Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-03-11-Speech-3-453"
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Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in a few days’ time a delegation from this Parliament will travel to Istanbul to take part in the 5
World Water Forum, an event which will bring together all the global players with an interest in water: UN agencies, development banks, States, professional organisations, NGOs and local authorities.
I should like, in particular, to stress the importance of financing based on solidarity, such as that made possible under the Oudin law in France. The latter allows local authorities to collect one cent per cubic metre from their users’ water bills to finance international cooperative actions dedicated exclusively to water.
Is the Commission prepared, Commissioner, to encourage the development of this kind of instrument? Such development has to be done in accordance with the notion of the public good, and that is why I am pleased that the text of the resolution points out that public-private partnerships must be strictly defined and subject to regulation.
Since the last World Forum, the role of local authorities has been recognised by all the stakeholders, including members of Parliament and ministers. The next forum, in Istanbul, will stand out because of two major advances: the signing of an agreement by local authorities on water and the organisation of two days wholly devoted to the role of the local authorities.
Are you prepared, Commissioner, to make use of the enormous reserves of expertise and of human and financial resources of the local authorities to encourage the North-South Partnership? With their successful experience and their technical skills behind them, the cities of the North are keen to help their counterparts in the developing world.
Finally, the UN has today published a report on water that makes some frightening projections for the future. Under the double pressure of demographic growth and climate change, the water crisis has been made worse by the inadequacy of the political reaction. While water is the priority for all development policy, only 6% of international aid is devoted to it.
That is why I want Europe, our Parliament and the Commission to send a strong message to the people of the South, because this inequality of access to water cannot continue.
At a time when water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource and the pace of climate change leads us to expect more and more conflicts in relation to access to water, I wanted to prepare for this meeting by putting a strong text to the vote within our institution in order to lay the foundations for European action in this field.
The situation is serious, as you know. Water shortages have spread beyond the traditionally arid areas. Access to water, the quality of which is constantly deteriorating, has become a concern for all of us. The UN figures speak for themselves. One billion people do not have access to safe drinking water; two and a half billion people do not have access to sanitation; five thousand children under the age of six die every day from diseases caused by lack of clean drinking water or sanitation, or by their poor quality.
The scandal is that the first victims are always the poorest. Access to water, which will be one of the main challenges in the years to come, could further delay the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The next World Water Forum must be an opportunity to find solutions together to respond to this enormous challenge.
My first priority was to emphasise that water is a shared resource of mankind that should be a universal right. That is the first paragraph of the proposed resolution, and it is vital, because the policies we are implementing depend upon it. Remembering this basic principle means saying ‘no’ to making water a commodity, since, unfortunately, we know only too well the disastrous consequences of that.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report of 2006 shows there has been flagrant injustice. The lack of distribution systems has often resulted in a lack of safe drinking water for the most disadvantaged people. Consequently, millions of people have to resort to unofficial sources which, taking into account the intermediaries, charge prices that are five or ten times higher.
We are fighting for access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all. This means that water has to remain under public control, which alone can assert the common interest. It is this principle that should guide our policies, and I am pleased that the resolution makes reference to it.
Public intervention is indeed able to resolve this problem of access. A pricing system that is fair and sustainable for all would be both less costly for poor people than having to resort to the unofficial sector and would allow investment in the necessary infrastructures.
This goal can be achieved only if we all contribute to it. Public development aid must therefore be used together with the resources of local authorities, bank loans, private capital and innovative partnerships."@en1
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