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Stories of Hope and Change

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008


Stories of Hope and Change You Didn’t Hear About in 2007 and 2008. Project Censored 2009 highlights a new form of journalism: one that looks for the places where real change for the better is already underway. Here are their 10 featured stories…

Communities take on corporate power




Small town citizens are claiming the right to govern themselves by adopting laws that protect their voting rights and their natural resources while challenging the laws stacked in favor of corporations. The courts have not yet ruled on some of these measures. If they are challenged, no one knows what the outcome will be. But these new activists point to the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements, which also were viewed as radical challenges to well-settled law. In the best tradition of the patriots of the 13 colonies, these communities are asserting their right to govern themselves and to make sure their votes count.
Communities Take Power
Doug Pibel, “Communities Take Power” YES! Magazine #43, Fall 2007
Humboldt County, California, first to abolish “corporate personhood”
Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, “Democracy Unlimited” YES! Magazine #43, Fall 2007

The environmental movement: Now there is a place for everyone




Since the blockbuster success of the 2007 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” the attitude toward global climate change has turned a corner. It seems like everyone is suddenly, and ostentatiously, “going green.” Mainstream media programs are promoting “environmental alternatives” and even Fortune 500 CEOs are talking about their efforts to reduce their companies’ “carbon footprint.” What isn’t making it into the national conversation is a core cause for the global crisis: the inequality of wealth, power, and consumption. Yet millions of environmental activists know that the climate crisis can’t be solved without also taking on the poverty crisis. These hard-working groups from all parts of the world aren’t waiting for the mainstream to catch up. They’re putting these issues on the agenda now.
Social Justice First at Climate Negotiations in Bali
Tom Athanasiou, “Global Fairness” YES! Magazine #45, Spring 2008
The Green Economy Can Carry All
Ian Kim, “Green Jobs for All” YES! Magazine #45, Spring 2008
Retooling for Green Jobs that Serve the Poor and Working People
Doug Pibel, “Unions, Churches, and Schools” YES! Magazine #45, Spring 2008
Young People with a Passion for Climate Protection
Shadia Fayne Wood, “Youth Feel the Power” YES! #45, Spring 2008
A Global Water Movement
Maude Barlow, “Life, Liberty, Water” YES! Magazine #46, Summer 2008

Food: Consumers say yes to local agriculture; no to GMO




A consensus is building around the world about the dangers facing our global food chain. The small farmers at the front lines of this historic struggle are beginning to make important headway—for which we may all owe them a debt of gratitude.
Europe’s Patents Office Revokes Monsanto’s Monopoly on Genetically Modified Soy
Hope Shand, “Challenging Monsanto’s Monopoly”, Z Magazine, July/Aug 2007
Saskatchewan Farmer Reaches Settlement with Agribusiness Giant Monsanto Canada Inc.
Barbara L. Minton, “Small Farmer Wins Moral Victory Over Monsanto” NaturalNews.com, April 01, 2008
World’s Largest Rice Exporters, Processors, and Retailers Won’t Purchase GE Rice
Rik Langendoen, “No to Genetically Engineered Rice” YES! Magazine #42, Summer 2007
Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza Declared a GMO-free Zone
“Spanish Islands Go GMO-Free” YES! Magazine #44, Winter 2008

Indigenous peoples: The fight for recognition bears fruit




The global movement to recognize and respect the rights of indigenous peoples took a dramatic step forward in 2007 with the adoption of the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights. Many corporations and governments continue to exploit and appropriate the lands of native people—including some of the world’s most biodiverse and environmentally productive regions. But the recognition of the rights of first peoples is growing, and the indigenous peoples of the world are joining forces.
United Nations General Assembly Passes Indigenous Rights Declaration
Poka Laenui, “U.N. Declaration on Indigenous Rights” YES! Magazine #44, Winter 2008
Bolivia’s New Constitution Fully Recognizes Indigenous Sovereignty
Juliette Beck, “Bolivia Adopts New Constitution” YES! Magazine #45, Spring 2008
Indigenous Nations Call on the World to Adopt a Culture of Life
Jallalla Indigenous Pueblos and Nations of Abya Yala, “Declaration of La Paz” YES! magazine #42, Summer 2007

