SPEECH BY RODRIGO HERNÁN VIVAS ROSAS ON THE ...

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Reflecting on the beauty, richness and potential of our countries, with their landscapes, peoples and struggles, and where waters spring along the way as a symbol of hope, rejoices us as well as worries us – mainly due to the deterioration of the protective forest zones, diminishing everything due to the unjustified actions of men. Even more dramatic is how many of our local governments still persist in their mercantile and privatizing visions of water resources without the sufficient conservation measures, completely blind to the implication and leadership of local organizations. It is insufficient that our national environmental authorities continue to invest large sums in advertising campaigns, publications and educational activities. We urgently need concrete physical intervention and the support to the efforts of civil society. Humankind already has gone beyond the demographic and economic scenario in which hydric resources are inexhaustible. It is now mandatory to change this outdated and inadequate notion. It is even possible that, due to the size of the world population, water should be included in the category of non-renewable natural resources. Taking into account regional demographic projections, the largest demand of water will come from rural areas, for domestic consumption as well as for agriculture and cattle raising, mainly to ensure the safety of our food supply. There is no Life without Water. Thanks to the experience-sharing carried out in the past four years by the Latin American and Caribbean Network on Alimentary Safety and Sustainable Development, (RedLayc, its acronym in Spanish), I realized the urgency of promoting rain water harvesting in Colombia, as an eventual public policy and a mechanism against poverty. It is a great personal pride for me to receive this prize, representing the committed communities that firmly believe in rain water harvesting. I still remember the many personal efforts and the sacrifices my family made in order for me to complete my academic and professional training. Specifically, my degree in law has enabled me to work for the rural communities of my country, not in civil or penal litigations, but in environmental management. Environment is my passion. These last years, this passion has been supported by the Association of the Inter-Institutional Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture, CIPASLA (its acronym in Spanish), and through my foundation” La Fundación Accion Ambiental” – an organization created six years ago to support socioenvironmental processes in the protection of biodiversity, water management and food safety for present and future generations, with a special interest in children, youth and rural women. The trust of UNEP and of the Sasakawa Prize sponsor will allow the development of solutions in Colombia, strengthening and promoting the use and harvest of rain water. This should become a public policy and a priority for all local and regional governments, since water is a universal right and a public good that should not be privatized. The rural communities are those producing the food for the countries’ populations, with the obligation to guarantee alimentary safety; they should have the right to use and utilize rain water to satisfy their own water needs, including agricultural, domestic and other uses.
My message to the international community: It is urgent to incorporate in our work the following orientations and universal principles: Water: It is a common good and a right for all living creatures on the planet. Water: It is a collective and a public good that should not be a matter of privatization, leading us to organize ourselves as a civil society in defense of water, together with the support of our local authorities and international cooperation. If we hope to reduce desertification, and to improve water management, let’s get started. To behave in an ecological manner is to ensure the survival of our present and future generations. How much paper is used around the world Paper has multiple uses. Each piece has two sides. Let us use both sides to avoid and reduce deforestation. Finally, I would like to thank UNEP and the sponsors of the Prize for their trust and support, and to invite the international community and civil society to invest and support me in environmental negotiations in defense of water and natural resources, as everything done towards ecology and the environment is still too little. Rodrigo Hernán Vivas Rosas Executive Director CIPASLA FUNDACI<strong>ON</strong> ACCI<strong>ON</strong> AMBIENTAL RedLayc Colombia E MAIL rodriven@cipasla.org faccinabiental@mail.com
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SPEECH BY RODRIGO HERNÁN VIVAS ROSAS ON THE ...

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