Le portail rinoceros d’informations sur les initiatives citoyennes pour la construction d’un autre monde a été intégré au nouveau site Ritimo pour une recherche simplifiée et élargie.
Ce site (http://www.rinoceros.org/) constitue une archive des articles publiés avant 2008 qui n'ont pas été transférés.
Le projet rinoceros n’a pas disparu, il continue de vivre pour valoriser les points de vue des acteurs associatifs dans le monde dans le site Ritimo.
environment and sustainable development
The politics of farm technologies
> 9 October 2005, India Together
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/oc (...)
Here the article questions the effectiveness of alternatives to traditional farming methods, in particular with regards to seed quality certification. The author debates the impact of favouring big industries commercial interests’ and calls for caution when pushing cost-intensive technologies on farmers. read
date of on-line publication : 17 November 2005
Changing course: alternative approaches to achieve the MDG and fight HIV/ AIDS
> ActionAid International, Sep 2005, 64 pages
http://www.actionaidusa.org/pdf/Chan (...)
This report outlines the current IMF-led consensus on economic policies for developing countries; it then goes on to examine how these macro-economic based policies are failing and why tackling these issues proves so problematic for both the countries they affect and Civil Society Organisations. Finally it presents a number of practical alternatives to current practices. read
date of on-line publication : 14 November 2005
The Right to Water Fulfilling the Promise
> A chapter from "Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Latin America: From Theory to Practice"
http://www.democracyctr.org/bolivia/ (...)
How can we bridge the staggering gap between the declaration of water as a human right and the actual achievement of its fulfilment? Furthermore, what kinds of public policies - global, national and local - will we make sure that those promises are kept? These are the questions the Jim Shultz asks, through his study of how to expand access to water and sanitation and who should pay for it. Following the example of the revolt in Bolivia against water privatisation, the author underlines the flaws he perceives in the theology of privatisation as a means of advancing rights. The article goes on to consider what alternatives exist for financing the provision of clean water and what reforms are necessary to ensure the transparency of these systems. read
date of on-line publication : 8 November 2005
Water needs the protection of international law
> 2005, Social Watch (Report by Alliance Sud)
http://www.socialwatch.org/en/inform (...)
With facts like "80% of all diseases in developing countries can be traced back to the use of polluted water", the need for an equitable supply of safe water is great. This article outlines the arguments for an international convention within the UN framework binding the right to water and protecting it as a public good. The article discusses the policy failures surrounding the battle for access to water to be safeguarded, looks at some of the existing UN documents which state the need for access to clean drinking water, particularly within a human rights context and the shift from a "public good" to an "economic good". Finally it presents the need for a holistic approach to safeguarding water supply.
- The full report, which goes into further details, can be found in pdf format at the Alliance Sud website here. This report is also available in French and Spanish.
date of on-line publication : 8 November 2005
Is Water a Public Good or a Commodity?
> Appeared on Globalizacija site in English, October 2004. (Original text from AWID in French)
This article considers first the ethical principles by which access to water should be viewed. It argues that using the current approach of considering water as a commodity and privatising its supply will not allow us to reach the target of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water. Finally it presents the reasons for and the benefits of an international binding convention on water. (...) read
date of on-line publication : 8 November 2005
India’s Water Future
The commodification of water
> 3rd November, 2005, ZNet
http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/conte (...)
This commentary looks at the World Bank’s efforts to reduce water to a “market economy” and its intentions for privatisation in India. The author also brings in a comparison with the Seed Act of 2004. Furthermore, the author argues: “by ignoring the ecological and hydrological limits of water availability and allowing water access and water distribution to be driven by insatiable markets, the Bank is prescribing a deepening of the water crisis and a growing polarization in access the water. The Bank’s future vision is the vision for a hydro-apartheid.”
- More commentaries by the same author on the subjects of water and biopiracy can be found here.
date of on-line publication : 8 November 2005
© rinoceros - Ritimo in partnership with the Fph via the project dph and the Ile de France region via the project Picri. Site developed using SPIP, hosted by Globenet. Legal mentions - Contact
