From kevinyli at pacific.net.hk Sat Sep 1 11:03:47 2001 From: kevinyli at pacific.net.hk (Kevin Yuk-shing Li) Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2001 10:03:47 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1796] (Hong Kong) People before Profit, Development with Dignity Message-ID: <006601c1328a$578e3e20$b30940ca@kevinli> People before Profit, Development with Dignity Position paper Solidarity and Resistance against Globalisation Hong Kong Most people think of Hong Kong as affluent and exciting - a glamorous corner of universal prosperity on the tip of poverty-stricken "communist" China. Yet the disparity between rich and poor in our "City of Life" is shocking - and getting worse. In 1996, the Gini coefficient (an indicator of a society's equality where one equals perfect inequality and zero perfect equality) for Hong Kong was 0.518, a figure that compares unfavourably with many of the world's developing countries. Many Hong Kongers - blue-collar workers, professionals and even managers - face unemployment or underemployment. Working class families are living in dire poverty and having to cope with the stresses this can bring - poor housing, divorce, violence, drug abuse and a lack of educational opportunities. The government's response has been to launch ideologically driven policies to maintain or increase profits: government services are subcontracted to the private sector, reducing them to the status of a commercial activity. Employers have slashed wages and increased working hours; those who have jobs find them increasingly insecure as employment climbs to 5% or more. At the same time, social welfare has been cut and those claiming CSSA have been stigmatised as scroungers. The very environment we live in is being permanently damaged by profit-orientated development. Yet we in Hong Kong are not the exception. Working people all over the world are facing this same reality whether they live in "rich" or "poor" regions. The problems are particularly acute in developing countries that are being forced to compete on the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) mythical "level playing field". The WTO's hypocrisy is breathtaking. Its trade rules are forcing developing countries to open their agricultural markets to heavily subsidised agribusiness corporations from the developed world while small farmers are forced off the land and into the clutches of poverty and disease. Urban workers' jobs are increasingly insecure as hungry migrants move to the cities in search of work and wages are forced down as a result. Women especially are the hardest hit as they often have to suffer discrimination and prejudices that deny them access to education, employment opportunities and social resources in general. They suffer under the yoke of a double oppression. Yet the source of all this misery is hardly a mystery. At the heart is an unequal distribution of power and wealth in human society. In 1998, the richest 20% of the world's population were 78 times wealthier than the poorest 20%. The world's richest 385 people own and control more capital than the sum capital of 2.5 billion people. Such are the inequities of the so-called laissez-faire economy. This is not a "natural" state of affairs. The market is a trading mechanism created by man and regulated by man-made rules. The men (and some women) who make the rules are high- ranking government officials working in tandem with rich and powerful businessmen obsessed with maximising profits. Hong Kong's government has long endorsed this "trickledown", non-interventionist model that espouses the free market, a congenial business environment and loosely regulated competition. Ironically, the result is hardly a "competitive" scenario, let alone a "level playing field". Giant transnational companies (TNCs), increasingly monopolise the global market. They offer massive support to governments (often in the form of hard cash) that implement business-friendly policies and undermine (occasionally resorting to armed subversion) the few governments that dare to offer an alternative. The whole process lacks the participation of working people who get poorer as the rich get richer. Against this backdrop, the World Economic Forum (WEF) is preparing to convene in our city. It is made up of the representatives of TNCs and government elites from all over the world. Although the WEF does not have the statutory power of the WTO or the brute fiscal influence of the World Bank, its meetings and conferences aim to persuade or coerce governments to further open their markets to the TNCs. It is actively neo-liberal and played a key role in the creation of the WTO. It publishes annual country reports on competitiveness and rabidly promotes unfettered competition as the only means to wealth creation. The WEF summit offers us an opportunity to fight back! Our values are not based on power and wealth but the right to live, a decent standard of living, dignity and mutual respect. We reject the government's hypocrisy and double standards - even as it preaches a "free market", it has made one intervention after another to protect the interests of the rich and powerful at the expense of the rest of us. Solidarity and Resistance against Globalisation is a broad alliance of non-government organisations and individuals with different concerns and priorities in Hong Kong. But we are united in our demand for justice and the right to live with dignity. Our demands to those that rule over us are simple and clear: 1. An immediate halt to privatisation. Actively create genuine, fairly paid jobs for working people. 2. Guarantee the economic and political rights of all people. Implement democratic monitoring of the activities of governments, TNCs and international organisations. 3. Governments and TNCs must accept their global responsibilities. The interests of developing countries must be taken into account and all future economic development should be based on equality and justice. 