Energy alternatives take hold




While the “pain at the pump” is allowing the debate about energy to broaden once again in the mainstream media, think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute are working hard to position nuclear and coal as the only “alternatives.” Commuters, school districts, home owners, and others who are paying the financial, security, and environmental costs of oil dependence are “getting it” though. Real alternatives and opportunities are taking hold around the world, and even here in the U.S.
Solar Industry Poised for Rapid Growth
Alisa Gravitz, “Solar Power Surge” YES! Magazine #43, Fall 2007
Enough Wind, Solar, Geothermal, and Tidal Power to Power the U.S.
Guy Dauncey, “Electricity: an Astonishing Abundance” YES! Magazine #45, Spring 2008
Kansas Secretary of Health and Environment Blocks Two Coal-fired Power Plants
Margit Christenson, “Blocking Big Coal” YES! Magazine #44, Winter 2008
“I won’t buy another new car unless it has a plug on it.”
Sherry Boschert, “The Secret Life of Plug-in Hybrids” YES! Magazine #45, Spring 2008
How Can All U.S. buildings Be 100 Percent Carbon Neutral By 2030?
Guy Dauncey, “Smart, Green Buildings” YES! Magazine #45, Spring 2008

Altering the media landscape




As the corporate media increasingly acts as stenographers and spinmeisters for the status quo; people are looking elsewhere for reliable sources of information. Independent media outlets are becoming the news source of choice for many. Meanwhile, people power and citizen pressure are beginning to chip away at the monolithic structure of big media multinationals.
Maine’s Legislature First in the Nation to Protect Net Neutrality
Jon Bartholomew, “Maine Leads on Net Neutrality” YES! Magazine #43, Fall 2007
Crackdown on Fake News
Margit Christenson, “FCC Fines Comcast for Fake News” YES! Magazine #44, Winter 2008
The People Speak Out at FCC Hearing
“The People Speak Out at FCC Hearing in Seattle” YES! Online

Real health care solutions are on the table




The debate about healthcare is receiving more diverse coverage in the media than it has in many decades. It cannot be denied that the much-maligned Michael Moore documentary “Sicko” created an opportunity to change the conversation. Programs like the PBS series “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” and Frontline’s “Sick Around the World” are digging deep into the reality of the situation. Healthcare activists are building on this national movement.
Michael Moore’s Film, “SICKO” Opens Door to Community Organizing
“Sicko Paves the Way” YES! Magazine #43, Fall 2007
San Francisco First to Offer Health Care for All
Brooke Jarvis, “San Francisco’s Health Care for All” YES! Magazine #44, Winter 2008
Has Cuba Got the Cure?
Sarah van Gelder, “Health Care for All; Love, Cuba” YES! #42, Summer 2007

Developing countries take charge of their economies
For years, “developing nations” in Africa and South America have been challenging the neocolonial economic policies that have hindered their growth and autonomy. In 2007 and 2008, many countries pulled away from the old models with a speed that left transnational corporations, multi-lateral agencies (and the US media) speechless.
Latin America Goes Dept Free
Sarah Anderson, “IMF: Paid in Full” YES! Magazine #42, Summer 2007
Reclaiming Corn and Culture
Wendy Call, “New Light in the Sky” YES! Magazine #46, Summer 2008
African Countries Stand Up to European Union
Ignacio Ramonet, “Africa Says No” Le Monde Diplomatique, January 2008 and
Tom Knudson, “Promises and Poverty” Sacramento Bee, 9/23/2007
Ethiopia Wins Battle With Starbucks Over Trademark Entitlement
Matthew Clark, “In trademarking its coffee, Ethiopia seeks fair trade” The Christian Science Monitor

