Water is an essential element for life and a crucial component of the human environment. It is also an indispensable natural resource needed for the production of our food and the maintenance of  our planet’s basic functions. For these reasons, water has increasingly become a central political element in peoples’ struggles for food sovereignty.

The current edition of the Nyéléni newsletter exposes the growing global threat of privatization and commodification of water – especially those of the oceans and of inland waters, which are the source of life for thousands of millions of fisher folks the world over.

Fisher communities from different regions and countries, organized in global movements  - the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF) and the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) - are resisting “ocean/water grabbing”, which follows similar logic to land grabbing.

The time has come to reemphasize the importance of fish workers themselves – both women and men – and for communities to exercise their sovereignty and make states meet their human rights obligations – especially with regard to the protection of our oceans and inland waters.