4. A balance between development and environmental protection must be our goal. Openly conducted evaluation of environmental impact should be built into all economic activity. ------------- Reply Slip To all friends concerned with Hong Kong's development and the livelihood of its people, Solidarity and Resistance against Globalisation Official Inauguration. Join Us! We have recently set up Solidarity and Resistance against Globalisation (SRG), an alliance of groups and individuals in Hong Kong who are angry and concerned at rising global poverty. One of our immediate tasks is to focus on the upcoming summit meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), to be held in Hong Kong this coming October. The SRG hopes to organise an appropriate reception for the Summit and help concentrate the minds of the pro-business leaders attending on the urgent problems facing us. For most working people in Hong Kong, everyday life has become increasingly difficult over recent years. Wage cuts, the contracting out of public services, increasingly powerful monopolies and environmental destruction caused by transnational companies are the daily reality of our lives. Hong Kong's ruling elite continually talk up the free market, telling us we must attract more foreign capital, and to be 'value-added', grab our share of the spoils of globalisation etc. But who will really profit from all this so-called free market "competition"? Certainly not the poor or working people of Hong Kong. Yet we do not have to accept our rulers' propaganda and greed. One of the aims of the SRG is to organise a series of activities including publications, visits to interested groups and community organisations, street activities and organising forums to discuss development issues. We will also stage larger events such as carnivals and community meetings. We hope that these activities will lead to more and more people in Hong Kong becoming aware of the poverty and social polarisation that globalisation brings. We want to act as a counterweight to the continuous barrage of free market propaganda that dominates our lives. We want more people to reject the "development" model that benefits the few at the expense of the rest of us. There is an alternative! Whether you are an individual or represent a non-government organisation, we invite you to sign on to the SRG and be part of a fight-back against poverty, unemployment, hunger and disease. Attached is a paper on what we stand for and a draft plan of action. Join us in our discussions and activities to promote fair and just development for everyone. Interested? Then please complete the form below and fax it to (852) 2385-5319. If you have any questions please contact us. I/We (name of individual or organisation) _____________________________________ want/do not want to join SRG And/Or: ( ) Want to attend the next meeting of the SRG ( ) Would like to be contacted by a member of the SRG ( ) Would like to take part in educational activities ( ) Would like to help distribute publicity materials and pamphlets ( ) Would like to attend the planned carnival ( ) Would like to take part in community discussion meetings ( ) Other suggestions:____________________________________________________ Contact Details:______________________________________________tel:_________ From notoapec at clear.net.nz Wed Sep 5 14:59:53 2001 From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (GATT Watchdog) Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 17:59:53 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 1797] Moore Says WTO Mini-Ministerial in Mexico "Edged Forward":, India Maintains opposition Message-ID: <001a01c135d0$048cf1a0$3484a7cb@apecgrou> Wednesday, September 5, 2001 ISSN 1529-4153 Lead Report Trade Round Moore Says WTO Mini-Ministerial in Mexico 'Edged Forward'; India Maintains Opposition MEXICO CITY--A two-day conference of trade ministers from 18 World Trade Organization members "edged forward" in ironing out differences over whether to initiate a new round of comprehensive trade talks, WTO Director-General Mike Moore said here Sept. 1. However, India continued to insist that implementation issues from the Uruguay Round agreements need to be addressed "up front" before developing nations will agree to a new round of talks. Both the U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick and European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said that the Mexico City "mini- ministerial" had given new momentum to efforts to reach a consensus on the agenda for a new comprehensive round of trade talks, expected to be launched at the WTO's fourth ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, to be held Nov. 9-13. The informal gathering of trade ministers--largely geared to addressing the concerns of developing nations--was held Aug. 31-Sept. 1 in an effort to narrow differences among members over a new round of global trade talks. Following the talks, Mexican Economy Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said, "The result of the meeting was very positive. It allowed us to get close on ideas that are key--in agriculture, the environment, protection of investments, the rules for carrying out trade, and how to prepare gradually for talking to regional colleagues. And later when the moment arrives for the Qatar meeting so that with everyone there, there is a common phraseology, so that at least there is not a problem with semantics." Despite claims from Lamy and Zoellick that important progress was made in reaching a consensus on an agenda for the round, some diplomats in Geneva said there appeared to be little concrete evidence that members were closer to reaching an agreement. The main areas under discussion were implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements, as well as trade-related investment measures, information on special treatment for developing nations, market access for textiles, and technical support for developing nations in implementing WTO accords. The conference was attended by the United States, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, and Uruguay, and Qatar, as well as Moore. "We edged forward in this meeting," Moore said, adding that "there are still of course substantial differences." He noted that "ministers are meeting in all sorts of configurations" around the world in September in an effort to reach consensus on a post-Doha agenda. Fear of Failure Moore warned that a global economic slowdown could lead to reluctance to increase trade liberalization, and that "we are already seeing glimmers" of