Moving beyond war




While the Iraq conflict sparked large protests throughout the world, the larger “war on terror” has had a quieter, more profound impact that has grown largely unnoticed in recent years. Now, even the hawks of yesterday are recognizing the worth of the anti-war movement and its call for a move beyond war.
Nuclear Abolition More Urgent Than Ever
“George Shultz Calls for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons,” an interview with Sarah van Gelder, YES! Magazine #46, Summer 2008
A Responsible Plan to Exit Iraq
Erik Leaver, “Candidates for Congress Show the Way Out” YES! Magazine #46, Summer 2008
Has Your Town Declared Peace Yet?
Ben Manski and Karen Dolan, “Cities Declare Peace” YES! Magazine #46, Summer 2008
Shifting Our Defense Budget
Miriam Pemberton, “Raiding the War Chest” YES! Magazine #46, Summer 2008

Seattle: The beginning of a new culture of activism




The “Battle in Seattle” against the WTO was but a single event in an ongoing struggle to take back power from global corporations and finance agencies. Nonetheless, the 1999 mass protest, direct action, and popular education events marked a turning point in activism. People around the world are taking notice.
WTO Protests in Seattle Sparked Biggest Global Movement
Paul Hawken, “Remembering the Battle of Seattle” Ode Magazine June 2007
Another World is Possible—Another U.S. is Necessary
Sarah van Gelder, “We Saw Another World in Atlanta” YES! Magazine #43 Fall 2007
Taking On Corporate Power
Michael Marx and Marjorie Kelly, “Who Will Rule” YES! Magazine #43, Fall 2007

Read an excerpt from Project Censored 2009
 

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THE G8 COMMUNIQUE ON CLIMATE: REGRESSION, NOT A FORWARD MOVEMENT

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Statement of organizations affiliated with the G8 Action Network
 

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, July 9, 2008

The G8’s communiqué regarding their action on climate is actually inaction being masked as movement. It is a great fraud being perpetrated on the global community that would significantly reduce its capacity to contain climate change. We fully  agree with the statement of the Government of South Africa that “[W]hile the Statement may appear as a movement forward, we are concerned that it may, in effect, be a regression from what is required to make a meaningful contribution to meeting the challenges of climate change.”
 

RETREAT FROM BALI
The announcement of the agreement among the G8 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally by 50 per cent by 2050 is actually a step back from the minimum action that was demanded by the global community during the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in Bali last December. In Bali, opposition from the US, Japan, and Canada almost killed a developing consensus that should commit industrialized (Annex 1) countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25-40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020.
That developing consensus also projected the minimum cut needed by 2050 to be in the range of 80 to 90 per cent if the rise in global temperature was to be kept below 2 degrees centigrade in the 21st century.
 

The G8’s 50 per cent formula is objectionable on several counts:
 

First, the G8 formula is a global cut, not one undertaken by the industrialized or Annex One countries, so big polluters like the US can actually free-ride on the rest of the world.
 

Second, the cut has no clear baseline. It was revealing that in announcing it, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda initially said it was from 1990 levels, then had to take back that statement and subsequently mentioned a 2000 baseline.
 

Third, this declaration of intent is not binding and there is no indication that the G8 want to bring their “commitment” fully under the United Nations climate negotiations framework that would bind its signatories. Indeed, the G8 announcement reinforces the G8 as a site for climate action that rivals the UN process and effectively subverts it. Not surprisingly, the G8 declaration emerged as part of a parallel process known as the “Major Economies Meeting.” The Major Economies Meeting is a US initiative to wrest decision-making on climate from the United Nations framework and process.
 

All in all, the G8 announcement is one giant step away from meaningful mandatory reductions and significantly increases the chances of the planet slipping into uncontrolled climate change.
 

SUPPORTING THE WRONG AGENCY
Another setback to the cause of effective climate action was the G8’s endorsement of the World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds, to which the communiqué said certain countries had already pledged $6 billion. Civil society groups monitoring the Bank’s environment program had already warned the G8 that there are very serious concerns that the funds would be heavily oriented toward funding large-scale coal plants.  Without a clear definition of clean technology, the funds may be used to finance projects that do not clearly mitigate climate change or may take up resources that bring only minor or incremental change at a time that fundamental change is needed.
 

