Webinar ‘Blue Communities and the defence of water as a common good’

On 26 March, the Platform for Public-Community Partnerships of the Americas (PAPC) organised the webinar “Blue Communities: Self-Management and Defence of Water as a Common Good”, a space for dialogue on the importance of community water management and resistance to its privatisation.
During the discussion, Javier Márquez opened the session by presenting the common principles of the Blue Communities and their role in the defence of water as a common good. From there, the different speakers contributed their perspectives on how this model is implemented in different contexts.
Luis Babiano, from the Spanish Association of Public Supply and Sanitation Operators (AEOPAS), explained the public dimension of water and how a public company can become a Blue Community, guaranteeing transparent and accessible management. Lucía Galbis, from the Cascajo Aqueduct Association (ADEC) in Colombia, emphasised the importance of community self-management, pointing out that organised communities have proven to be an efficient and sustainable alternative to privatisation.
For his part, Pedro Abel, from the Association of Community Aqueducts of Tasco (ASOACCTASCO), warned of the threats of extractivism in rural communities and emphasised the need to strengthen public-community agreements to defend equitable access to water. Magdalena Morgan, from the Rural Drinking Water Union of the Petorca River Basin, shared the harsh reality of water scarcity in her region and explained how interaction between municipalities and cooperatives can generate sustainaWebinar ‘Blue Communities and the defence of water as a common good’
ble solutions.
From Africa, Leonard Shang-Quartey, of the Africa Water Justice Network (AWJN), highlighted the role of the Blue Communities as spaces for coordination and international cooperation networks, allowing communities to share strategies to confront the commodification of water. Finally, Marco Iob, from the Centro di Volontariato Internazionale (CeVI) in Italy, addressed the importance of generating dynamics between Blue Communities and public institutions, fostering alliances to strengthen community water management.
The webinar reaffirmed that the struggle for water as a human right is global and urgent. From different territories, communities are resisting the privatisation, extractivism and abuse of this vital resource. The experiences shared show that collective organisation and public and community management are key to guaranteeing equitable and sustainable access to water.
Being a Blue Community is not just a declaration, but an active commitment to defend water as a common good. The articulation between local and international movements strengthens this resistance, demonstrating that only through unity and concrete action can we ensure that water remains a right and not a commodity.