increased protectionism. Moore has said that the WTO "faces a long period of irrelevance" if the organization's members cannot agree at Qatar to start a new round of trade talks. WTO members failed to reach a consensus for starting a new round of trade talks at the WTO's Third ministerial meeting in Seattle in late 1999. Lamy said that "the fate of the multilateral trading system, which we all know is shaky" is in play in Qatar. "If we fail in Doha, it is a big problem for all of us," he said. "This meeting has proven to be an essential staging point on the road to Qatar." India Sees 'No Convergence.' However, India continued to insist that it wants to see implementation issues related to the Uruguay Round addressed "up front." The Indian ambassador to the WTO, S. Narayanan, has said that the WTO cannot fix implementation problems of the previous round of talks through a new round of talks. Indian Trade Minister Murasoli Maran said following the Mexico City conference that India continues to be concerned with implementation of the Uruguay Round. "India raised its voice" on implementation issues in the meetings, he said. "There was some kind of opposition to all of our views. ...I don't think there was convergence ... no convergence took place," Maran added. Maran said that a list of 93 items that India has stressed as being of concern has "been on the table for the last three years," and insisted that developing nations "deserve all help and assistance" in implementing the Uruguay round of talks. Maran asked rhetorically, "What are the costs and what are the benefits [of increased trade liberalization]?" He highlighted the backloading of the implementation of the WTO's Agreement on Textiles and Clothing as an example of India's implementation concerns. Zoellick said that "15 or 20" of the concerns on India's 93-point list have already been addressed. He said that there is a general sense that implementation issues will have to be dealt with "before Doha, at Doha" and after Doha. Developing countries, led by Egypt, India, Malaysia, and Pakistan, have insisted that the difficulties they face in implementing and complying with existing WTO agreements must be addressed before they can agree to new negotiations that go beyond the mandated talks on agriculture and services already under way. As part of the exercise, these countries have called for a review of agreements clinched during the Uruguay Round of negotiations concerning the protection of intellectual property (TRIPs), trade-related investment measures (TRIMs), agriculture, services, textiles/clothing, customs valuation, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, sanitary/phytosanitary measures, and safeguards. Lamy said, "India has insisted on implementation. There is goodwill on implementation." Geneva Meeting Set Last month, India hosted a meeting of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, where trade ministers resolved that any move to add further issues to the agenda of the talks could risk overloading the agenda and making it unsustainable. Maran said that India would meet with "like-minded" nations in Geneva the week of Sept. 3 to discuss the concerns of developing countries. The U.S. trade official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity Aug. 30 said that a key objective of the Mexico City meeting was for trade ministers to obtain a better understanding of the political difficulties each country faces in launching a new round, so that they can "go home and reflect" on how to address those concerns before Doha. "[T]his [meeting in Mexico City] is designed to ensure that ministers are involved in the process directly at an early stage," the U.S. official said. "One of the lessons from Seattle [where trade ministers failed in November-December 1999 to begin new trade talks] was that ministerial involvement was too late and had to deal with too many issues. And the idea is to have this ministerial involvement earlier on and narrow down the issues that ultimately ministers will have to deal with in Doha." By John Nagel Copyright ? 2001 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Washington D.C. From amittal at foodfirst.org Fri Sep 7 07:04:06 2001 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 22:04:06 +0000 Subject: [asia-apec 1798] Job Announcement: Economic & Social Human Rights Program Coordinator Message-ID: <0.700000824.283451596-738719082-999813848@topica.com> Job Announcement/Job Description Economic and Social Human Rights Program Coordinator (http://www.foodfirst.org/jobs/campaign.html) The Institute for Food and Development Policy - also known as Food First - is a progressive, independent, non-profit organization engaged in analysis, research, advocacy and education-for-action on hunger, poverty and environmental degradation, with a commitment to food as a human right. Food First is seeking an experienced and innovative coordinator for its Social and Economic Human Rights Program to advance human rights activism in the field of social and economic rights, with specific focus on the U.S. Growing out of Food First's past work, the program will continue to: focus on human rights implications of increasing hunger, poverty and economic insecurity in the U.S.; do public advocacy to promote policy alternatives; do education and outreach to raise public awareness; collaborate with partner groups and campaigns; facilitate communications strategy on economic and social human rights; and organize public events such as congressional hearings and economic human rights bus tours. Potential projects could include a human rights critique of free trade policies and their impact on working poor in the U.S. Job Description The coordinator will work under the supervision of the Program Director and will have the responsibility for further developing the human rights program in the U.S., initiating and organizing campaigns, working with national partners of Economic Human Rights: The Time Has Come Campaign, and building the program through outreach and fundraising. Specific responsibilities include: - Prepare a strategic plan to further strengthen the program, reach new constituencies, and raise funds. - Coordinate Food First's national campaign, The Economic Human Rights: The Time Has Come! - Coordinate