Twenty-three members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), have
\nexpressed solidarity with people in the global community standing in
\nsupport of the human right to water, with particular mention of the
\ndangers of privatisation of water in Lagos.<\/p>\n
The letter, whose signers represent half of the CBC, underscores the
\ndisproportionately harmful effect water privatization schemes, including
\npublic-private partnerships, have on people of color around the world,
\nwith signers pointing specifically to efforts to privatize water in Lagos,
\nwhere the World Bank has pushed privatisation as a solution despite its
\nabysmal track record.<\/p>\n
The letter draws from two US examples, Detroit and Baltimore. By
\nprioritizing revenue over access, much as a private utility would, the
\ncities have raised rates and forced the shut off of water access for tens
\nof thousands, drawing the concern of the United Nations Special Rapporteur
\non the Human Right to Water.<\/p>\n
As part of a global movement to oppose corporate control of water,
\nspanning from Jakarta to St. Louis, Baltimore recently avoided potentially
\nperilous contract with global private water corporation Veolia. Detroit
\nRepresentative John Conyers, Jr. led the signers with Rep. Karen Bass,
\nranking member of the Africa subcommittee. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, the
\nDemocratic co-chair of the Nigeria Caucus, and Reps. Maxine Waters and
\nEmanuel Cleaver, two former CBC chairs, are also among the influential
\nsigners.<\/p>\n
In the US, from Detroit to Baltimore, aggressive collections policies are
\ncurtailing people\u2019s access to water, disproportionately affecting
\ncommunities of color as the letter\u2019s signers note. In Lagos the World Bank
\nhas lobbied for decades to privatise water systems.<\/p>\n
In 2012, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – the private
\ninvestment arm of the World Bank, held a conference in Senegal to persuade
\nAfrican leaders to privatise their water systems. The conference featured
\nManila, Philippines as a model for replication, despite that project\u2019s
\nrecord of massive rate hikes, quality concerns, and communities with
\nseverely limited access. International arbitration recently found that
\nmajor pieces of the Manila deal violate Philippines law.<\/p>\n
The letter read in part: \u201cWe wish to express our solidarity with the
\npeople of Lagos, of Detroit, and of cities around the world as they raise
\ntheir voices in support of public water, participatory governance, and
\nuniversal access..Water is a fundamental building block upon which
\nindividual and collective economic prosperity relies..When people cannot
\naccess or afford clean water, the impact on their health and livelihoods
\nis devastating\u201d \u2026 \u201cand these circumstances force families to make painful
\neconomic choices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the Environmental Rights Action\/Friends of the Earth
\nNigeria(ERA\/FoEN) has commended the CBC for its letter of solidarity with
\nLagos residents and people in the global struggle to access clean,safe
\ndrinking water, describing the action as \u201ctimely\u201d in halting the planned
\nprivatisation of water in Lagos.<\/p>\n
ERA\/FoEN Director, Corporate Accountability & Administration, Akinbode
\nOluwafemi said: \u201cThe solidarity letter from the CBC is an encouragement
\nfor anti-privatisation groups to scale up our campaign against policies
\nthat prioritise profits over rights. We expect the Lagos State government
\nto halt the privatization plans and instead defend the rights of the vast
\nmajority of Lagos residents that water privatization will disenfranchise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oluwafemi, who recently visited CBC offices to seek support for the
\ncampaign against water privatisation in Lagos promoted by the Lagos State
\nWater Corporation (LSWC), thanked members of the caucus for supporting the
\ncampaign by Lagosians to defend their right to a free gift of nature.<\/p>\n
ERA\/FoEN and a coalition of labor, human rights and environmental groups
\nhave taken to the streets, creating enough pressure that water
\nprivatization was a central issue in the recent elections.<\/p>\n
Supporting the move, Shayda Naficy, Challenge Corporate Control of Water
\ncampaign director at Corporate Accountability International said:” Around
\nthe globe, the human right to water is under threat and people of color
\nare disproportionately affected,\u201d said \u201cWhether it\u2019s the World Bank or
\nDetroit City hall, this fundamental right must be upheld. The best way to
\ndo that is to keep water systems democratically accountable and in public
\nhands.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CBC members learned recently that the coalition of Lagosians, in the
\nface of this relentless lobbying from the World Bank, have raised the
\nvisibility of the plans and organized to stop it in its tracks. The
\ncampaign has engaged directly with candidates and elected officials on the
\nissue, and marched through the streets of Lagos, but privatization remains
\na risk. The group’s most recent visit to Washington, DC made clear to
\nmembers of Congress that what threatens water in Lagos threatens the water
\nof people across the U.S. as well.<\/p>\n
Congressional co-signers of the letter include Alma Adams(D-NC), Karen
\nBass (D-CA), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO), Emanuel Cleaver
\n(D-MO), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Donna
\nEdwards(D-MD), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Sheila Jackson
\nLee (D-TX),Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Gwen Moore
\n(D-WI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Stacey Plaskett
\n(D-VI), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Robert Rush (D-IL),
\nMarc Veasey (D-TX),Maxine Waters (D-CA), Frederica Wilson (D-FL).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Twenty-three members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), have expressed solidarity with people in the global community standing in support of the human right to water, with particular mention…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n