Just as the G8 undermines the UN as the site for climate action, so does the World Bank subvert an already established UN mechanism. An Adaptation Fund under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was established in Bali by the Conference of Parties in December 2007 precisely to provide technological assistance to developing countries. Instead of funding this mechanism, the G8 countries may now divert their contributions to the World Bank Climate Investment Funds to maintain control of the process of technology transfer. Not surprisingly, the developing countries have criticized the World Bank mechanism as a threat to serious efforts to assist the global South to deal with climate change.
 

After failing as a development bank, the World Bank is now trying to create the image that it is the “climate bank.” This is indeed the height of hypocrisy. With $2 billion already spent on coal, oil and gas projects over the last year, the World Bank has broken its own record as the world’s largest multilateral financier of greenhouse-emitting energy initiatives. Even as it pretends to deal with climate change with its Climate Investment Funds, the Bank is actually exacerbating it with its massive fossil fuel extraction lending.
 

We must call a spade a spade. The G8 declaration does not constitute an advance but a step backward in the global community’s ability to deal with climate change. Saying that it is better than nothing or that it is realistic given the Bush administration’s opposition to significant action is to lend legitimacy to a dangerous charade.
 

The G8 has once again lived up to its reputation of being an obstacle to the global community’s efforts to come to grips with the challenges of our times. We repeat our call to disband this unelected body of rich country governments that acts as if it were the government of the world.
 

G8 Action Network
Partial List of Endorsers
Attac Japan
CADTM
ESK-Basque Country
Focus on the Global South
Freedom from Debt Coalition
Friends of the Earth International
FSU-France
Institute for Policy Studies, US
Sustainable Energy and Economy Network
Via Campesina
 

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WORLD BANK CASTS ITS DARK SHADOW OVER G8

Monday, July 7th, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY


Friends of the Earth International, La Via Campesina, Focus on the Global South

July 6, 2008

HOKKAIDO, Japan July 7, 2008 – The World Bank is officially launching its “climate investment funds” backed by Japan, the US and the UK during the G8 meeting in Hokkaido, Japan, 7-9 July.  The funds – which have already been criticised by developing country governments – will be used to finance so-called clean technology including coal and agrofuels, loans for adapting to climate change and to set up carbon trading schemes that allow industrialised countries to buy their way out of emission reductions.

Friends of the Earth International Chair Meena Raman said:
 
“The World Bank continues to finance dirty industries and is now trying to recast itself as the saviour of the planet. If Fukuda, Bush and Brown have their way, billions in taxpayers’ money would be used to push developing countries further into debt, undermine UN climate negotiations and threaten Indigenous Peoples’ land rights.”
 
Peasant farmers, environmentalists, workers and activists are protesting and speaking out during the G8 against the World Bank. Though the Bank now asserts a desire to be a leader in tackling climate change, the majority of the World Bank’s carbon finance portfolio has been channelled towards polluting industries, it has financed industrial logging and its support for coal-fired and other fossil-based power generation is on the increase.
 
The World Bank has a notorious track record for pushing loans for industrial and agricultural policies that have increased poverty, indebtedness, unemployment and environmental damage.
 
Focus on the Global South’s Walden Bello said:
 
“If G8 countries are serious about tackling climate change they should not waste their money on schemes that will do nothing to solve the climate crisis. The World Bank itself is in a deep crisis and is trying to boost its rock-bottom ratings by hijacking the climate bandwagon. It is totally unjust that developing countries should be coerced to take out loans to deal with climate problems that they did not create.”
 
The climate negotiations in Bali last December opened the door for the World Bank to play a much more prominent role and this threatens to undermine the integrity of a post-2012 climate deal. During climate talks in Bonn last month, the G77 + China as well as more than 120 civil society organisations released statements opposing the World Bank’s proposed funds.
 
La Via Campesina’s Henry Saragih said:
 
“The current food and climate crises are mainly caused by unsustainable economic policies that have been ruthlessly imposed by the G8, World Bank, the WTO and transnational corporations. These policies are destroying local food production and livelihoods. If we are going to cool our planet and feed the world, we must promote real solutions such as sustainable family farming and peoples’ food sovereignty.”
 
During the G8, La Via Campesina, Focus on the Global South, Friends of the Earth International and other social movements and civil society organisations are highlighting how corporate-driven policies being pushed by G8 nations are having serious negative impacts on communities and their environment around the world. 

