International agua con justicia para todos resistencia mundial y local contra el control empresarial y la mercantilización del agua

The document examines the global trend of water privatization, highlighting how the World Bank and IMF pressure developing nations to privatize water services as a condition for loans. It details the dominance of French multinationals Suez and Vivendi, and the impact of trade agreements like GATS on water access. Through case studies from Bolivia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other regions, it documents tariff increases, environmental degradation, and social resistance, while proposing community-based management and 'soft path' alternatives to corporate control.

• International financial institutions, specifically the World Bank and IMF, drive water privatization by conditioning loans to impoverished countries on 'public sector reform,' which effectively means privatizing state water companies.
• The global privatized water market is dominated by two French multinationals, Suez and Vivendi Universal, which together control water companies in over 100 countries and serve more than 100 million people.
• Privatization often leads to dramatic increases in water tariffs, which can exclude the poorest populations from accessing potable water; for example, tariffs in Ghana increased by 95% in May 2001 due to World Bank and IMF conditions.
• The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is being used by the European Union to push for greater market access for its water multinationals in 109 countries, potentially restricting governments' ability to limit water extraction.
• In Cochabamba, Bolivia, public resistance to the privatization of water by the Bechtel-led consortium Aguas del Tunari led to the company's removal, though Bechtel subsequently sued the Bolivian government for $25 million in lost profits via a bilateral investment treaty.
• Corporate water management is linked to environmental negligence; for instance, in Buenos Aires, 95% of wastewater is discharged into the Río de la Plata under Suez's management.
• In Indonesia, the government has granted water concessions to companies like Danone and Coca Cola, leading to the bottling and sale of groundwater at prices higher than gasoline.
• The 'soft path' approach to water management suggests shifting focus from increasing supply to managing demand, questioning the necessity of water use in certain activities and prioritizing equity and democracy over efficiency.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2003). International agua con justicia para todos resistencia mundial y local contra el control empresarial y la mercantilización del agua. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_esp.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. International agua con justicia para todos resistencia mundial y local contra el control empresarial y la mercantilización del agua. 2003. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_esp.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=International agua con justicia para todos resistencia mundial y local contra el control empresarial y la mercantilización del agua |date=January 2003 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_esp.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2003international, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{International agua con justicia para todos resistencia mundial y local contra el control empresarial y la mercantilización del agua}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2003}, month = jan, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/water_esp.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }