Claim Your Water Rights mini-grants
The deadline to apply for a Claim Your Water Rights mini-grant has now passed. Thank you to the 23 members who submitted concept notes. We look forward to reviewing the submissions against our granting guidelines to achieve a geographic and thematic spread that ensures the work we fund is valuable to as many members as possible. We will announce new grantees in our November newsletter.
Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation launches report on water rights of impoverished rural communities
Thank you to all members who attended the launch of the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation Pedro Arrojo-Agudo’s thematic report on “the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation of people living in impoverished rural areas”. The event included an insightful live interview between our Latin America Steering Committee representative Nathalie Seguin and Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, who shared the report’s key findings and recommendations. Participants also heard directly from rural communities who are claiming their water rights in Bolivia, Peru, Senegal and the Mekong Delta.
Those who missed the launch can watch the recording and read the full version or user-friendly version of the report online. This event was organised by the Special Rapporteur’s office, ONGAWA and End Water Poverty.
Watch a recording of the session
Upcoming events
There are several events in November that may be of interest to members:
- On 3 November at 8am GMT Water Witness and Leigh Day Law are hosting a workshop for civil society to use the law to address water rights abuses by multinational corporations and the private sector. Register here.
- On 3-4 November the UN Human Rights Council will host its annual Social Forum, which this year will focus on the human rights to water and sanitation. The Forum is a hybrid event that aims to encourage interactive dialogue between civil society and member states. Register here.
- On 16-18 November, the UN Water Convention & Protocol on Water and Health will hold its sixth pan-European intergovernmental meeting in Geneva. This is a chance for states, development agencies and civil society to discuss water rights violations in Europe. Register here.
- We are also planning a joint exchange with members of CIVICUS and Sanitation and Water For All in the last week of November. We will send a separate newsletter invite later this month with further details.
Call for contributions: Paid commissions for upcoming report on minority and indigenous water rights
This year Minority Rights Group’s (MRG) flagship report will focus on the water rights of minority and indigenous communities. MRG are offering contributions at a fixed rate: €250 for a short case study and €1,750 for thematic chapters. While the report’s editors aim to cover numerous topics where members have experience or expertise, they are also open to pitches. We strongly encourage members to share their knowledge as paid opportunities for civil society to document their work are rare.
The submission deadline is 1 December 2022 and you can find further information here. Please also share this opportunity with your partners and networks.
Cameroon’s African Center for Advocacy nominated for prestigious Transformative Cities award!
EWP member African Center for Advocacy (ACA) has been nominated for Transformative Cities’ People’s Choice Award for their ‘Keep Water in Public Hands’ campaign in Senegal. Public voting ends on 6 November – please show solidarity by lending ACA your support.
EWP steering committee update
The EWP Steering Committee held its quarterly meeting on 1 November 2022. The Secretariat and regional representatives provided updates on recent work and constituency priorities before discussing fundraising opportunities that could expand the coalition’s capacity to provide mini-grants to members. If you would like to know more, members are entitled to request the minutes from Steering Committee meetings.