Resources: Media Releases

MEDIA ADVISORY
For immediate release
January 24, 2005

Over 100,000 to attend World Social Forum; Council of Canadians to build international network on right to water

What:

From January 26-31, 2005, the 5th World Social Forum (WSF) will take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The WSF is the world’s largest gathering of activists and civil society organizations. It was established in 2000 in opposition to the World Economic Forum, a meeting of business and government elites. More than 100,000 activists from around the world will discuss the most pressing issues facing the planet.

The Council of Canadians is attending the WSF to build an international network to fight for recognition of water as a human right.

The issue of water justice is high on the agenda of the Forum. Issues around the right to water are some of the most pressing facing the international community today, and the past year has been one of many highs and lows.

One great success occurred in Uruguay, which made history by being the first country to declare water a human right. However, access to clean, safe water for millions of people in the tsunami-ravaged areas of Asia and Africa is now becoming more and more scarce.

The Council of Canadians has been working on international water issues since 1999, when it launched the Blue Planet Project.
We are committed to stopping the privatization and commodification of our water and to seeking positive solutions to the global water crisis. We are working to ensure that governments around the world recognize that water is a public trust and a fundamental right.

Who:

The following Council of Canadians representatives will be available for comment:

In Brazil:
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson
Eduardo Sousa, Ontario Regional Organizer

In Canada:
Anil Naidoo, Blue Planet Project Coordinator

When/where:

January 26 – 31, 2005
Porto Alegre, Brazil

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