During a seminar on the issue of water on Thursday, many questions were asked; the answers were far from clear. Bernhard Wiesmeir from the German NGO Bread for the World, said the purpose of the session was to chart the way forward on whether - or how - the movement should push to have a UN Charter on the right to water.

"We want to hear voices from the South; we want to hear public opinion on whether the best way to go is to have a UN Charter on the right to water. In the rush to privatize water resources, our voices are being drowned out."

Wiesmeir said it was important to try and get as much popular support as possible for the idea by tapping into the strength of the peoples movement. This was important because such a global problem required international solution.

One of the keynote speakers, Karolina Fairstien from Argentina, said the world water crises had an important gender dimension. Women were the ones who collected water, often walking long distances to fetch it. It was thus important to include women’s voices on any discussion on water.

At the moment, the right to water is not legally binding, Fairstien noted, because UN General Comment no. 15 places the right to water under the UN committee on economic, social and cultural rights which have no legal official status.

Ana Leung, a delegate from the Philippines, said privatization of water services in her country had been a failure after the last company pulled out in December 2003 due to insolvency - this after forcing the government to increase water prices to twice the amount paid before privatization.

Many other delegates gave similar testimonies about the impact of privitisation, especially on the rural poor. They spoke of Pollution of rivers by corporations who not only refused to compensate people in the area, but did not clean up their operations.

"We need concerted action to force our governments to redress these ills and stop the willful destruction of our most precious natural resource. We must find a way of doing this," said Nagira Sengor from Senegal.

Rachel Muwandiba from Zimbabwe said the UN Charter was the way to go. "If we have this charter, then the UN itself can help us achieve this goal…. Instead people were giving us case studies and talking about the problems, which we have already identified… it’s not time for questions it is time for answers."

Equally disappointed with the turn of the meeting, Motswena Mhlope from Botswana said the UN charter on the Right to Water was a non starter. "Just look at how many charters there are which national governments and even the international community, ignores. One more is not going to change their minds."

Mhlope said the discussion should have been on whether the Forum should go for the long term international process of formulating a UN charter with careful consideration to what was already in the UN general comment, or support national campaigns to have governments make water a rights issue enshrined in their constitutions.