Strategic Planning, Advocacy & New
Campaign Tools for International Programs
Client: Waterkeeper Alliance
Practicum in International Affairs
Cara Avery
Rebecca Crane
Jorge Davila
Folashade Kornegay
Who is Waterkeeper Alliance?
• Waterkeeper Alliance is an NGO that provides a way for communities to
stand up for their right to clean water and for the equitable use of water
resources
• They employ strategies such as targeted advocacy, campaigns, media
outreach, public education, and litigation to prosecute water polluters in a
court of law
Our Role:
The New International Platform
• Traditionally, Waterkeeper Alliance has been a national, US-based
environmental NGO with satellite WKOs that have recently formed all around
the globe
• As of January, the Waterkeeper Alliance headquarters in NYC hired their first
ever International Director to transition their platform from a national to
international one
• Waterkeeper Alliance contacted GPIA to carry out their new mission of
supporting their international network of WKOs
Map of Existing Global Waterkeeper
Organizations (WKOs)
Source: Waterkeeper Alliance
What Was The Project?
The Problem
• At the onset of their new international endeavor, Waterkeeper had no way
of knowing how to assess and strategize their resources and capacity in
the international arena
• This collaboration was born out of the international expertise of GPIA
students and Waterkeeper’s desire to grow internationally
The Solution
• After meeting with the new Waterkeeper International Team, we came up
with a description of our final work product and the following timeline of
deliverables – roughly broken up into 2 parts.
The Deliverables/Our Product
PART 1: ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS BY REGION
Latin America & Caribbean
Africa & the Middle East
Europe
Asia & Australia
PART 2: ADVOCACY/CAMPAIGN TOOLKITS
Timeline of Deliverables
PART 1: REGIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT
PART 2: ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN TOOLKITS
A. Gaps & Weakness Analysis
A. Fact sheet of Legal Rights
• National
• International Agreements
• Case Law & Precedents
B. Legal Frameworks
• National
• Regional
• International
B. Talking Points for Letters to the
Media
C. Case Studies
C. Identification of Possible Partnerships
D. Potential Funding Sources
• Country-Specific
• International
Part 1A of NEEDS ASSESSMENT:
Gaps & Weakness Analysis
• Today, water resources are declining in
quality and quantity in virtually every
part of the world: More than a billion
people are living without access to safe
drinking water.
• Our regional assessments provided a
detailed country-by-country profile of
water needs and issues such as pollution,
scarcity, over-exploitation, lack of access,
the lack of water rights, and poor
management.
Source: UN Water
Source: UN Water
Source: UN Water
1A Example:
Needs Assessment of Water Issues
Asia
• Asia is home to 60% of the world’s population, but only 36% of the world’s
freshwater resources.
• With a growing population, high levels of urbanization, and increasing
levels of development, demand for water is on the rise in Asia: over the
past 50 years, demand has increased by 300%.
Europe
• Nitrogen fertilizers lead to
agricultural run-off and seep into
water sources.
• Nitrogen pollution negatively
affects the environment and
causes major health risks to both
humans and animals.
Part 1B of NEEDS ASSESSMENT:
Legal Frameworks
• There are a number of commitments in place to uphold water law on an
international level, the general principles of international water law have
emerged from customary international law and various water-related
agreements.
• At the national and regional levels, some governments have undertaken
commitments to protect their water resources and the rights of their
citizens to have water.
• We provided a quick reference guide to the commitments governments in
each region have undertaken at the international, regional and national
levels.
Part 1B Example:
National Water Law in the Czech Republic
Part 1B Example:
Regional Framework - Indus Water Treaty
• A bilateral water treaty between India and
Pakistan struck in 1960
• Established the Permanent Indus
Commission to adjudicate any disputes
• Strictly controls the amount of water India
can extract from rivers upstream
Ongoing disputes over the quantity of water
being extracted led to the appointment of a
neutral expert in 2005 to decide the case of
the Baglihar Dam in Kashmir.
In 2012, both countries agreed to form an
independent Indus Water Commission,
staffed by neutral experts.
Part 1B Example:
International Legal Frameworks
On an international level, water has been identified
as an important factor in achieving development,
and is strongly connected to poverty alleviation,
environmental sustainability, and urban planning.
