Global Water Justice Movement Challenges World Bank's attempt to promote privatization of water through UN SDG Agenda

On the eve of Earth Day, Global Water Justice and a number of unions (including Public Services International, Food and Water Watch, and the Coalición de Organizaciones Mexicanas por el Derecho al Agua), water justice, and social justice organisations from around the world sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying they are “are particularly concerned about the strong emphasis on private sector participation and private financing given the overwhelming evidence that privatization has resulted in the inability of governments to ensure the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation for all. In spite of the World Bank continuing to aggressively promote private sector participation in the sector, a 2006 World Bank report concluded: “PPI [private participation in infrastructure] is inherently limited in scope for financing urban infrastructure for the wide array of non-commercial infrastructure services cities need. Local governments need good sources of public finance to fund those services.” So far, the panel is comprised of the nine heads of state of Mexico, Mauritius, Jordan, Senegal, Netherlands, Hungary, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Australia.