Churches call for action on “Water for Life”

The Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which met in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 14-23 February 2006, has called on churches and ecumenical partners to work together to preserve and protect water resources against over-consumption and pollution. In their "Statement on Water for Life" [1], the Assembly described water as "an integral part of the right to life", adding that "access to freshwater supplies is becoming an urgent matter across the planet” and “the survival of 1.2 billion people is currently in jeopardy due to lack of adequate water and sanitation".

The churches’ attention to water is spearheaded by the Ecumenical Water Network, which was formally established in November 2005 in Machakos, Kenya [2]. The network arose out of the WCC's working group on climate change, where activists began to look at the many linkages between climate change and water issues. Members of the network include Brot für die Welt, Church World Service, the European Christian Environmental Network, KAIROS Canada, Norwegian Church Aid and the Church of Sweden.

[1] 9th WCC Assembly - Statement on Water for Life

[2] Water network inaugurated, Norwegian Church Aid, Nov 2005

Related news: Holy water: religious organisations move water up on their agenda, Source Weekly, 16 Jun 2005

Web site: World Council of Churches – Waters of Life - Ecumenical Water Network

Source: WCC, 21 Feb 2006 ; WCC, 16 Feb 2006 ; Churches World Service, 13 Feb 2006