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Church World Service Applauds WCC Approval of Statement on "Water for Life"

Tabitha Rao, youth delegate for the South India Council of Churches, studies a Church World Service water brochure in Porto Alegre. Photo: Lynda Selde

February 23, 2006

NEW YORK -- Global humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) is applauding approval of a far reaching statement that calls on churches to work together to "guarantee the implementation of the right to water as a fundamental human right at the local, national, regional, and international levels."

The statement on "Water for Life" was adopted Feb. 21 at the Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director of Church World Service, who participated in the Feb. 14 - 23 gathering, described CWS's advocacy in support of "Water for Life" as "a direct experience of working alongside our partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean with communities that have been denied access to safe drinking water and sanitation."

The statement also calls on churches to support community-based initiatives that enable local people to exercise responsible control, management, and regulation of their water resources and prevent exploitation for commercial purposes.

McCullough emphasized that Church World Service, a long-time advocate for and supporter of community efforts to manage and control local water supplies, "is building the capacity for communities to work within their own traditions to inform their own national policies and to offer opportunities for national governments to focus on community-based water development."

CWS also has been very active in advocacy efforts to insure that the right of all to access to safe water and sanitation is recognized in trade agreements and to urge government and international aid agencies to allocate adequate funds for community-based water and sanitation projects.

The "Water for Life" statement was developed by Church World Service and its partners in the Ecumenical Water Network of the WCC. The Network provides Christian witness in the water debate, raises awareness of churches about the urgency of this issue, and encourages faith communities throughout the world to engage in common actions at all levels to guarantee water for all.

Church World Service provides leadership to the network, including the development of the educational and worship resources on water distributed in the water tent at the Porto Alegre gathering. The resources are available for use by all congregations and ecumenical partners.

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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