The Global Interfaith WASH Alliance

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The Global Interfaith WASH Alliance

– an inspirational example of a multistakeholder cooperation on water By Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, Jacob Soetendorp Institute, Earth Charter Commissioner

The Wings for Water dialogue that took place exactly one year ago was the place where several unprecedented initiatives were conceived. For the first time religious leaders had been invited to participate in the intensive international deliberations on water cooperation. Listening to the richness of experience and expertise the different religious leaders, experts and activists brought together, it became clear that there is a need of greater interreligious exchange and collaboration on the theme of water, sanitation and hygine, so we agreed to create a new international initiative – the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA), harnessing the great potential of religious leadership in accelerating WASH projects worldwide.

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Kunstfoto’s van José Veugen en Yvonne Halvens

 
During the dialogue I had the chance to facilitate a meeting between Dr. Babar Kabir, senior WASH director of BRAC and Imam Ilaysi, the chief Imam of India. Dr. Kabir had conducted a highly successful WASH training for 17.000 Imams in Bangladesh. During the meeting it was agreed to bring the training to India, involving 550.000 Imams in India, which are connected to the All India Organization of Imams and Mosques headed by Imam Ilyasi. Next day, the three of us met again and Imam Ilyasi asked us to join in prayer to bless this initiative. With the help of the Dutch government we were brought in contact with the WASH directorate of the UNICEF headquarters in New York City. After three months of intensive preparation, the launch event of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance took place end of September 2013 at UNICEF House in NYC. The groundbreaking event brought together a distinguished interreligious and intergenerational panel as well as 200 invited guests. During the event Imam Ilyasi publicly announced the development training programme, which is currently being prepared. We are now engaged in the uphill struggle to define the common modus operandi and to secure the necessary funds to get GIWA off the ground and empower a myriad of local initiatives. In spite of these natural challenges I believe that a quiet revolution is taking place. An ever increasing number of representatives of spiritual traditions is finally realizing that we need each other to reach our common goal of justice and peace. And thus we will be able to truly speak and act together on the issue of poverty eradication and safeguarding the earth. We are the the natural vanguard of the global partnership that is taking shape. Within the next one and half years the governments together with civil society will take stock of the international efforts to reach the MDGs and to define a more far-reaching goal for the next 15 years: The end of abject poverty by the year 2030, and to provide fresh water and basic sanitation to all. GIWA will do its utmost to strengthen the interfaith involvement in this promising process. Drawing strength from the energy of compassion that filled the room during Wings for Water as well as the GIWA launch I am convinced that we will preservere.

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