The Cochabamba protests of 2000 were a series of protests that took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, between January and April 2000, because of the privatization of the municipal water supply, which was sold to a private company, International Waters Limited (IWL) of London (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bechtel Corporation; it operated locally as Aguas de Tunari), at the insistence of the World Bank. In its June 1999 report on Bolivia, it specifically called for the cessation of "public subsidies" to keep down water prices. According to local press reports, the foreign investors acquired the city water system, in a sale in which they were the only bidder, for less than US$20,000, of up-front capital for a water system worth millions of dollars. A side street in Cochabamba, looking towards the Plaza 14 de Septiembre Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or, especially in India, disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership and/or transferring the management of a service or activity from the government to the private sector. ... A water supply system provides water to the locations that need it. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben Tower Bridge at night A red double-decker bus crosses Piccadilly Circus. ... Bechtel Corporation (Bechtel Group) is the largest civil engineering company in the world. ... Logo of the World Bank The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages: BIRD), better known as the World Bank, is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by WWII. Now, its mission has expanded to fight poverty by means... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Demonstrations erupted when Aguas de Tunari imposed a large rate increase, reportedly to finance the Misicuni Dam project, a week after taking control of the Cochabamba water supply system. In a country where the minimum wage is less than US$100 per month, many dwellers were hit with monthly water bills of $20 or more. Scrivener Dam, Canberra Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam (a common Teutonic word, compare to Dutch dam, Swedish and German damm, and the Gothic verb faurdammjan, to block up) is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow... The minimum wage is the minimum rate a worker can legally be paid (usually per hour) as opposed to wages that are determined by the forces of supply and demand in a free market. ...

In mid-January, Cochabamba residents shut down their city for four straight days with a general strike led by a new alliance of labor, human rights and community leaders. The government was forced to the negotiating table, agreeing to a price rollback and a two-week deadline to work out the details; the protests ended. A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... A Community is an amalgamation of living things that share an environment. ... 2003 GMO USDA protest Protest expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations: sometimes in favour, more often opposed. ...

Pressing for a settlement, On February 4, thousands attempted to march peacefully in Cochabamba. But President Hugo Banzer -- who was Bolivia's Pinochet-style dictator for most of the '70s -- turned once again to the use of violent repression. He called out the police, who engulfed protesters in tear gas for two days, leaving 6 people dead and 175 injured, including two children blinded. February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Hugo Banzer Suárez (May 10, 1926 – May 5, 2002) was a Bolivian soldier, polititian and statesman. ... General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military government that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. ... A riot control agent is a type of lachrymatory agent (or lacrimatory agent). ...

The people of Cochabamba didn't back down. In a survey of more than 60,000 residents in March, 90% said that Aguas Del Tunari must leave and the water system returned to public control. Protesters pointed to the privatization of water in Buenos Aires, where 7,500 workers were fired and prices rose, as an example of why they felt privatization was bad. Residents closed down the city again starting on April 4. Buenos Aires (Good Air in Spanish, originally meaning Fair Winds) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ...

Four days into the demonstrations, the Bolivian government declared martial law. Police arrested protest leaders, taking them from their beds in the middle of the night, shutting down radio stations in mid-broadcast. Soldiers took over control of the streets. On April 8, the Bolivian military shot 17-year-old Victor Hugo Daza in the face, killing him. IWL officials claimed that the protests were riots sponsored by cocaine producers against a crackdown on coca production. Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice (and usually of the whole state). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... Riots in Newark, New Jersey Riots occur when crowds of people have gathered and are committing crimes or acts of violence. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Binomial name Erythroxylon coca For the American comedian, see Imogene Coca. ...

However, on April 10, the Bolivian government finally conceded, signing an accord that agreed to every demand the protesters had made. April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ...

Declaration

This is the declaration made by activists in Cochabamba:

Here, in this city which has been an inspiration to the world for its retaking of that right through civil action, courage and sacrifice standing as heroes and heroines against corporate, institutional and governmental abuse, and trade agreements which destroy that right, in use of our freedom and dignity, we declare the following:

For the right to life, for the respect of nature and the uses and traditions of our ancestors and our peoples, for all time the following shall be declared as inviolable rights with regard to the uses of water given us by the earth:

1. Water belongs to the earth and all species and is sacred to life, therefore, the world's water must be conserved, reclaimed and protected for all future generations and its natural patterns respected.
2. Water is a fundamental human right and a public trust to be guarded by all levels of government, therefore, it should not be commodified, privatized or traded for commercial purposes. These rights must be enshrined at all levels of government. In particular, an international treaty must ensure these principles are noncontrovertable.
3. Water is best protected by local communities and citizens who must be respected as equal partners with governments in the protection and regulation of water. Peoples of the earth are the only vehicle to promote earth democracy and save water.

The concept of public trust relates back to the origins of democratic government, and its seminal idea that; within the public, lies the true power and future of a society, therefore, whatever trust the public places in its officials must be respected. ... A treaty is a binding agreement under international law concluded by subjects of international law, namely states and international organizations. ...

Rejection of neo-liberalism

The Cochabamba protests were seen as the first manifestation of the growing rejection of the neo-liberal economic model promoted in the 1980s and 1990s by the US government in Latin America and other parts of the world. This includes opposition to economic liberalization and privatization, especially water privatization. The term neoliberalism is used to describe a political-economic philosophy that had major implications for government policies beginning in the 1970s – and increasingly prominent since 1980 – that de-emphasizes or rejects positive government intervention in the economy, focusing instead on achieving progress and even social justice by encouraging free... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... In general, liberalization refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy. ... Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or, especially in India, disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership and/or transferring the management of a service or activity from the government to the private sector. ... Water privatization is a short-hand for the privatization of water services, although more rarely it refers to privatization of water resources themselves. ...

External link

• The Cochabamba Declaration