[asia-apec 708] APPA invitation & registration package (part 2)

[appasec]

Summary on Issue / Sector Forums



Labour 

Date: 11&12 November 1998

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

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

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 Helthcare and Social Services.

- Peoples Response and Action Against Financial Deregulation and Privatisation

- Alternative Models of Development – alternative international financial architecture that is sustainable 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

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 campaign 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

This forum will address three main areas of concern:

- Privatisation and Education

- Job Security

- Human Rights



Urban Poor

Date: 11&12 November 1998

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. The theme will be on forced evictions and involuntary displacement of communities that have to 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

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

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 an 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.



Strategies of Peasant Movements

Date: 11&12 November 1998

The forum has the theme ‘Throwing off the yoke of imperialist globalisation’. The forum aims to provide a venue for sharing and discussion of effective strategies adopted by the various peasant movements in their struggle against capitalist monopoly, expand and consolidate the Asian and global network of peasant and fisherfolk organisations and identify and plan for international peasant campaigns.

Workshops will be conducted to provide participants small group venues to discuss the impact of globalisation in their global region, share with one another the strategies that have proven effective and pinpoint burning issues as bases for international peasant campaigns. 



Globalisation and Children

Date: 11 & 12 November 1998

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

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.



Food security and Agriculture

Date: 11 & 12 November 1998

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.



Community Livelihood

Date: 11 & 12 November 1998

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 such regional groupings such as APEC is impacting on the people not only for livelihood through community enterprises but more as an option for fair trade, environmental conservation and a people-centred sustainable development.



Media

Date: 11 &12 November 1998

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



Environment and Forestry

Date: 11 November 1998

The environment and forestry forum will focus on the issues of forest fire and environment, especially in the region of Asia Pacific. (tentative programme)