On the 8th, 10th and 11th of October 2006, Non-Governmental Organizations, activist networks, young artists and Government institutions involved in Bolivian social movements against water privatization, coordinated activities for a cultural week of activities under the banner “Water is life, not a Commodity.” The week formed part of the worldwide campaign Blue October in which social movements around the world took to the streets to speak out for the right to water and to commemorate the referendum carried out in Uruguay on 31 October 2004 which included water as a human right in the Uruguayan constitution.

The Uruguayan people were inspired to put together legislation on water by the struggle against the multinational Bechtel in Cochabamba in the year 2000. Now the Bolivian popular movements are learning from the Uruguayan experience to construct a model of water management which openly breaks with the values of neo-liberalism and the market economy.

Key events

The events in La Paz started on Sunday 8th October with a major cultural event during the Prado fair (the main high street of the capital) with the support of the Mayor’s cultural office. Various organizations held information stands including the Ministry of Water, Solón Foundation, Red UMAVIDA, Agua Sustentable, CGIAB, CECASEM, FRUTCAS, Espacio Cultural Creativo and CEADL. These stands included informative panels, children’s games especially designed for the event, theatre, dancing and painting. The main stage carried the banner: “Water is life, it is a good of nature and can not be commercialized” and featured a number of leading music and dance groups from Bolivia.

With the aim of refreshing peoples’ memory, on Tuesday 10th October, there was a presentation of videos entitled “The memory of Water” in the hall Amalia Gallardo in Museum Tambo Quirquincho. Six videos were projected including several on the story of the last popular rebellion against water multinational Suez in El Alto, the US documentary Thirst and several broadly on the theme of water by Solón Foundation and CEADL.

On Wednesday 11th October, several leading activists from the regions of Potosi, Cochabamba, Tarija and Santa Cruz led a panel “Women in Defense of Water” in the Vice-President’s main hall. They presented conclusions from the First National Women’s Meeting in Defense of Water along with the central proposal to the Constituent Assembly: that Water should be declared a human right and a right of nature.  The event was also attended by Walter Valda, Vice-Ministry of Reservoirs and Water Resources, and Congress Deputy Julia Ramos. In the closing event, a contemporary ballet group from Cochabamba, Atempo Danza, presented their work Lagun Mayu which commemorates the Water War of 2000.

Linked to the cultural festival, a number of resources were produced in order to raise awareness of the ideas of the Bolivian movement: Report on the First National Women’s Meeting in Defense of Water, a leaflet with the conclusions of the event, a leaflet on proposals for the Constituent Assembly on water, publications including the “Memory of Water, Water and Women: Linked by life”, several posters for the event, a giant banner “Water is life, not a commodity” and 10 large banners carrying messages which defend the human right to water

Political proposals

As well as working on lobbying political decision-makers and raising awareness among grassroots organizations, the Bolivian movement is also constructing its own proposals highlighting the public characteristics of water in order to confront privatization. During the First National Women’s Meeting in Defense of Water, carried out from 12 to 14th June 2006 in La Paz, around 70 women who struggle to defend water resources in different regions of Bolivia, agreed that the State has an obligation to guarantee access to water as a common good, and that all human beings without distinction have the fundamental right to clean water and sanitation.

Based on a deepening understanding of the slogan “Water is life, not a commodity”, leaders of various movements are calling for water to be withdrawn from free trade agreements, because it can not be treated as an economic tradeable good. Water is the lifeblood of Pachama (Mother Earth); it is a sacred resource for the children of today and those to come; without water we could not live more than two days, 80% of our body is water; if we privatize water we are putting a price on life. These are some of the arguments you will hear from movements´ grassroots for protecting water from market values and neoliberal policies.

It would be fair to say that the struggle against the commodification of natural resources in Bolivia is leading to a political discourse that is increasingly critical of the existing development model. In the case of water, this discourse calls in first place for a “community role” in water, that is social ownership of this resources against the private ownership of water resources, and secondly a strong critique of the contamination and wasteful practices of western consumer society.

Proposals for the Constituent Assembly

The Bolivian movement succeeded in elaborating concrete proposals which should be discussed in the Constituent Assembly which is meeting currently. The aim is to incorporate some restrictions in the new Constitution in order to protect water from any attempt to privatize it in the future:

1. Water is a fundamental human right as has been asserted in the United Nations’ International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. A natural resource which is essential for life and the environment in general can not be converted into an economic good or commodity susceptible to privatization, commercialization or export with exclusively economic ends. In conclusion, a fundamental human right can not be determined by market values or be a source of profit. 

2. Principles of solidarity, universality, respect for human rights and the environment, and reciprocity with nature must guide the provision of drinking water and basic sanitation services.

3. Water resources are the patrimony of the State. Therefore water and sanitation services must be managed exclusively by public entities which reinvest earnings in the same services. These services have a social end rather than an economic one, must be administered by communities according to their traditions and customs, and based on traditional community wisdom. The State must comply with Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization and consult with communities before undertaking any project related to the extraction and use of water uses.

4. Contamination and consumer societies’ wasteful use of water must be toughly sanctioned. The State and municipalities must develop educational strategies which promote the saving, recycling and care of water. Protection and maintenance of water sources, which are finite resources, is a State responsibility for the benefit of future generations.

Proposals for public policies

The Bolivian movement calls for:

1. A new Law on Water, constructed with social participation, which regulates the use of water for irrigation and human use, giving preference to farming and urban communities.
2. The media must be involved in educating the public about the use of water. The State needs to support initiatives promoting the inclusion of care for water in all its dimensions within the National Educational Curriculum. (The Cordillera University will include a module on Water and Women in its study plans. The Ministry of Water is also proposing to the Ministry of Education the inclusion of water care as a subject)
3. Need to work towards a Worldwide Convention so that Water is considered by States as a human right and a good belonging to nature.