World Water Council: UN agencies join board despite activist lobby

Updated - Tuesday 17 November 2009

Three UN agencies, UNESCO, FAO and UN-HABITAT, have been elected on the new Board of Governors of the World Water Council (WWC), organisers of the World Water Forum (WWF). Activists see the election as a reaction to their own lobby to get the United Nations to organise the next World Water Forum instead of the WWC.

After it became known that the WWC was lobbying to get the UN on board, activist groups started a counter-lobbying offensive with a petition directed at the UN’s Secretary General to prevent UN agencies from joining. The petition [1], which attracted nearly 700 signatories, was an initiative of the Blue Planet Project of the Council of Canadians.

Reacting to the news of the UN agency sign-on to the WWC, Anil Naidoo of the Blue Plant Project said “it was not unexpected, but is a disappointment. The reality is that these UN agencies have been under severe pressure for some time. I can tell you that there are many good people within the UN who are disturbed by the degree of corporate influence within their agencies”.

The WWC’s new Board of Governors will oversee and guide the Council’s work for the coming three years. The elections took place during the triennial General Assembly in Marseille, France where Loic Fauchon was appointed to continue to serve as President of the World Water Council.

[1] Ask the UN to convene the next Global Water Forum

Related web sites:

Source: WWC, 19 Oct 2009 ; Council of Canadians, 07 Oct 2009