NOTES:
More information on the World Bank’s climate investment funds can be found at:
http://action.foe.org/t/3877/content.jsp?content_KEY=4176

The statement and background documents are online at:
http://www.endoilaid.org/wbcif
 
For more information on the G77 and China ’s opposition to the funds, see TWN’s report at:

http://www.twnside.org.sg/title2/finance/twninfofinance20080401.htm


La Via Campesina Website: http://www.viacampesina.org 

 

 

 

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Open letter to the Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Hokkaido, Japan — 6 July 2008
 

              We – environmentalists, social movements, peasant farmers, workers and civil society organizations – in solidarity with 23 Korean farmers and trade unionists who were denied entry to Japan – denounce the authorities’ unwillingness to allow their participation in civil society events taking place parallel to the G8 summit on 7th until 9th July. Among other issues, the unionists and farmers were to raise awareness about the millions of Koreans who have been mobilizing against their markets being forced open to the imports of American beef despite concerns of mad cow disease and the negative consequences for local food production and consumption.
              Organizations from around the world are protesting and holding public events in order to condemn the corporate-driven economic policies that are being ruthlessly being pursued by G8 countries with disregard for their impacts on people and the planet. Due to reports from many signatory organizations, it appears that there has been a broader, systematic approach to hinder civil society representatives entering Japan during the G8.
              We would like to give a special thanks to the people of Hokkaido for their very warm welcome to such a beautiful region. We would like to express our concerns regarding the over-reaction of the police during protests and activities so far. We are disappointed that Japan, as host of the G8 summit, is criminalizing freedom of expression. It is unacceptable for Japan, the G8 or any other countries to prevent healthy, critical debates from taking places alongside international meetings where decisions are being made that will affect the lives of millions of people around the globe.
 

Signatories
 

Anti-Debt Coalition (KAU), Indonesia
Asian Migrant Centre
ATTAC Japan
Batis Center for Women, Philippines
Centre for Promotion of Economic and Social Alternatives, Cameroon
Committee for the Abolition of the Third World Debt (CADTM)
Equity Bd., Bangladesh
Focus on the Global South
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), Philippines
FSU Trade Union, France
G8 Action Network Japan
IMADR, Japan
Jubilee South-Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JS-APMDD)
Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU), Korea
La Via Campesina
LDC Watch
Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA)
NO-VOX Japan
People’s Movement Against Neocolonialism-Imperialism (Gerak Lawan), Indonesia
Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)
South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE)
Trade Union Basques (ESK), Basque Country
Unnayan Onneshan Bangladesh
Friends of the Earth International
No-Vox France
Attac France
 

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G8 People’s Alternative Summit in Hokkaido

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Dear friends and supporters of Peace Boat,

 

              Greetings from Japan! As you know, the eyes of the world are now turned towards Japan, as the G8 Summit is about to start at Lake Toya in Hokkaido. This newsletter is to share with you Peace Boat’s efforts related to the Summit, with the hope of working together to ensure that our collective voices as international civil society are delivered to Hokkaido and the world. Peace Boat will be travelling to Hokkaido and staging several events, reporting the outcomes of the recent Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War (whynot9.jp), and also monitoring the Summit online through blogging and live streaming throughout the Summit from the International Media Centre (http://g8peaceboat.wordpress.com/).

 

              Peace Boat has joined together with over 100 Japan-based NGOs striving towards a sustainable society and working to address diverse issues as the environment, peace, human rights, global poverty and development, under the broad banner of the 2008 Japan G8 Summit NGO Forum (http://www.g8ngoforum.org/english). Peace Boat is participating as the Leader of the Peace and Human Rights Unit, calling for a world order based on the principles of non-violence and human rights. The unit works on issues such as nuclear weapons abolition, disarmament and arms control, global economics, conflict prevention, peace building, “counter-terrorism” measures, gender, indigenous peoples’ rights, immigration, regional security issues and promotion of civic activities.

