Reports 1995-1998 Edited by Dwain C. Epps

“Streams of Justice,” Statement to the High-Level Segment of the Sixth Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD6), New York, April 1998.

As we have underlined in past CSD Sessions, we believe that the integration of social justice and ecological sustainability should be central to the CSD’s work. Because we believe that the focus should be on ensuring a good quality of life for all people within a healthy environment, we prefer the terminology of “sustainable community”. The term “sustainable development” tends to concentrate attention on the promotion of economic growth with the anticipation that it will lead to the improvement of people’s well-being, an anticipation which we find often not realised.

Our focus on sustainable community leads us to a serious critique of the current trends toward economic globalization including a concentration of power in the hands of a minority, an increasing gap between the rich and the poor, regional and global threats to the environment, and a weakening of political institutions and their legitimacy on the national and international level. We are particularly concerned about the impacts on the most vulnerable including Indigenous Peoples, Women and children.

Within this ethical context, we would like to address issues related to the CSD6 agenda items on Industry and on water.

Industry

The growth in corporate power and influence raises many issues for the World Council of Churches. Here, we wish to address two aspects regarding Industry, namely corporate responsibility and the expansion of “free trade”.

The movement toward economic globalization and deregulation, trends which are strongly supported by most corporations, undermine public channels to ensure the accountability of corporations. Industry argues that globalization and deregulation will facilitate more efficient economic activity with the benefits trickling down to an improved standard of living for people. We are unconvinced by the trickle-down theory. Further, we are deeply concerned about companies making major decisions primarily on the basis of economic gain, decisions which can be detrimental for the social and environmental well-being of the people affected.

Prior to the Rio Earth Summit, churches were encouraged by the initiative of the former UN Centre on Transnational Corporations to develop a code of conduct for companies in their global operations. Unfortunately, opposition from some powerful industrialized countries prevented that process from coming to its intended fruition in Rio. Realising the gravity of this issue, over the past several years, member churches of the WCC in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States have worked together to develop a draft code for corporations called “Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility - Benchmarks for Measuring Business Performance.” The principles cover such areas as corporate responsibility related to eco-systems, national communities, local communities, employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers and contractors. In the churches’ draft code, the principles are translated into criteria for implementation which are in turn reflected in measurable benchmarks for independent verification. The churches involved have already had consultation about the draft code with partners in developing countries and with some companies which have provided useful feedback. This revised code will be made available to interested parties.

Secondly, pressure is now gathering for the development of regional and global trade agreements. These threaten efforts to build sustainable communities. In our statement to CSD5, we raised concerns about the MAI (Multilateral Agreement on Investment) particularly its implications for human rights and the environment. Coalitions including member churches of the WCC in Canada and over 600 citizens’ groups in the U.S.A. have gone beyond critiquing the MAI and have articulated possible principles for a foreign investment code which would foster rather than jeopardize sustainable communities. Those guiding principles include:

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  regulation of foreign investment to ensure just and equitable development;
  

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  participatory processes for the development of regulations, where citizens’ groups are consulted by a range of relevant government ministries and agencies;
  
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  multilaterally-agreed regulations to prevent unfair competition; and
  
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  internationally recognised labor, environmental and other human rights taking precedence over investors’ interests.
  

Water is the source of all life, healing, revitalizing, cleansing and quenching the thirst of all living beings. It cannot be substituted, nor multiplied; it is unique. Water symbolizes the spiritual essence in all religions, that which is sacred. For Indigenous Peoples, water is the element with which a spiritual relationship is woven. For them water is a living and sacred resource, an inalienable and collective right as reflected in their cultural identity. It is found in purification, curative rituals, marriage and other ceremonies.

In the Christian tradition, the waters of baptism are a powerful image of unity, as well as a sign of equality in God’s reign.

“May we hold the cups of water of salvation

In many debates on sustainable development, water is called merely an “economic good”. The use of this concept (“economic good”) is ambiguous and therefore, troubling. The term “good” may denote a commodity or else a virtue. As a necessity, water should be recognized as a fundamental right in the context of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Water is an indispensable element in the global commons which we are called to responsibly administer and preserve.

Economic valuation of the water used for all basic needs, posed as the only solution to providing incentives for the sustainable management of water resources, in reality amounts to denial of life to humankind. If enough political will can be mustered, it is possible to quench the thirst of all of the 1.2 billion people of this world who (according to the UN Development Programme) do not have access to safe drinking water. Mahatma Gandhi, the spiritual leader of India, was wont to say that there was enough on this earth for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.

Indeed, is it moral and ethical for the world to first plunder the resources of nature, and then when it becomes scarce, to make a costly commodity out of it? In this context, we are seriously concerned that the Declaration of the Paris Conference calls for private funding in the financing of water and sanitation projects and for the progressive recovery of direct service costs and overheads.

Whether in agriculture or industry, effective management and efficient use of water resources is critical. Conservation of fresh water eco-systems is necessary to maintain the balance within watersheds. Indigenous Peoples have centuries-long traditions of conserving water. An integrated strategy at the local, national, regional, and international levels, must seek to maximize benefits for both people and eco-systems. In this context, water cannot be considered a “national” right, but a human right, involving people across borders. The development of participatory fresh water management systems that link conservation with human needs and which allow communities, Women, Indigenous Peoples and all stakeholders a role in the decision making process is vital. These systems must take into account the views, rights and basic needs of the marginalized. In the mountains of Peru, local communities have organized themselves to manage scarce water for their basic needs, including subsistence agriculture. They have constructed and continue to maintain sluices and water tanks using locally available materials.

Furthermore, justice – likened in the Bible to an ever-flowing stream – is symbolized in the nature of water. It is not only a matter of right but of justice.

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  propose that specific local, national and regional policies concerning fresh water be established for discussion at Earth Summit III;
  
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  call on the Member States to establish independent, democratic and participatory water councils at all levels to provide for an integrated strategy for the protection and use of all fresh water systems;
  
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  urge that Industry diverts a percentage of all investments to support and sustain the eco-systems which their operations affect;
  
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  include a gender disaggregated analysis on the impact of the commercialization of water as well as of the participatory processes related to water management; and
  
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  take steps to promote indigenous and ecologically appropriate technologies for the conservation and equitable use of water for sustainable communities.