that UNEP and UNDP convene a conference to compile and review
existing appropriate and indigenous systems and technologies in the water
sector. Conference participants should come from other development
agencies with relevant experience (UNICEF, PROWESS, World Bank),
professional organizations (International Water Resources Association,
Water Aid, International Association on Water Quality), state and national
government agencies, and NGOs. Alternatively, REQUEST that the Water
Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council to convene such a conference.
3. ENCOURAGE a variety of public/private partnerships for sharing and
transfer of technologies, education and training, and investment. For
example, the US-Asia Environmental Partnership includes components for
technical assistance and a fellowship program to facilitate the sharing of
expertise both from the U.S. to Asia and from Asia to the U.S. Joint
ventures should also be undertaken to develop and test new water supply and
treatment technologies that are appropriate and relevant to local
conditions. Irrigation projects in Indonesia are now being "turned over"
to local communities and farmers' organizations, the result being improved
maintenance and performance.
V. ACTIONS TO PROTECT AND RESTORE WATER-DEPENDENT AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
Water development projects like large dams, untreated sewage, and other
forms of water pollution are the major causes of degradation of rivers,
lakes, watersheds, wetlands, and bays, coastal resources, and coral reefs,
as well as major causes of disease and dramatic loss of aquatic
biodiversity throughout the world. To reverse this alarming trend,
ministers should:
1. ESTABLISH a River Clean Up Pilot Program in your country that will
exemplify solutions to the problems of water supply, sanitation, pollution,
aquatic ecosystem degradation, and community participation.
2. UTILIZE all alternatives for water supplies before building new
large-scale dams, including water conservation and demand management,
improved efficiency in the irrigation sector, and re-use of treated
wastewater.
3. ADOPT and ENFORCE water quality and minimum instream flow standards to
protect public health and maintain river ecosystems, including policies
promoting pollution fees and incentives for pollution prevention ("polluter
pays").
4. RATIFY the Ramsar Convention on Protection of Waterfowl and Wetlands of
International Importance and DESIGNATE Ramsar sites in your country.
5. RATIFY the Convention on Biological Diversity and IMPLEMENT national
procedures for environmental assessment and monitoring that include
water-dependent ecosystems and species.
6. PARTICIPATE actively in the 1995 UNEP international conference on
land-based sources of marine pollution, and CALL for an international
convention on land-based sources of marine pollution, including erosion,
agricultural runoff, and raw sewage discharges.
7. SUPPORT community-based efforts to stop the discharge of raw sewage
into coastal waters containing sensitive marine ecosystems, such as coral
reefs, by providing funding for construction of nutrient-removing
wastewater treatment facilities. REDUCE significantly pollutant loadings
into groundwater by eliminating or upgrading cesspits, septic tanks, and
other facilities that leach into groundwater, as well as into coral reefs
and other aquatic and marine ecosystems.
8. IMPLEMENT an integrated approach to ecological management of water
systems that incorporates protection of forests, watershed management,
control of point- and non-point sources of pollution, preservation of
minimum instream flows, and regulation of water-use in urban, rural,
industrial, hydroelectric, and agricultural sectors.
VI. ACTIONS TO MANAGE INTERNATIONALLY-SHARED WATERS Agenda 21 does not
address adequately the problems and conflicts associated with
internationally-shared waters. Suitable policies should be formulated for
the development and protection of transnational river and groundwater
systems for the rational and equitable management of water through
regional, international, and bilateral cooperation. Ministers should:
1. NEGOTIATE and IMPLEMENT bilateral and multilateral agreements for
managing river basins and water basins shared internationally, such as the
1992 Economic Commission for Europe's Convention on Protection and Use of
Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes and the 1987 Agreement
for the Environmentally Sound Management of the Zambezi River System, which
would include provisions for allocating water, water rights, water quality
standards, liabilities, environmental protection and management,
emergencies, and monitoring and assessment activities.