 

              The causes and effects of such issues are global and, as such, require global solutions. The G8 Summit must produce effective solutions, incorporating the responsibilities that correspond to their influence in global politics and economy. Through our cross-national collaboration towards social equity and civic participation, NGOs have nurtured perspectives independent from those of the government. It is with those perspectives and knowledge that we make policy recommendations.

 

              In this NGO Forum capacity, we will be holding several workshops and discussions at the People’s Summit (Alternative Summit), which will be held in Sapporo from July 6-8, 2008. Further details about these events can be viewed here:

http://kitay-hokkaido.net/modules/english/index.php?content_id=4.

 

              This will be a prime chance to share the outcomes of the Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War held in Japan in May (http://whynot9.jp) – particularly the Statement to the G8 endorsed by the Japan Organizing Committee and key international participants and supporters. This Statement calls for the G8 countries, that together account for 70% of the world’s military expenditure, to reduce the money spent on arms and redirect resources to peace, development and the environment. We also call for a change in the methods of dealing with issues such as conflicts and “terrorism”. This statement was initially drafted by the Japanese Organizing Committee, and announced after obtaining the support of key international participants and supporters. (The full statement can be read online here: http://www.whynot9.jp/doc/G8_Statement_en.pdf).

 

              Although the decisions of the G8 will impact everyone on the planet, only a tiny number of people are party to these discussions. As one of few NGOs granted access to the G8 International Media Centre, Peace Boat will be blogging and broadcasting live from the centre at Rusutsu, to share all that happens as it happens. We will be setting up a live online video broadcast, and monitoring the G8 Summit debate and civil society responses from the perspectives of peace, disarmament and human rights. We hope to also utilize this opportunity to in turn communicate the various efforts and positions of all of our partners around the world who cannot be in Hokkaido in person. We thus invite you to become actively involved via this blog, and share with us any information or reactions from your own organizations or regions relating to the G8. We look forward to an active discussion with all of you, and the chance to work together to have our collective voices heard at this year’s G8 Summit.

 

              So please keep your eyes on the Peace Boat G8blog, and we look forward to your contributions! http://g8peaceboat.wordpress.com

 

 

In peace and solidarity,

 

Peace Boat @ Hokkaido

www.peaceboat.org

g8peaceboat.wordpress.com

 

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Ten Ways to Democratize the Global Economy

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Global Exchange Fact Sheet: 10 Ways to Democratize the Global Economy


              Citizens can and should play an active role in shaping the future of our global economy. Here are some of the ways in which we can work together to reform global trade rules, demand that corporations are accountable to people’s needs, build strong and free labor and promote fair and environmentally sustainable alternatives.More...

1. No Globalization without Representation
              Multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund create global policy with input mainly from multinational corporations and very little input from grassroots citizens groups. We need to ensure that all global citizens must be democratically represented in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of all global social and economic policies of the WTO, the IMF, and the WB. The WTO must immediately halt all meetings and negotiations in order for a full, fair, and public assessment to be conducted of the impacts of the WTO’s policies to date. The WTO must be replaced by a body that is fully democratic, transparent, and accountable to citizens of the entire world instead of to corporations. We must build support for trade policies that protect workers, human rights, and the environment.

2. Mandate Corporate Responsibility
              Corporations have so heavily influenced global trade negotiations that they now have rights and representation greater than individual citizens and even governments. Under the guise of ‘free trade’ they advocate weakening of labor and environmental laws — a global economy of sweatshops and environmental devastation. Corporations must be subject to the people’s will; they should have to prove their worth to society or be dismantled. Corporations must be accountable to public needs, be open to public scrutiny, provide living wage jobs, abide by all environmental and labor regulations, and be subject to all laws governing them. Shareholder activism is an excellent tool for challenging corporate behavior.

3. Restructure the Global Financial Architecture
              Currency speculation and the derivatives market move over $1.5 trillion daily (compared to world trade of $6 trillion annually), earning short-term profits for wealthy investors at the expense of long-term development. Many countries are beginning to implement ‘capital controls’ in order to regulate the influence foreign capital, and grassroots groups are advocating the restructuring and regulation of the global financial architecture. Citizens can pass local city resolutions for the Tobin Tax - a tax of .1% to .25% on currency transactions which would provide a disincentive for speculation but not affect real capital investment, and create a huge fund for building schools & clinics throughout the world.