advocacy projects such as human rights hearings, bus tours and other events. - Prepare human rights reports, briefing papers, and other educational materials such as the Food Rights Watch, an internet newsletter covering local, national and international events, policy debates, campaign strategies, human interest stories, and other information regarding economic, social and cultural rights. - Represent the program with media and at public speaking events - Prepare budgets, fundraising reports and grant proposals. Qualifications: Applicants should be experienced professionals with demonstrated commitment to human rights and social justice. Also experienced in writing advocacy materials, public speaking and advocacy. Specific qualifications include: - A minimum of three years experience in relevant field, preferably with U.S. context - Excellent personal and communications skills - Excellent writing and editing skills - Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to work under deadlines on multiple tasks - Fluency in Spanish and other non-English languages a plus - Relevant graduate degree(s) preferred Salary and Benefits: Commensurate with experience; excellent benefits. To Apply: Send cover letter, resume, and names and phone numbers of three references to Food First, via mail or email to: Program Coordinator Search Committee Food First 398 60th Street Oakland, CA 94618 Fax: (510) 654-4551 Email: foodfirst@foodfirst.org Food First is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxil2.aVxCnz Or send an email To: fianusa-news-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com This email was sent to: asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ From amittal at foodfirst.org Sat Sep 8 04:42:01 2001 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 19:42:01 +0000 Subject: [asia-apec 1799] Food Rights Watch: Focus on Trade and Human Rights Message-ID: <0.700000824.1001785801-738719082-999891723@topica.com> Welcome to Food Rights Watch: Focus on Trade and Human Rights Food Rights Watch provides information about economic and social human rights issues in the belief that education leads to action. Trade agreements such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), have been the institutional drivers of economic globalization. These trade agreements have attracted serious criticism from civil society groups who hold them responsible for further weakening of human rights and labor standards, undermining public health and national sovereignty, and accelerating environmental destruction. The current negotiations and controversy over the rules and governance of global trade-as being played out in the WTO and the FTAA, among other venues-threaten to set narrow limits to human aspirations in coming decades. Negotiations are often shrouded in secrecy, carried out in a non-transparent way, with little or no participation from those likely to be negatively affected by their outcome. Food Rights Watch with focus on trade and human rights, hopes that education will lead to action. Please read on, forward to friends, send story ideas, and most importantly- take action!!! Food First - For Land and Liberty, Jobs and Justice ******************************************************** U.S. (1) Food Stamp Call to Action (2) Welfare Reform: Five Years Later (3) G.Washington Univ. TO CLOSE! During D.C. World Bank Protests INTERNATIONAL (4) Mobilization against starvation in India (5) The IMF strikes again. . . (6) . . .and protests against privatization continue (7) Civil Society's Call to Action ********************************************************* U.S. (1) Food Stamp Call to Action The House Agriculture Committee recently passed a version of the Farm Bill that includes some useful reforms of the food stamp program to begin addressing problems such as people leaving welfare and losing food stamps and the difficult application process. HOWEVER, the U.S. Senate needs to go much, much further in addressing these and other problems which prevent people from getting the food assistance they need. More must be done, including restoration of federal food stamp benefits to legal immigrants. Your voice is needed to make sure this message gets through to the Senate during negotiations on the Farm Bill's final details. The Washington Post editorial Short Shrift for Food Stamps (linked below) expresses exactly what anti-hunger advocates have been saying for the past month: that more of the Farm Bill funding must go to food stamps and further reforms must be included. Here's what you can do: Copy and paste the Post editorial (linked below) and send email, fax and/or mail copies to both of your state's Senators (contact info below). Attach a brief note that includes your name and address, why this issue is important to you, and that you'd like a written response. Ask them to insist on a restoration of benefits to legal immigrants and other needed food stamp reforms. Urge them to communicate these needs to the Senate Agriculture Committee Chair, Tom Harkin. Your Senators' contact info, quickly, by zip code: http://www.congress.org The editorial from the Washington Post, Short Shrift for Food Stamps: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/A22912-2001Aug16.html For More Information on Food Stamp Issues, visit: http://www.wrahc.org http://www.secondharvest.org _________________________________________________________________ (2) Welfare Reform: Five Years Later By Martina Gillis, Director of Coalition for Ethical Welfare Reform August 22, 2001 marked the five-year anniversary of welfare reform, "ending welfare as we know it," as President Clinton then said. The new policy has been touted a success by politicians and the media. Welfare caseloads are at a historic low. Thousands of welfare receipts are now working. But we can't forget the real face of welfare: women, mothers, workers, survivors and most importantly, children. Women and their children represent the vast majority of people on welfare. To really understand the impact of welfare reform, we can't simply count the numbers. We must look at the quality of life of people on welfare. Have we reduced poverty at the same rate as our caseloads? Are food lines shorter? Are our families better off after welfare reform? The answer