European Water Movement · Protecting Water as a Commons

Stop killing and atrocities in Gaza and in all the occupied territories

The European Water Movement (EWM) strongly condemns the ongoing invasion of Gaza, the massacre, injury and mutilation of innocent civilians, almost half of whom are children, the denial of water, food, fuel, medical care and other essentials, the repression, segregation and systematic destruction of homes of Palestinians in all the occupied territory and asks for :

an immediate ceasefire
end to any violence against population
humanitarian corridors
end of Israel’s colonization and apartheid regime
recognition of the right to self-determination of Palestinian people.

Protest rally for the defense of the Neretva River and its basin from new hydropower plants

The Neretva River in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photo credits: Robert Oroz

NERETVA IS BLEEDING AND NEEDS OUR HELP! #neretva

When? 11.11.2023. (Saturday) 11:55pm CEST

Where? Trg državnosti 1, Konjic city, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite the resistance of the local population, the academic community and the BiH public, the construction of the Ulog hydropower plant continues, which threatens the entire upper reaches of the Neretva. The consequences for the river and the living world are already visible.

But this is not the only threat to the survival of the Neretva and its tributaries. If we don't act immediately, 36 more hydropower plants will be built in the basin of the beauty of Herzegovina. At one time, as many as 93 hydropower plants were planned to be built, but local communities and activist groups prevented the construction of dozens of HPPs with determined long-term struggles.

The brave guardians of the Buna, Neretvica, Doljanka, Drežanka and other Herzegovinian rivers showed that we can stop the force by fighting. It is up to us to fight for Neretva now.

We refuse to be remembered as the generation that did not fight for one of this country's most valuable rivers.

That's why we gather in Konjic on 11.11 this year, at a large protest meeting to mark a turning point in the battle for Neretva.

We demand:

Urgent stop of the construction of HPP Ulog;
Cessation of the planned HPPs Bjelimići and Glavatičevo and 7 small hydropower plants in the area of the upper reaches of the Neretva;
Stopping the construction of HPP Gornji Horizonti;
Strict legal protection of the natural values of the Neretva basin;
Stopping the purchase of expensive coal for the needs of Elektroprivreda BiH from the private mines of the EFT and Lager companies - not only are the miners of the EPBiH mines impoverished with this purchase, but public money is also spent on companies that are destroying Neretva and Bliha with their projects.

COME AND JOIN THE DEFENSE OF THE EMERALD RIVER - so that the cold and clear Neretva flows forever!

More information here

European Water Movement Condemns Siege on Gaza and Urges Respect for Human Rights and International Law

The European Water Movement (EWM) strongly condemns the ongoing siege and denial of water and other basic necessities to the people of Gaza by the Israeli government. We call upon all actors involved to respect human rights and international law in their actions.

The people of Gaza have long endured tremendous hardships, including limited access to safe and clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, and adequate healthcare. These conditions are not only inhumane but also a violation of fundamental human rights. The already dire humanitarian consequences of the protracted 16-year siege of Gaza have rapidly deteriorated since Monday October 9, 2023 when Israel cut off the flow of essential resources, including clean water, medical supplies and as it intensified its aerial bombardment over the course of the week. Now that fuel required to operate critical water infrastructure has run out, the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees warns that two million people are at imminent risk.

The Popayán Declaration - Horizons Meeting of Public and Community Water Management 2023

The Platform for Public and Community Partnerships of the Americas (PAPC) held the Horizons of Public and Community Water Management Meeting on September 25, 26, 27, 2023 in the city of Popayán, Cauca, Colombia, to share knowledge and experiences and allow us to renew our understandings of new and old strategies of water dispossession and privatization and to confront, organize and fight against them.

People, organizations and movements from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia met over three days in the capital of the Department of Cauca, paying homage to this Territory which sits at the confluence of centuries of struggles by Indigenous Peoples and Black and peasant communities in defense of land, cultures and water. But we regret to note that some of our comrades from Africa and Asia could not be here because of the injustice and racism that characterizes international mobility through the arbitrary and inequitable granting of visas and travel permits. We deplore the barriers to entry into Colombia for our compañerxs from the global South which demonstrate that international mobility is controlled by racist and colonial forces that limit the possibilities of face-to-face solidarity between formerly colonized peoples. We will insist on breaking down barriers, meeting and strengthening the exchanges of the peoples of the South.