• Millennium Declaration (2000)
• Agenda 21 (2002)
• UN Convention on the Law of the Nonnavigational Uses of International Watercourses
(1997)
• UN Convention to Combat Desertification in
Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or
Desertification, Particularly in Africa (1994)
Part 1C of NEEDS ASSESSMENT:
Case Studies
• Regional case studies were requested by the client to help get a clear
picture of what has worked and what hasn’t, so that they can better
serve the communities they work with.
• Waterkeeper Alliance is focusing on both legal and grassroots examples
so that they can discover multiple ways to engage all stakeholders
equally.
Source: FAO
Part 1C Example: Case Studies in Africa
While the continent of Africa suffers from a number of
issues tied to water access and quality, there have been a
number of declarations made by African governments to
combat the issues
• Africa Water Vision 2025
• eThekwini Declaration (2008)
• Tunis Declaration (2008)
• Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration (2008)
Lack of political will stalls progress in achieving goals and
perpetuates the same issues, and the advocacy of the
people has been instrumental in pushing the agenda
forward
Timeline of Deliverables
PART 1: REGIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT
PART 2: ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN TOOLKITS
A. Gaps & Weakness Analysis
A. Fact sheet of Legal Rights
• National
• International Agreements
• Case Law & Precedents
B. Legal Frameworks
• National
• Regional
• International
B. Talking Points for Letters to the
Media
C. Case Studies
C. Identification of Possible Partnerships
D. Potential Funding Sources
• Country-Specific
• International
Part 2A of TOOLKIT:
Fact Sheet
A fact sheet is about alerting the community
about their “right to know” laws and includes
pertinent statistics about health and economics
•
•
•
•
Constitutional Human Right to Water
National/Federal Water Laws and Acts
Judicial Court Decisions and Rulings
International Agreements (Ratified)
Part 2A Example: Bolivia
1. The Law for Mother Earth /
Law No. 300
• Antecedent: Bolivian Constitution of 2009 includes
in Article 16; that every person has the right to
water- passed by Evo Morales’ government.
• In October 15, 2012 The Plurinational Legislative
Assembly enacted The Law for Mother Earth.
• Law No. 300 declares: “Mother Earth is consider
sacred; it feeds and is home that contains, sustains
and reproduce all living things, ecosystems,
biodiversity and the individuals that compose them
Part 2A Example: Bolivia
2. Legal Case: Bechtel v Bolivia (2001)
World Trade Bank Court
Antecedents:
• In 1997, the World Bank conditioned aid for water
projects upon the privatization of the water system of
El Alto/La Paz and the city of Cochabamba.
• In 1999, the Bolivian Government turned over
Cochabamba’s water system to the Bechtel Company.
• An increase of water rate by the Bechtel company
sparked an aggressive citizen mobilizations in
Cochabamba and around the country.
Consequences:
• Bechtel was forced to leave Bolivia.
• Bechtel took the case to the International Centre for
Settlement of Investment Disputes which is operated
by the Word Bank
• In 2006, the Bechtel Company abandoned the case as
a direct result of global public pressure
Part 2B OF TOOLKIT:
Talking Points to the Media
The talking points highlight issues that should be presented in order to strengthen
the case for water protection when writing a letter to a public official or any type
of news media.
For example:
• What does access to safe water
sources mean for the livelihood
of people who live within WKO
countries?
• How many children die of water
related deaths each year?
• How much water is used for
agricultural uses?
• What are the sources of
pollution?
Part 2B Example: Sample Letters
Sample Letter for Senegalese Official
AUSTRALIA: TALKING POINTS FOR LETTERS TO THE MEDIA
[Date]
Sample Letter to Public Official
[Full name and title of Public Official]
[Office Address]
[ Date ]
[ City Hall/ Municipal Office Address ]
[ Public Official’s Title ]
Dear [Mr./Ms./Mrs. and last name],
Dear [ Public Official ]:







Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent, and during the period from 2000 to 2010, Australia was
in the midst of an extended drought. With changes in global weather patterns due to climate change,
1
these extremes weather patterns are likely to be exacerbated in coming years.
While Australia as whole uses only 5% of its total renewable water resources, usage is highly uneven
2
across the continent—in some regions usage is as high as 50%.
3
Total water withdrawal per person (1,152 m /inhabitant/year) is higher than in most OECD countries
3
(only New Zealand, Canada and the US rank higher).
