[asia-apec 679] APPA ISSUE AND SECTOR FORUMS

[PAN Asia Pacific]

Labour
Date: 11&12 November 1998
Local lead organisers: Labour Resource Centre, National Union of Transport Equipment

Workers are most affected by the globalisation phenomena. The Asia Pacific Economic 
Cooperation (APEC), was specifically set up to speed up the pace of trade liberalisation and to 
create the world's most resourceful and liberal market that is conducive to capital movement and 
profit maximisation. The emphasis on export-oriented production, rapid growth and a complete 
reliance on foreign investment has  led to the denial of union rights, heavy workload, lack of social 
security, inadequate wages and poor health and safety standards for millions of workers around the 
region.

The major themes of the labour forum are: 
-linking the current economic crisis with globalisation and liberalisation 
-assessing the full impact of the economic crisis on workers 
-To develop strategies for workers around the region against globalisation.

Human Rights, Democracy and Militarisation 
Date: 11&12 November 1998 
Local lead organisers: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)

Globalisation and its impact on citizens, manifested more directly through the economic crisis, has 
further deteriorated human rights in the region. The human rights forum will be broken up into two 
parts: 
-Exposure and discussion on the local human rights situation, followed by 
-An international meeting

The meeting will be a gathering of human rights victims and activists from around the Asia Pacific, 
to discuss issues and trends affecting human rights in the region. A serious reflection of the UDHR 
after 50 years, will be done to help capture and analyse the actual human rights situation in our 
respective countries. There will also be case presentations from South Korea, Indonesia and 
perhaps a Latin American country.

Privatisation and Financial Deregulation
Date: 11 &12 November 1998
Local lead organisers: Charles Santiago

The theme for this forum is 'The Peoples Alternative to Financial Deregulation and Privatisation'.  
Several  major issues will be addressed with the following topics:
-Government, Civil Society and the Retrenchment of the Public Sector: The Privatisation of 
Healthcare and Social Services.
-People’s Response and Action Against Financial Deregulation and Privatisation
-Alternative Models of Development - alternative international financial architecture that is sustain-
able and people centred.
-The Fight Against the MAI and WTO
-The Future of the State and Civil Society in the Era of Financial Deregulation and Privatisation.

The 3rd Women's Conference Against APEC
Date: 8-9 November 1998
Local lead organisers: Pesticide Action Network- Asia and the Pacific (PAN-AP), Tenaganita

The third International Women's Conference Against APEC, has the theme: 'Women Resist 
Globalisation. Assert Women's Rights'. The women's groups around the Asia Pacific have kicked 
off their own campaigns against globalisation and have convened meetings in the last two parallel 
peoples summits held in Manila, 1996 and Vancouver, 1997. The main objectives of the conference 
are:
- To assess new emerging trends of globalisation and liberalisation, which will have major 
implications on the lives of women and women's rights.
-To enhance women's participation and leadership in forwarding development alternatives with 
women's vision
-To strengthen women's global perspective and analysis
-To develop strategies for resistance against globalisation
-To strengthen solidarity among women

Student & Youth
Date: 7-10 November 1998 
Local lead organisers: Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth, Selangor Graduates Society, Youth 
Centre

This forum will address three main areas of concern:
-Privatisation and Education
-Job Security
-Human Rights


Urban Poor
Date: 11&12 November 1998
Local lead organisers: Parti Rakyat Malaysia, Nadi Komunikasi, Support Committee for Urban 
Settlers (JSPB)

Globalisation and industrialisation can be said to be directly responsible for the rapidly growing 
urban poor communities around the region. TNC's, by setting base in developing countries, have 
created huge demands for industrial workers, causing massive population shifts from rural to urban 
areas. Although these rural migrants were encouraged to come live in the city, through several 
major economic policies adopted by government, the infrastructure needed to accommodate a 
bigger population, especially for housing, went unnoticed. Housing needs became a huge problem, 
leaving large numbers of people to build their own shelters which later grew into communes, known 
as squatter areas.
The urban poor forum, which will be held at a squatter community, will address these 
contradictions. It will focus on forced evictions and involuntary displacement of communities that 
make way for rapid development. There will be a visit to several urban poor communities around 
Kuala Lumpur. The forum will bring together leaders of urban poor communities in Malaysia and 
around the region, peoples' organisations and NGOs working on land rights and housing rights 
issues. Common regional trends of involuntary displacement will be assessed, to develop a 
common response and strategy to protect the rights of urban poor communities with the growing 
threat of globalisation.

