We, the organizations that promote the Bolivian Blue October Campaign, a social mobilization that defends water as a common good and a human right and proposes an amendment to our National Political Constitution, that water must be out of the control of corporations and be treated as a fundamental good for life, speak regarding a reality that is evident in several regions.
Concerned
by the lack of transparent information and processes of wide and diverse participation
in the knowledge and elaboration of Legal Projects of water, Laws of
Consultation, Laws of Mining and Fuel processing, we express the following:
· Water constitutes a fundamental
element for life, not only that of people but of nature itself, thus high
priorities must be set in the use, the planning, the investment and public
policies to assure that the care of water, its sources and of human rights to
water and its use given the high demand of extracting activities by industries,
especially in the context of the increasing climate crisis and global changes.
·
We express our deep
concern that once again this kind of norms will give advantageous treatment to
some so called “strategic sectors” for the economy of the country (such as mining,
fuel extraction, industry) without the correct application of the
precautionary principle without respect of the constitutional right to
water for persons, communities and nature.
·
We call upon Bolivian
society to be sensitive and to speak up about the expressions of certain
authorities of the Plurinational Government to allow the work of petroleum and
mining explorations in Bolivia’s National Parks, as this not only has an effect
upon nature, but also on the rights of the Indigenous Peoples who live there.
·
We express our concern
that in spite of the fact that Bolivia has made important advances regarding
the recognition of the human right of water in our Political Constitution of he
State, the present economic model is capitalistic and destructive and is
leading humanity to a high level of contamination above the limits of the
planet. Climate Change is the clearest expression of this crisis, whose impact
in Bolivia will be of mayor proportions, that is why we repeat our conviction
of the claims of the debt by developed countries for climate destruction.
We also call for all authorities who are charged with implementing measures to
confront climate change and the vulnerability of our country locally.
·
We demand complete
information and attention of the government to the demands of the organizations
that over many years have been struggling for environmental justice in their
communities, as is the case of CORIDUP (the Coordinator in defense of the
Desaguadero River Basin, Lakes Uru and Poopó, that are being affected by
environmental passivity and the contamination of its water sources without
looking for effective and immediate solutions that have been needs for several
years.
·
We demand that there be
established broad spaces for discussion about development models existing in
our country, and especially after the failure of the Yasuni Project in Ecuador,
a fact that should make us aware and move all economic interests that have
acted without any vision of the future, responsibility toward our children and
creativity to find solutions, provoking a setback to all the talk about the
Rights of Mother Earth. We regret that our economic and productive matrix is
based in extractive activities and has not looked for real solutions for the
crisis.
·
We join the Global
campaign against Fracking as a new false solution for the present energy
crisis promoted by the corporation that are guilty of more contamination of the
planet. Fracking is a criminal technology that exploits shale gas while
contaminating subterraneous waters, the atmosphere, letting microshakes loose,
and using great quantities of water. We declare ourselves in solidarity with
the dozens of groups in resistance that have been able to obtain moratoriums in
the United States, the United Kingdom and in Argentina.
· Finally, we ask the national
government to make available discussion spaces for public and transparent
debate where civil society in all instances and where the organizations and
institutions, that are committed with defending water, can participate in the
legal processes, norms and public policies so that our proposals will be
listened to and taken into account in the defense of Water that it may be
healthy in the future for our children and grand-children, and for nature that
supports us.
La Paz, October 2013
Translation by Mary Peter Bruce, SL
Signatures:
Organizaciones de la ciudad de Oruro:
Centro de Ecología y Pueblos Andinos CEPA ,
Programa de Reducción de la Vulnerabilidad ante el cambio climático CEPA –
LIDEMA, CEP “Santos Marka Tula”–,
Campaña “Oruro te quiero limpia, , Centro de Apoyo a la Educación Popular
(CAEP), Santuario del Socavón * FEDJUVE –ORURO, SEDERI – Oruro, PAIS VIVE : La Fuerza de la Juventud,
Movimiento Franciscano Justicia y Paz,CEPROMIN Suyu Suras, Teatro Sin
Fronteras, CORIDUP, ECOMUJERES, ANAPA , ECOJOVENES, Escuela de Formación de
Lideres Ambientales , Red Pio XII, JARAÑA, Scouts Capitán Ustarez Segunda
División del Ejército , Patrullas Ecológicas, Instituto de Desarrollo y
Ambiente (IDA), Centro de Investigación
y Políticas Sociales CIPS, Plataforma en defensa Medio Ambiente y la Madre
Tierra, Sindicato de la Prensa Oruro , Red UMAVIDA
Adhesiones internacionales:
Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y
Desarrollo (PIDHDD)
PADPA - Haiti
Para mayores adhesiones: octubreazulbolivia@gmail.com
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