4. Cancel all Debt, End Structural Adjustment and Defend Economic Sovereignty
              Debt is crushing most poor countries’ ability to develop as they spend huge amounts of their resources servicing odious debt rather than serving the needs of their populations. Structural adjustment is the tool promoted by the IMF and World Bank to keep countries on schedule with debt payments, with programs promoting export-led development at the expense of social needs. There is an international movement demanding that all debt be cancelled in the year 2000 in order for countries to prioritize health care, education, and real development. Countries must have the autonomy to pursue their own economic plans, including prioritizing social needs over the needs of multinational corporations.

5. Prioritize Human Rights - Including Economic Rights - in Trade Agreements
              The United Nations must be the strongest multilateral body - not the WTO. The US must ratify all international conventions on social and political rights. Trade rules must comply with higher laws on human rights as well as economic and labor rights included in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. We should promote alternative trade agreements that include fair trade, debt cancellation, micro-credit, and local control over development policies.

6. Promote Sustainable Development - Not Consumption - as the Key to Progress
              Global trade and investment should not be ends in themselves, but rather the instruments for achieving equitable and sustainable development, including protection for workers and the environment. Global trade agreements should not undermine the ability of each nation, state or local community to meet its citizens’ social, environmental, cultural or economic needs. International development should not be export-driven, but rather should prioritize food security, sustainability, and democratic participation.

7. Integrate Womens’ Needs in All Economic Restructuring
              Women make up half the world but hold less than 5% of positions of power in determining global economic policy, and own an estimated 1% of global property. Family survival around the world depends on the economic independence of women. Economic policies need to take into account women’s important role in nutrition, education, and development. This includes access to family planning as well as education, credit, job training, policy decision-making, and other needs.

8. Build Free and Strong Labor Unions Internationally and Domestically
              As trade becomes more ‘free,’ labor unions are still restricted from organizing in most countries. The International Labor Organization should have the same enforcement power as the WTO. The US should ratify ILO conventions and set an example in terms of enforcing workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. As corporations increase their multinational strength, unions are working to build bridges across borders and organize globally. Activists can support their efforts and ensure that free labor is an essential component of any ‘free trade’ agreements.

9. Develop Community Control Over Capital; Promote Socially Responsible Investment
              Local communities should not be beholden to the IMF, international capital, multinational corporations, or any other non-local body for policy. Communities should be able to develop investment and development programs that suit local needs including passing anti-sweatshop purchasing restrictions, promoting local credit unions and local barter currency, and implementing investment policies for their city, church, and union that reflect social responsibility criteria.

10. Promote Fair Trade Not Free Trade
              While we work to reform ‘free trade’ institutions and keep corporate chain stores out of our neighborhoods, we should also promote our own vision of Fair Trade. We need to build networks of support and education for grassroots trade and trade in environmentally sustainable goods. We can promote labeling of goods such as Fair Trade Certified, organic, and sustainably harvested. We can purchase locally made goods and locally grown foods that support local economies and cooperative forms of production and trade.

 

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Dying for Land

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

 By John Hall

Our 15-foot, outrigger boat—overloaded with 14 people—heaved in heavy seas off the coast of Batangas, Luzon, Philippines, and water poured over the gunwales. I had been kneeling for an hour, bailing water with the sole piece of “emergency equipment” on board: a plastic bottle. As the waves washed over us, my externship supervisor, noted human rights attorney Romeo Capulong, turned to me with a smile. “Are you enjoying your last semester of law school?” he asked. That day, March 9, was sad and memorable, and our eventful journey by sea was merely the prelude to what would become for me an inspiring educational mission. We were on our way to a funeral. The destination was Hacienda Looc, a coastal region about 90 kilometers south of Manila, the site of an ongoing battle between poor farm families fighting to keep their land and development forces determined to take it. Two farmers, Terry Sevilla and Roger Alla, had been ambushed and murdered the previous week, bringing to seven the number of peasants killed since 1997 who had opposed the construction of a golf resort on their land. (more…)

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