March 14th: International day of struggle against dams, in defense of the rivers, water and life!

The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) calls and encourage all organizations, pastoral, networks, activists and social movement to join the mobilizations that will mark the International Day of Struggle Against Dams, in defense of the Rivers, Water and life, which will happen during the week of struggles of March 14^th.

This date have been defined in 1997, during the 1^st International Encounter of People Affected by Dams in Brazil and since then at this date the dam affected population in the world denounces the electric sector which have caused serious social economic, cultural and environmental consequences.

The energy has become a central element in regaining the capitalist appropriation and production. The whole production chain of electricity, since the construction of hydropower to the generation, transmission and distribution of energy has become a source of high profitability and intense dispute, which features a real robbery of our natural resources, which has a high base of production.

Our commitment is to organize and struggle against transnational companies that take possession of our wealth, to struggle in defense of the workers’ rights, in defense of the rivers, water and life. The week’s events from March 14^th will be held to seek solution to the huge social and environmental debt left by the hydropower plants already built, to strengthen the struggle for another energy model and to move forward in joint actions among the workers of the countryside and the city.

We reinforce the importance of the unity of the struggle among the people of the world and the various organizations, strengthening the internationalism against the capitalist project. This struggle is not only of the people affected by dams but of all the people affected by the high prices of energy fare, by the privatization of water and affected by the reactionary right-winged coup that wants to destroy the worker’s achievements and rights and that wants to more and more control our natural strategic recourses, as petrol.

We emphasize the convocation that all should participate within the mobilizations happening in Latin America and in the other countries of the world at this March 14^th. More than ever, we have to maintain strong and organized to continue at the struggle at local, national and international level, organizing the people affected by dams and all working class.

Our struggles goes beyond this date of March 14^th, our struggles must be permanent against the private transnational companies, the high energy fare, against the commodification of water and energy and in defense of the popular control over the richness generated by the workers.

Water and energy are not commodities!