is "no, no and no". Mothers on welfare often have to choose whether to pay for housing, utilities, childcare or food. Since reform was enacted, emergency food assistance programs across the country have seen a 76 percent increase in requests. While caseloads have been cut by an average of 50 percent, there's only been a two percent decrease in poverty. Keep in mind these numbers are from the economic boom years. The day-to-day face of reform is women are being forced into low-wage, service-sector jobs with few benefits and less job security. And if things are not easy for recipients in general, they are even more difficult for women. Remember, women typically only make 75 cents for every white man's dollar. African-American women make only 65 cents, and Latinas only 55 cents. Women of color face greater discrimination. Studies show that women of color are being diverted from the welfare rolls and sanctioned off welfare at much higher rates than white women. Research also shows white recipients receive more encouragement, more support and more direct assistance for childcare, education and training than women of color. Thus, white women are leaving the rolls at a rate higher due to employment. For example, my own personal experience as a welfare recipient was caseworkers would refer women of color to service-sector jobs paying minimum wage while my white counterparts were referred to office jobs paying $10 per hour. We must stop and ask ourselves why this bias exists and what can be done about it. Federal welfare legislation must be reauthorizated by October 1, 2002. Congress has a real opportunity to eliminate poverty and increase the standard of living for poor families. Congress must stop welfare time limits for women working in low wage jobs; in education or training programs; in caring for their young children or overcoming domestic violence. Congress must also boldly address racism and sex discrimination that is destroying the potential of an entire class. This capitalist society must invest in human capital, if we are to survive. [Editor's Note: This commentary was produced for TomPaine.com by Steven Rosenfeld. A version of this commentary first appeared in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. ] For additional information, please visit: Grass Roots Organizing for Welfare Leadership (GROWL): http://ctwo.org/growl A study on families going off of welfare: http://ctwo.org/growl/archive/012101wsws.html Welfare Information, an extremely comprehensive site: http://www.welfareinfo.org ________________________________________________________________________ (3) George Washington Univ. TO CLOSE! During D.C. World Bank Protests Source- Jason Boeck, Sarasota Alliance for Safe Foods George Washington University will close during the D.C. World Bank protests at the end of Sept., so as to prevent its dorms from being used to host protesters. 5000 students are being told to leave the campus for one week. GW may offer some assistance to locate housing for students. (see: http://www.gwu.edu/imf.html ) What happened to "freedom of assembly" and "free speech". If we don't wake up soon and loudly oppose this kind of assault, what's left of the Bill of Rights will soon be completely destroyed. During the BioDevastation 2000 Conference in Boston, the FBI pressured the Northeastern University Administration to withdraw from its agreement to host this peaceful, academic assembly of dissenting scientists and social critics of biotechnology. It took vigorous efforts by the Boston office of the American Civil Liberties Union to block the NU officials attempt to back out and force them to abide by its commitment to provide school meeting rooms and auditoria for the conference. And now this! 5000 students exiled from Campus! What about low income and foreign students? Are they expected to buy a plane ticket home, or should they just live in a homeless shelter for one week? Call officials at George Washington University and demand that they reverse this outrageous decision. Tell them that they must not succumb to the hysteria and fear mongering being generated by the Washington DC police and federal "security" officials. Tell them that GW University will be held in disrepute if they follow through with this assault, and that it would destroy any credibility the University may have as a center for study of democracy, civil rights, and politics in a free society. George Washington University Office of the President Phone: 202 994-6500 FAX: 202 994-0654 Mail: 2121 Eye Street NW Rice Hall 802 Washington DC 20052 http://www.gwu.edu George Washington Media Guide http://www.gwu.edu/~media/index.html Office of Media Relations http://www.gwu.edu/~media/contact.html Call us at (202) 994-6460 and ask for a member of GW Public Affairs. Director of Media Relations: Gretchen King (202) 994-6463 gking@gwu.edu Assistant Director of Media Relations: Bob Ludwig (202) 994-3566 bludwig@gwu.edu ________________________________________________________________________ INTERNATIONAL (4) Food is a Right, rules India's Supreme Court Summarized From an Article By J. Venkatesan in The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper NEW DELHI, AUG. 20. The Indian Supreme Court today maintained that it was the primary responsibility of the Central and State Governments to ensure that the foodgrains overflowing in FCI facilities reached the many starving people and not be wasted by being dumped in the sea or eaten by rats. The Court made this observation based on reports of starvation deaths though the Food Corporation of India facilities had stocks of over 50 million tons of foodgrains. At one point, the Bench observed that even if the foodgrains had to be given free, it should be done as no person should be deprived of food merely because he had no money. Attorney-General Soli J. Sorabjee termed it a "horrendous state of affairs" adding there was something radically wrong with the system and sought time from the court for formulation of a mechanism to provide food to the destitute. The discussion consisted mainly of identifying access to food as a human right. The petitioner raised three basic questions: "Does the right to life mean that people who are starving and who are too poor to buy foodgrains ought to be given foodgrains