Indigenous People
Date: 6-7 November 1998
Local lead organisers: Borneo Research Institute

The indigenous peoples' forum will have the theme of displacement from their native lands, and 
involuntarily relocated into commercial plantation schemes, as a result of development projects. 
Case studies
from around the region will be presented.

Migrant Labour
Date: 11 & 12 November 1998
Local lead organisers: Tenaganita

The forum will focus on 3 main areas facing migrant workers in the region. They are: 
-the increasing erosion of the rights of migrant workers, especially in the context of globalisation, 
and the Asian economic crisis;
-the continuous decline on the quality of life of the migrants and their families. This includes 
healthcare, education, housing and other amenities;
- the control and lack of democratic participation of migrants in decision making, in the right to form 
associations or join unions, especially with receiving countries that are becoming more repressive.
There will be a photo exhibition, from November 10-15, the launch of posters and the migrant 
yearbook on 11 November, a press conference on November 15, and will close with a solidarity 
evening with migrant workers.

Globalisation and Children 
Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 
Local lead organiser: Salinlahi (Philippines)

Participants of this forum would comprise street children, child workers and children of migrant 
workers, within the age group of 11-15 years old. Participants will be divided into five workshops of 
15 children each where a specific module will be used which will view these children as survivors 
rather than victims.

Consumers
Date: 11 November 1998
Local lead organiser: Third World Network

The forum will dwell on the nature and risks of globalisation and liberalisation on consumers.  It will 
focus on latest developments by major institutions such as the World Bank, World Trade 
Organisation, International Monetary Fund etc. where further liberalisation initiatives are being 
launched by the TNCs and G7 countries. The forum will also explore ways in which citizens of the 
Asia-Pacific region can link up better to avoid further crises.

Land, Food Security and Agriculture 
Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 
Local lead organiser: PAN-AP

The forum on food security and agriculture is a two-day event to examine the impacts of 
globalisation on food security and agriculture and to develop alternatives. The forum will open with 
an overview of trade agreements and reports from representatives of farmers' movements from 
Chiapas, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. In the afternoon, participants will break into 
workshops. There will be five workshops on land issues and resources, aquatic resources, trade 
agreements and institutions, agribusiness TNCs, and grassroots resistance and alternatives. On 
the second day, participants will join in a plenary session to build a common analysis and share 
action plans from the workshops.
(Please note that the Strategies of Peasant Movements Forum has amalgamated with this forum)

Community Livelihood 
Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 
Local lead organiser: Sustainable Development Network (SUSDEN)

There is a fundamental flaw in our development approach. This is because our current economic 
model is dominantly capital-centred and not people-centred. To remedy the flaw, the strategy is to 
transform the decision-making framework to a people-centred approach. Then and only then can 
we attain a development that is socially just, ecologically sustainable, economically viable, politically 
participatory and culturally vibrant.

The APEC meeting in November in Malaysia is a timely forum to bring together development 
practitioners and community entrepreneurs in the region to see how regional groupings such as 
APEC impact on the people.   The forum will not only examine the impacts on livelihoods 
maintained through community enterprises but also on options for fair trade, environmental 
conservation and people-centred sustainable development.

Media
Date: 11 &12 November 1998
Local lead organiser: None

The media forum will have two main issues: the globalisation of information and press freedom in 
the region.

Environment and Forestry
CANCELLED

Please contact the APPA Secreatariat for registration information
at <appasec at tm.net.my>