WATER: FUNDAMENTAL FOR LIFE BUT A LIMITED RESOURCE Imagine your a future without water. Local communities and governments working together to ensure sustainable use of water in order to ensure it for future its fair and equity distribution public ownership public and social participate governance.

We, the youth at the NMC conference, declare that water, as source of life, is a human and inalienable right. We keep on expressing the same ideas of the People's Water Forum about our commitment for public and responsible access to water for all people. For all these reasons we demand a public and socially participated governance, and we object to all forms of water privatization in every time and place. We suggest to achieve these objectives, where necessary, through petitions to governments in order to make privatization of water and hydro services illegal.

In order to achieve these aims we suggest that the following reflections and actions to be realized.
1 Why water?
Water, because it is a life source, a human and inalienable right, a limited resource in a consumerist society and it is at the base of all the economic sectors. Moreover, in this historical moment there is a big crisis that threats the life of the earth and all living beings. For these reasons, we need policies based on equity, justice, solidarity and a sense of responsibility, respect for environment and cultures, and use of adequate technologies for different realities.

The causes of the water crisis are the following:
– "western" paradigm and anthropocentric and individualist culture;
– productive system (70% for agribusiness, 20% for industries);
– financial logic at the base of its management;
– energetic and transport system;
– climate change;
- pollution;
– development model;
– consumerism-based lifestyle.
– The consequences of water crisis are the following:
– loss of ethics of respect for life and for nature;
– water business;
– increasing of vulnerability of people that live in rural areas, especially women and children;
– 1,5 billion people without access to safe water mainly in impoverished* countries but also in Europe and also in Italy, see Zigonia, BG;
– diseases linked to the use of unsafe water;
– hydric, ecological and soil stresses;
– social conflicts and wars.

There are two different visions about water.

The vision of water as a need and an economic good that it is expressed in the World Water Forum (promoted from big corporations and world bank) declaration (Istanbul 2009) that:
- defines water as a “need”;
- gives priority in water use for the production of hydroelectric energy and biofuels;
- opens water systems’ management to private capital, stressing that it differs from property.
ps. 27 Countries expressed their disagreement with these statements and subscribed an alternative declaration.

The vision of water as a common good and a human right that is expressed in the People's declarations (from Florence Forum 2003 to Istanbul 2009):
- defines water as a fundamental and human right-affirms it can't be submitted to the market laws
- affirms that all costs linked to governance of water system have to be covered by public funds
- promotes democratic and social participatory practices for water system governance-requests the creation, by the UN, of a new “institutional” table where all countries could participate in the debates about water which should be conducted following a Human-rights’ based approach and without interference from private companies interested in a business water approach.

The crisis must be seen as a moment to choose, as a chance to change.

ACTION PLAN

(1) Public vs Private
Defining water as a fundamental human right through policies about use of water resources.

Actors:
Governments
Organizations in social and environmental fields
citizens

Actions:
Give a deadline to the international community to establish laws and policies on ensuring water is managed as a public and not a private good.
Objectives:
- To ensure that all governments progressively work to create laws that guarantee access to safe drinking water, equitably without discrimination in all people;
· To spread solidarity policies where the government must address social interest firstly rather than individual interests (international aid, companies, etc..)
· To manage water as a public (socially) and not a private good (economically)
Deadline: Looking to be fulfilled in five years.

Actions:
Create a monitoring agency to prevent abuse and pollution of hydro resources.
Objectives:
·To create and update national and local policies about the domestic, agricultural and industrial use of water resources.
Deadline: Looking to be fulfilled in five-ten years.

(2) Principles for all Water Sources
to be PUBLIC and never privatized

Actors:
Public administration / all levels of government
NGOs
Citizens

Objectives:
· To ensure that regions and countries preserve water as a public resource.
· To create an international declaration of universal rights to public water access that prohibits any form of water privatization.
·To encourage local administrations to publicly identify geographical areas containing bodies of water.
· To create a network for different regions and countries that have commonly governed, connected water sources.
·To encourage regions sharing water sources to cooperate and create common laws that ensure equal access to water; these must support sustainable water management.
Actions:
- i) Citizens’ Actions:
In the event that attempts to privatize water before the creation of the above laws, citizens are encouraged follow the recommendations below:
-meet with government officials to advocate for necessity of public water usage
-publicize situation and create awareness in cities, towns and villages
-create youth forums within existing government administration where the universal right to public water access is expressed
The above forums should be open to all youth. Governments must recognize the importance of YOUTH in the decision making process. The presence of the next generation in this procedure ensures continuity in proposals and the renewal of ideas concerning the right to the universal, public access to water. These forums should seek to monitor the situation of water supplies and ensure water remains accessible to the public.
ii) Actions for NGOs:
Non governmental organizations should represent an intermediary between governments and citizens in order to guarantee the application of international declarations that support public access to water supplies.
a) NGO actions can take the form of:
-petitioning the government to ensure equal and universal access to water and to prevent any attempts at privatization
-active citizenship - conduct surveys in order to monitor peoples’ satisfaction (or lack of satisfaction) with the efficiency of government actions
- educating the general public
Deadine: Looking to be fulfilled in five to seven years.

(3) Awareness Campaign for Sustainable
Water Usage

Actors:
Public Administration / Civil Servants
NGOs Youth Organizations
Governments from all levels
Media – newspapers, television, billboards, radio, internet

Objectives:
·To establish a sensitizing campaign using various forms of mass media to create awareness around sustainable water usage.
·To provide information on best practices for water usage, pollution prevention and technology to support these.
·To educate children in schools at kindergarten, elementary, and high school levels by means of a trans-disciplinary, grassroots program.
Actions:
Government should introduce public incentives to use efficient technologies to save / recycle water for domestic, industrial and agricultural use.
The Ministry of Education should support the connections between schools and social organizations in order to promote the usage of public infrastructures in water education campaigns.
Deadline: Looking to be fulfilled in two years.

(4) Best Practices as Solutions for Change

Actors :
Governments
Private sector
Citizens
Objective:
The preservation of water
Actions:
Government should set up regulation concerning good behavior namely encouraging bars and restaurants to use tap water, prevent water waste, provide any new building with rain water tanks and water recycling systems and should ensure access to water for all.
People should recover traditional water preservation practices in order to keep a tight bond with water as a source of life also in view of future generations.
Companies should employ sustainable water systems that promote recycling and reuse.
Deadline: All life long