free of cost by the state from the surplus stock lying with the state particularly when it is reported that a large part of it is lying unused and rotting?" "Does not the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution include the right to food? Does not the right to food, which has been upheld by the apex court, imply that the state has a duty to provide food especially in the situations of drought to people who are drought-affected and are not in a position to purchase food?" The court was informed about the ineffective implementation of the food-for-work scheme. It was alleged that hardly 10 per cent of the total number of those who approached for work under the scheme, were allowed to work. Under the scheme, 50 per cent of wages were paid in foodgrains and the remaining in cash. Mr. Justice Hegde said in Orissa, the FCI godowns had more grain stocks than actually required by the State and yet people were dying of starvation. The court expressed unhappiness over the bureaucratic functioning of the FCI and the inaction of both the Central and State Governments to come to the rescue of the starving people. The Bench, which had earlier ordered notice to the Center and six States, said the court's anxiety was that the poor, destitute and weaker sections of society should not suffer from hunger and die from starvation. Mere schemes without implementation were of no use and what was important was that food should reach the needy, the Bench said. It adjourned the hearing till September 3 for passing interim directions. ________________________________________________________________________ (5) IMF "Rescue" Won't Help Latin America - op-ed and news brief Op-ed by Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of Center for Economic and Policy Research Fearing "contagion" of the type that spread financial panic from Asia to Russia to Brazil a few years ago, the IMF has offered a $15 billion credit to Brazil. In order to qualify, Brazil will have to cut another $2.5 billion from its budget, even as its economy is slowing and foreign investment is drying up. Argentina is also being forced to cut spending, despite being stuck in a recession for three years. Now Argentina is being put through the ringer to save its over-valued peso. Interest rates on government bonds have risen to 14 percent, and the government has borrowed $40 billion in a deal arranged by the IMF. For comparison, imagine our government borrowing $1.4 trillion (70 percent of our entire federal budget) in order to keep our own, overvalued dollar from falling. Throughout Latin America, the expertise of the IMF's mad scientists -- always standing by with more loans and unpleasant elixirs to swallow -- is falling into increasing disrepute. In fact, this is the great fear among the US foreign policy establishment right now: that Latin Americans will decide that Washington's cures are worse than any disease that they could catch on their own, and will go their own way. Their nightmare: First, a devaluation of the Argentine peso -- another failed showcase macro-economic experiment. Then Argentina defaults on, or has to renegotiate, its foreign debt. Read the rest of Mark Weisbrot's editorial at: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=3D11337 News Brief from IndyMedia.org: Roads Blocked, Workers Strike in Response To Budget Tightening The Argentine Government announced its new austerity budget at the end of July, in order to be able to continue to pay its foreign debt. Public workers and pensioners are to lose 13% of their salaries, in a plan proposed by President Fernando De la Rua and approved by the Argentine Senate on Monday. These measures came along with the tightening of the budget for the provinces, the shutting down of public offices and more severe control over tax collection. Thousands of demonstrators have convened in Buenos Aires and throughout the country against these new "Zero Deficit" laws. Thirty thousand students, public workers, the unemployed and other people participated in the massive protest in front of the presidential office in Plaza de Mayo (Buenos Aires) on August 8. Since 1991, Argentina's currency has been pegged to the US dollar, meaning that they have had to keep US$25 billion on reserve in order to prevent their currency from slipping. Currency devaluation would make it more difficult for Argentina to pay off its US$128 billion debt. Argentina is seeking billions of dollars of additional loans from the IMF to help it deal with the crisis. The austerity measures are meant to cut this year's expected US$1.5 billion national budget deficit. Read more about Argentina's reactions to the IMF's plans: http://www.indymedia.org ________________________________________________________________________ (6) Workers demonstrate against Privatization in Burkina Faso from UN Integrated Regional Information Network - August 17, 2001 More than 1,000 workers from 13 public companies took to the streets of Ouagadougou on Thursday in response to a call from their unions for a 24-hour strike against the government's decision to privatise their enterprises. Chanting slogans such as "No to the auctioning of the national heritage!", "Down with wildcat liberalisation!" and "Down with Bretton Woods injunctions!", the strikers marched to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security where they handed a message to Minister Alain Ludovic Tou. "In our message we repeated our opposition to privatisation," said Issobie Soulama, a member of the group of unions that called the strike. "We've seen the consequences of the first privatisations, which brought about sorrow, misery and death among workers." Throughout the country, main and branch offices of strategic companies such as the water and energy utilities were closed on Thursday as a result of the strike. Residents of Bobo Dioulasso - Burkina Faso's second largest city told IRIN by telephone that there was a massive mobilisation of workers there. However, water and electricity supplies were not interrupted since the companies hired workers to ensure a "minimum service". There were no immediate reports of violence or arrests after the Ouagadougou march. The unions want parliament to revoke a bill on the privatisation of the utilities, which it passed in