The World Bank

Driving the Corporate Control of Water

The World Bank has been the engine behind this corporate takeover of water systems and services. The World Bank shapes how, from whom and on what terms people in developing countries receive their water—by investing $2 billion annually in the water sector, and by influencing the policies of other international financial institutions.

Although it has shifted its rhetoric in recent years, the World Bank continues to press its privatization agenda, as Corporate Accountability International's concept paper explains: 

• By directly financing water corporations, including giants like Suez, Veolia, Bechtel and Biwater, bypassing governments and the democratic process altogether;
• By pushing countries to privatize water systems or run public systems to maximize profit, which prepares the ground for privatization;
• By advocating for water governance structures that favor large corporate users over individuals and communities;
• By bolstering public-private partnerships that give corporations privlidged access and influence over global polic.

The stated mission of the World Bank is to alleviate poverty. Yet corporate control of water has proven a dangerous policy—in economic, social and environmental terms. There is much evidence that private sector involvement in water services delivery has failed to improve poor people’s access to water or save governments money. What’s more, it often leads to price hikes, reduced access, service cut-offs, loss of local jobs, contract renegotiations and broken promises for service delivery and network expansion.