Legal and institutional mechanisms must be put in place for the empowerment of communities to participate at all levels. Access to justice must be guaranteed. The key to the sustainable provision of water for life is the maintenance and protection of the ecological integrity of all ecosystems. We call for the adoption and implementation of a restoration agenda for the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems. We urge a substantial increase in the levels of spending for clean water and sanitation for poor people and communities.
Debt cancellation is essential for water security in poor countries.
We strongly demand that water and sanitation services are under the control of the local communities and that the benefits stay within the communities. We also demand that the management of these services be participatory and transparent. We reject privatisation, other than in accordance with these principles. The degree to which the gender perspective is mainstreamed must be determining indicator of the success or failure of all future policies and actions. We want to move forward.