July. However, in a declaration on Wednesday, the government reiterated "its firm will" to pursue economic reforms, including the privatization programme which it started in 1991. It said it could not stop the reforms in midair. The government considers its privatisation programme a success. Since 1991, it says, it has received some 12 billion CFA (US $16 million) from the sale of state companies, and was able to save some 4,000 jobs. Workers, on the other hand, say more than 4,000 workers lost their jobs in the first wave of privatisations. In June a government audit of public companies showed that 20 had financial deficits, the highest being the state fuel-distribution utility, with seven billion CFA (US $9.3 million). ________________________________________________________________________ (7) Alternatives to Neoliberal Globalization: Towards a World Social Alliance by the First International Encuentro of Social Movements In August 2001, two hundred and seventy members of international civil society's social networks, from thirty-nine countries across the globe, convened to discuss the building of alternatives to neoliberal globalization. The process furthered at this First International Encuentro of Social Movements, and the proposal of a world social alliance that emerged, are vital and dynamic assertions of the one "No!" (to neoliberalism) and many "Yes-es!" (numerous expressions of liberatory practice) that are being articulated powerfully by global civil society. This process of convergence of the international social movements will continue through ongoing discussion and at the Second Encuentro this January at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The following are the main highlights from the First Encuentro's call to action: We are calling on all social organizations, networks and movements in the world: 1. - To mobilize ourselves and to support each other at various gatherings of international action. (listed on the website- see below) 2. - To organize, in all the counties of the American continent, a popular consulta during the year 2002 (possibly in October), so that the people can decide on the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (ALCA), by plebiscite. 3.- To continue promoting the World Social Forum as a space for interchange and coordination, and to hold the Second International Encuentro of Social Movements during the next World Social Forum, which will take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil once again, at the end of January, 2002. 4. - To participate in this emerging process of reflection and discussion as part of the building of a new world social alliance. This proposed alliance is to be understood not as a new international structure or apparatus, but as a growing process of convergence of agendas, alternatives and actions, diverse and multi-sector, horizontal and flexible, not as an organizational formula, but as an expression of a need which has arisen from below. For more information, please visit: http://www.movimientos.org ### Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxil2.aVxCnz Or send an email To: fianusa-news-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com This email was sent to: asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ From amittal at foodfirst.org Thu Sep 13 08:24:42 2001 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 23:24:42 +0000 Subject: [asia-apec 1800] As We Grieve Let's Not Forget That Violence Begets More Violence Message-ID: <0.700000824.746514498-212058698-1000337083@topica.com> Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy extends deepest condolences to those who lost family and loved ones in the terrible events of yesterday, and condemns the use of violence against innocent civilians. We want to remind ourselves and the national leaders, that retaliation with violence will only beget more violence. As we mourn, we urge everyone to remember that scapegoating a community, will only lead to more hatred and prejudice. We must not unleash violence on certain communities inside or outside of the USA to seek revenge for acts of few. As a social justice group, working for human rights around the world, Food First pledges renewed efforts to work towards peace, social and economic justice around the world. This is the only way to heal and end this cycle of mindless acts of violence. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxil2.aVxCnz Or send an email To: fianusa-news-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com This email was sent to: asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ From amittal at foodfirst.org Fri Sep 14 08:55:20 2001 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 23:55:20 +0000 Subject: [asia-apec 1801] Compassion Alert: Response to Terrorism Message-ID: <0.700000824.1290697624-738719082-1000425322@topica.com> Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy stands with the international community as we mourn a tragedy of unprecedented depth. We are devastated and horrified at the insanity and carnage. This was a Crime against Humanity, not an Act of War. A further crisis awaits us if we do not respond with sanity. While we deeply mourn the death and injuries of loved ones, the Bush administration is signalling that it will use this tragedy to strengthen and further intensify the Pentagon's war drive. Justice should be meted out to those responsible for this barbarism, but if America should attack anything, it should be the conditions of poverty, deprivation and racism that breed terrorists. It is the only true solution. September 11, 2001 should be remembered as the start of peace for future generations and not the beginning of war. Allow history to teach us that. The 1986 bombing raids on two Libyan cities, the bombing of a Baghdad neighborhood in 1993 in response to rumors of a planned assassination attempt on former President George H. Bush, and the air strike on a Sudanese Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant that provided most of Sudan's medicines, mistakenly believed to be a chemical weapons factory associated with Osama bin Laden, are three cases that should remind us of the mistake of hatred and vengeful retaliatory strikes. The politics of vengeance only fuel more terrorism. The