Committee: ​United Nations Human Rights Council

Topic: ​Addressing the Privatization of Water and Water Shortage in Developing Nations
Country: ​Bolivia

Water privatization began appearing around the 1990s (Background Guide 2019).
Developing countries were forced to get loans from other countries to help their struggling
government. In order for some countries to pay off their loans, they had to sell their aquifers.
This lead people to losing their jobs and a lack in the sanitized water supply. Without access to
clean water, rural areas around the world began to suffer from waterborne diseases. This chaos
resulted in many strikes and riots around the world (Water For All). The fundamental issues at
hand are that the companies selling the water, are raising the prices of the water and selling it at
an unsatisfactory quality. Since the prices of water are so high, countries can not buy back the
water that is rightfully theirs. These problems have arisen by companies succeeding at making
profit off of stolen water.

In Bolivia, the fundamental issues at hand are that the government had to sell off aquifers
to pay back loans from the World Bank. The major problems that need to be discussed include
citizens being forced to collect water from rainfall or wells and lack of jobs. These problems
have arisen because of Law 2029 which allows Aguas del Tunari to relinquish small water
systems owned by people who do not even get reimbursed or compensated for giving up their
systems that they put their own time and money into. Gathering rainfall became prohibited after
the companies found out about it (GNAD 2010). In order to address these problems, Bolivia has
called public meetings in which the government has paid little attention to. The people have also
spoken by rioting, going on strike, and revolting. On previous United Nations resolutions for
water privatization, Bolivia has voted for attempting to reduce the prices of water. They want
this so that clean water will be more easy to access (Supplying Water). The general positions that
Bolivia has taken in the past, are the positions of an upset water supplier to the Abengoa
Corporation of Spain and abiding in a water contract with Bechtel (The Nation). The actions of
the civic and eight-day hunger strike by the Santa Cruz Civic Committee was successful. Also
the strike in El Alto ultimately led to the cancellation of city’s water and sanitation contract with
the private consortium Aguas del Illimani (NACLA). The areas of actions that need further
improvement in Bolivia are that of public meetings with the government.

Bolivia feels that the United Nations should address water privatization by spreading
awareness about the topic. The more people who are knowledgeable on the topic, the more help
there will be. The specific actions that Bolivia would like to see taken include a hard-hitting
expose on how water privatization is affecting children. This could convince many buyers to stop
purchasing beverages from companies that steal water from countries. If enough people care,
then maybe it could make a difference in how much water is being privatized. Other solutions
that Bolivia supports are having water companies be required to build small filtered water
aquifers in every village that they are affecting. Also, if there was a way to transport water from
countries that have too much to countries that do not nearly have enough, Bolivia would support
that. If coal and oil can be transported on cargo ships, then why can’t sanitized water? Bolivia
does oppose war over water than can be equally divided. Bolivia believes that its stance on water
privatization matches up with other countries’ positions as a country that wants clean water for
everyone.

Works Cited

Huffman. Water Privatization. 2019. United Nations Human Rights Council. 11 April 2019.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JgQgHOg7HpCVTwM-OneRtTUeaABRwiJesXB
Z8OybXEY/edit

Cadambi. Bolivians end foreign-owned water privatization in Cochabamba. 11 Jan. 2010. Global
Nonviolent Action Database. 11 April 2019.
https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/bolivians-end-foreign-owned-water-privatizati
on-cochabamba-water-war-2000

Public Citizen. Top 10 Reasons to Oppose Water Privatization. Water For All. 11 April 2019
https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/bolivians-end-foreign-owned-water-privatizati
on-cochabamba-water-war-2000

Supplying Water - For a Price. Nov. 2004. International Decade for Action. 11 April 2019
https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/supplyingwater.pdf

Shultz. The Politics of Water in Bolivia. 28 Jan. 2005. The Nation. 11 April 2019.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics-water-bolivia/

Bolivia: Privatized Water Company Defeated. 25 Sept. 2007. NACLA. 11 April 2019
https://nacla.org/article/bolivia-privatized-water-company-defeated
 Speech

Over the past 30 years, the United Nations have suffered from water privatization. There
have been many strikes and riots around the world attempting to convince the government to
un-privatize the water so that the citizens can have access to clean water. Many companies abuse
their rights to these public aquifers. They are able to claim them as their own because of
countries being in debt to the World Bank and needing money to pay off their loans. Bolivia
feels that the United Nations should address water privatization by spreading awareness about
the topic. The more people who are knowledgeable on the topic, the more help there will be. The
specific actions that Bolivia would like to see taken include a hard-hitting expose on how water
privatization is affecting children. This could convince many buyers to stop purchasing
beverages from companies that steal water from countries. If enough people care, then maybe it
could make a difference in how much water is being privatized. Other solutions that Bolivia
supports are having water companies be required to build small filtered water aquifers in every
village that they are affecting. Also, if there was a way to transport water from countries that
have too much to countries that do not nearly have enough, Bolivia would support that. If coal
and oil can be transported on cargo ships, then why can’t sanitized water? Bolivia does oppose
war over water than can be equally divided. Bolivia believes that its stance on water privatization
matches up with other countries’ positions as a country that wants clean water for everyone.