From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


Water: The Challenge of the 21st Century


From "Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>
Date Fri, 26 May 2006 11:48:46 -0500

Water: The Challenge of the 21st Century

LWF Discusses "Stirring the Waters" in Phnom Penh

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia/GENEVA, 26 May 2006 (LWI) - The participants of a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) regional conference on water declared water to be "the challenge of the 21st century."

Representatives of both the LWF member churches and the Department for World Service country programs in the Asia-Pacific region took part in the "Stirring the Waters" Asia Regional Consultation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 17 to 22 April 2006. The conference participants called on the LWF member churches to prioritize water issues, and to work toward protecting the quality of water, while raising awareness for water management and global warming.

In their closing statement, the participants emphasized the need for people to recognize water as God's precious gift, and to increase reverence for water. They regarded attempts at resolving water concerns as a contribution toward reducing conflict around the world.

The LWF Department for Mission and Development Desk for Women in Church in Society organized the regional consultation which was the third follow-up program to build on the LWF Tenth Assembly's stated commitment toward developing an Action Plan on Water. Following the July 2003 Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada, regional meetings on the subject of water were held in Europe (September 2004) and Africa (April 2005).

The LWF Action Plan on Water was launched to mobilize resources and to highlight how essential water is to human life and for all of creation, as well as to delve into questions concerning the just and affordable distribution and privatization of water.

The participants of the Phnom Penh meeting committed themselves to addressing "the issues of water" in their respective countries and organizations, and to forming "regional electronic groups for information exchange and lobbying." They furthermore resolved to join the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network and, within its framework, to create a database and to facilitate common interfaith action.

The LWF member churches were called upon to educate their congregations on water issues in sermons and seminars, placing particular emphasis on gender concerns, and mobilizing women's groups to work on related matters. The participants called for the development of basic educational materials, poems, and motivational slogans.

They concluded that water "is the cradle and source of life, well of health, and God's gift for all living beings." Whether in overabundance or scarcity, "the waters of life require human responsibility." There was therefore a need for "advocacy and action, by placing water issues on the churches' agenda, supporting community-based initiatives, addressing trade and privatization concerns," as well as the advocacy of sufficient support and funding for water projects, all founded on the basis of fundamental convictions.

The participants, moreover, called upon the LWF member churches to speak out against the over-consumption of water. They encouraged the churches to work together with governmental and non-governmental organizations in campaigns against water pollution, water abuse, and illegal logging. (486 words)

The full text of the closing statement of the Phnom Penh meeting can be found as a pdf document at: http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/Cambodia_Water-2006.pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access this link.)

Further information on the "Stirring the Waters" Asian regional meeting in Phnom Penh can be accessed at: http://stirringthewaters.blogspot.com

* * *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of 66.2 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.] * * *

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