2. ENCOURAGE transboundary public participation and transboundary
cooperation of local communities and authorities in river basins and
watershed areas. DEVELOP appropriate legislation and policies to
facilitate transboundary public participation.
3. SUPPORT efforts by inter-governmental institutions to develop and
enforce international law, dispute resolution, and procedural mechanisms
for non-navigational uses of international watercourses, such as the 1966
Helsinki Rules, and the more recent proposals of the U.N. International Law
Commission and others.
VII. ACTIONS TO SHAPE NEW POLICIES AND APPROACHES Many other factors
affect water quality, water availability, access to water supplies, and
degradation of natural areas, including global trade, development aid,
debt, population growth, and global warming. Ultimately, these areas must
be addressed if water is to be managed in a sustainable fashion. Thus,
ministers should also:
1. RECOGNIZE that over-exploitation of land and water resources stems from
agriculture, industry, military, and global trade in commodities, and that
local water supply and sanitation programs should be placed in the context
of global policies and consumption patterns.
2. INITIATE a review of the social and environmental injustices caused by
economic policies and structural adjustment programs advocated by the
international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund, with the active participation of those
concerned and affected.
3. CALL for relief and forgiveness of debt, which consumes huge amounts of
cash reserves that might otherwise be invested in water supply and
sanitation programs for the poor, as well as other programs.
4. SUPPORT family planning programs, family and women's health, and health
education programs, and incorporate water and sanitation components into
these efforts. EVALUATE the relative impacts of population pressures and
consumption patterns on the availability of fresh water globally (e.g.
Northern consumption of commodities reducing availability of drinking water
supplies for the people in Southern countries). PARTICIPATE in the
upcoming International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo,
and insure that water resource problems are incorporated into the
conference's agenda.
5. RECOGNIZE and ENFORCE peoples' basic human rights, including a right to
adequate and clean water.
6. INTEGRATE the management of forest, land, and coastal resources with
management of water resources, including assessments of new development
projects' impacts on water resources and water quality.
7. RATIFY and STRENGTHEN the Climate Convention to reduce emissions of
greenhouse gases. ASSESS your country's vulnerabilities to global
warming-induced droughts and floods, and DEVELOP strategies to overcome
these vulnerabilities in environmentally-sound ways.
8. SUPPORT strongly negotiations for an effective convention that will
assist in halting desertification and mitigating drought.
CAPE 2000 (Consortium for Action to Protect the Earth in U.S.) and
Approtech Asia (Philippines) are the two NGOs on the International Steering
Committee to organize this Ministerial Conference. This letter was
prepared by Deborah Moore, Environmental Defense Fund, and Lilia Ramos,
Approtech Asia/ International Secretariat for Water, with contributions
from members of CAPE 2000, Stichting Natuur en Milieu, and participants of
the Approtech Asia Regional Training Course on the Principles and Practices
of Appropriate Technology.
This letter is endorsed by the following NGOs as of January 25, 1994:
Deborah Moore and Scott Hajost, Environmental Defense Fund
Barbara Bramble, National Wildlife Federation
Jacob Scherr and Liz Barratt-Brown, Natural Resources Defense Council
Larry Williams, Sierra Club
Steve Parcells, National Audubon Society
Raymond Jost, International Secretariat for Water
Lilia Ramos, Approtech Asia / International Secretariat for Water
Maximo Kalaw, Green Forum Philippines
Roel Ravanera, The Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Development
Vic Tagupa, Southeast Asian Rural Leadership Institute
Nguyen Lam Hoe, Centre for Environment Research, Education, and Development
Tatsuya Watanabe, Japanese NGO for International Cooperation (JANIC)
Maria Lourdes Suplido, International Organization of Consumer Unions-Asia
Pang Hai Long, Pesticide Action Network-Asia Pacific
Bishan Singh, The Management Institute for Social Change
Wong Kim Loo, SEACON
Eugene Arokiasamy, Sustainable Development Network-Malaysia
M.S. Zulkarnaen, Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI)
Abdus Sabur, Asian Cultural Forum on Development (ACFOD)