In 2005, over 60% of total run-off occurred in northern Australia, and only 6% of the total run-off
4
occurred in the Murray-Darling Basin, which accounts for 50% of Australia’s water usage. Though
floods in 2010 alleviated the drought the region was suffering, water levels have yet to reach
5
environmentally sustainable levels.
Water flow is a serious concern for many of the country’s rivers. For instance, the Murray River does not
6
flow 40% of the time.
74% of total water withdrawals go to agriculture, 16% to municipal withdrawals and 11% to industrial
7
withdrawals.
Nutrient and suspended-sediment levels are higher in 90% of river lengths assessed than they were prior
to European settlement. Based on national guidelines, parts of all drainage divisions have exceedences
8
in turbidity, salinity, pH, total nitrogen and total phosphorous.
My name is (insert name here) and I am from (insert residence/location and or representing
organization), and I write this letter as a concerned citizen. Water is important in sustaining life
and a necessity for growth and poverty reduction, as noted by the United Nations, for which
our country is a member state, and is evident in everyday life here in Sénégal. Our government
has created a number of policies to address the needs of its citizens but it seems that political
will remains lagging. Examples of such are:


Sincerely,

1
State of the Environment 2011 (SoE 2011). Australian Government—Department of Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities. http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2011/report/index.html
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
4
“What is our total water resource?” Australian Water Resources 2005.
http://www.water.gov.au/WaterAvailability/WhatIsOurTotalWaterResource/index.aspx?Menu=Level1_3_1
5
State of the Environment 2011 (SoE 2011). Australian Government—Department of Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities.
6
Ibid.
7
FAO. 2012. AQUASTAT database - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Website
accessed on [14/11/2012 3:25]
8
State of the Environment 2011 (SoE 2011). Australian Government—Department of Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities.
1
Recurrent storm water flooding is the most serious natural hazard our country faces, and is
further exacerbated by unplanned urbanization, the lack and/or obstruction of drainage
systems and rising groundwater1. Every year, our country’s poor infrastructure fails to
accommodate its citizens, especially the poor, who often settle in low lying areas and are
therefore more vulnerable. In August, an estimated 18 lives were lost due to floods as a
result of drowning or being crushed by falling buildings.2
In April of 2012, our government representatives pledged their continued commitment to
The Paris Declaration and the Accra Declaration on the effectiveness of aid, as well as the
eThikwini Declaration and action plan which calls for a minimum of 0.5% of the GDP
devoted to better sanitation and water resource management. Currently, international
development aid finances 85%3 of investment in the water supply and sanitation sector, but
our country’s financial woes continues to deprioritize the need for proper disaster
preparedness and put our lives at risk and in perpetual poverty.
As a country, we are a water-rich nation, and in April of 2012, representatives of our
government stressed that a “right to water” be promoted throughout the country and
included in the impending update to the Water Code (Act No. 81-13), yet only 5.7% of our
renewable resources are being used for the population, while our finite water resources
continue to be stressed by overused, maintaining stress on the population and increasing
the causality of preventable diseases such as malaria, cholera, and intestinal parasitosis.
World Bank. Project Information Document Appraisal Stage: Stormwater Management and Climate Change
Adaptation Project. 2012.
2
(Sewell 2012)
3
AMCOW. Water Supply and Sanitation in Sénégal: Turning Finance into Services for 2015 and Beyond.
http://www.wsp.org/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/CSO-Sénégal.pdf
Part 2C of TOOLKIT:
Potential Partnerships
To help Waterkeeper establish networks of WKOs, we identified
organizations nationally, regionally, and internationally that
participate in water advocacy on various levels
Part 2D of TOOLKIT:
Potential Funding Sources
To fund initiatives in various countries, we identified a number of
organizations and government agencies that have previously
provided support for environmental or water-related projects
In Conclusion:
How Our Work Will Be Utilized
•
As of December 3, 2012, we handed off our final product and received
excellent feedback from the International Director, Sharon Khan:
“These toolkits are great! Thank you!! They are so full of information that I need
to know to be strategic in going forward with our International
Program. The sample letters are very useful as I prepare letters for
individual international WKOs to declare its solidarity with
WKA in the 2013 International Year of Water Cooperation.”
Sharon Khan
International Director
Waterkeeper Alliance
17 Battery Place
Suite 1329
New York, NY 10004