colombia: working to regain control of water from corporations
In Colombia, the appropriation of water services by multinational corporations is one of the greatest sources of social and environmental conflicts. The problem centres on the use of water sources for bottled water production, as well as control of water and sanitation services in populated areas. In an attempt to reverse multinational control over these vital resources, some organizations are promoting a referendum to reform the country's constitution. The referendum includes a proposal to reform the current water management model, which has historically favoured transnational investment.
In light of this development, Friends of the Earth Colombia / CENSAT Agua Viva sought to build affected community’s capacity to engage in the water debate, provide stakeholders with a solid foundation of informational and educational tools, and to build networks and strategies.
what happened: FoE Colombia carried out research and workshops to raise public awareness about the historical processes and politics that permitted Colombia’s water services to be taken over by transnational corporations, essentially turning these vital services into profit-oriented business. They examined legal and policy changes, and exposed the management models used in various cities to create public-private companies — models which employ contracts that favour the economic profits of transnational corporations and their subsidiaries.
FoE Colombia’s research shows how the State guarantees corporations’ investments by contracting debts with multilateral banks, while the private actors keep the profits flowing from the privatized water and sanitation services. At the same time, these transnational corporations generate pollution, devastate ecosystems, promote territorial fragmentation, appropriate community infrastructure, and turn essential services into costly products.
The results of this work were published on FoE Colombia’s website, and distributed through allied networks’ mailing lists, including those of RED VIDA and Friends of the Earth. Their report, titled “Water and Transnational Corporations in the Caribbean Coast: Colombia as an Experimental Laboratory for the Privatization Model” (Agua y trasnacionales en la Costa Caribe: Laboratorio experimental del modelo privatizador en Colombia), was welcomed by communities, trade unions and academics. The publication has also become an instructive international tool for unmasking the models used by corporations in different countries. A documentary titled “Priceless Waters” was also produced as an educational tool. It exposes the problems inherent in privatization, as explained by affected communities.
Capacity-building was carried out through a series of workshops in communities most affected by water and sanitation service privatization. This provided the communities with new tools to analyse and understand how these problems affect them. FoE Colombia also began to coordinate its regional and national work on water privatization, and made progress on defining its political, economic and legal strategies to confront and reverse privatization.
what we learned: The organizations involved in this project took a major step forward by building up regional and national networks to monitor the role played by corporations. Through this project, they were able to help map out the influence of water corporations in Latin American countries. In addition, training was used to strengthen participants’ skills, and they in turn spread this capacity by returning to their communities to train others.
One important lesson was that strengthening of communities is crucial if we are to move forward in the much-needed transformation to a more sustainable society in Colombia. Popular resistance movements are indispensable to this effort.
what next: FoE Colombia hopes that sustaining this work will help to spark exchanges between communities and the relevant institutions, and create opportunities for better decisions on water rights, now and in the future. Communities participating in the project now have sufficient capacity to confront water privatization in an informed and organized way, and make their voices and demands heard in national debates. Participants who took part in this process are showing a strong commitment to move forward with the call for a referendum on water issues in Colombia.
with thanks to our funders: the sigrid rausing trust