tragedy of Septemeber 11, 2001 should not deviate America from its moral principles. There are several ways we can respond to these catastrophic events. First is to extend sympathy and compassion to the families and friends of those who perished or were injured at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Second, we must foster a global movement to challenge war, poverty and exploitation. Finally and always, we must build a world based on the foundation of human rights. This is an opportunity to forge a broader international coalition--bringing disparate nations together in a common determination to fight against all crimes against humanity, all violations of the rights of other human beings. Please join us in contacting our Congressional Representatives and Senators and let them know that as Americans we want peace. We want a world free of hatred and we want a world with freedom and justice for all. While the media polls are inciting drum beats of war, please let your Congress members know that we do not want retaliation which will lead to more blood shed and loss of innocent lives. We want a response that is just and humane. The first website will give contact info for specific senators and representatives. Just plug in a zip code. Thank you for taking action and please forward a copy of this to your friends and colleagues. http://www.congress.org/ The following two numbers will connect the caller with their representative or senator. United States Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121, http://www.senate.gov United States House of Representatives switchboard: (202) 224-3121, http://www.house.gov/ Proposed Messsage to your representative/senator. Dear Representative/Senator, I am calling to voice my opinion that the U.S. refrain from violent acts of retaliation. The unfortunate tragedy on Sept. 11 was a crime against humanity and not an act of war. I do not support any action by the U.S. military that would result in further loss of life or suffering of innocent civilians. I want a world free of hatred and I want a world with freedom and justice for all. There are several ways we can respond to these catastrophic events. First is to extend sympathy and compassion to the families and friends of those who perished or were injured at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Second, we must foster a global movement to challenge war, poverty and racism. Finally and always, we must build a world based on the foundation of human rights. This is an opportunity to forge a broader international coalition--bringing disparate nations together in a common determination to fight against all crimes against humanity, all violations of the rights of other human beings. Sincerely, Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxil2.aVxCnz Or send an email To: fianusa-news-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com This email was sent to: asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ From ircalb at swcp.com Sat Sep 15 05:05:20 2001 From: ircalb at swcp.com (Interhemispheric Resource Center) Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 14:05:20 -0600 Subject: [asia-apec 1802] International Crime, Not War Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.2.20010914135923.00a76ec0@swcp.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/asia-apec/attachments/20010914/b061ab42/attachment.html From notoapec at clear.net.nz Wed Sep 26 06:24:38 2001 From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (GATT Watchdog) Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 09:24:38 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 1803] Reflections on "Infinite Justice" - Azra Sayeed Message-ID: <002d01c14608$a1fed640$bc84a7cb@apecgrou> Please cross-post and repost this article from a comrade in Pakistan on other lists Thanks Aziz Choudry Reflections on 'Infinite Justice' By Azra Sayeed, Roots For Equity, Karachi, Pakistan sayeed_azra@hotmail.com Not more than a generation ago, the Pakistan Military had come to the rescue of the American Interest. The enemy at that time was the Soviet threat to 'world peace and democracy.' Now just 20 or some years later, we enter another such event, again under the leadership of a military rule. This time the war is on terrorists, ironically the same ones who had been in the last war termed as heroes by the Americans. It is well known that the 'Afghan War' had been fought by the American by creating the Mujahedin, the leaders representing Osama bin Laden and many of his type. Billion of dollars had been provided to the Mujahedin for training and supply of the latest weapons and warfare technologies, all done under the aegis of the United States CIA and the British MI6. According to Moran of MSNBC, the CIA had understood that Arabs may create a problem for later on, but at the moment they were serving their purposes in fighting the anti-Soviet war. Islamic militants from many Islamic states including Pakistan were bosom brothers of the Americans then, now the very same are terrorists wanted 'dead or alive'. The question, which we need to ask ourselves, is what did we 'gain' from 'hosting a war against the Afghans' especially so in the light of the fact that, shamefully, we are bent on doing it once again. That our country has been given no other choice (except of course being smashed into a time zone some four centuries back) is another matter. Are threats like these not terrorism? Maybe as a mere women from a 'backward barbaric' country, I am just too dumb and don't understand world politics and the diplomacy that captitalist patriarchs work out for our protection and long term prosperity. Is it not interesting that if you ask the common person he will blame the 'weaponization' of Pakistan on the Americans? As they were equipping the Mujahideen for fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, many of the weapons delivered reached hands of many in Pakistan. With violent repercussions for the Pakistani population. Of course. Weapons are for violence and no hands in the world are safe for their use. How come rules are written such that in the hand of our 'heroes' they are 'safe' and in the hands of 'terrorists' not so. But then in this rather confusing world how do we know who is 'the terrorist' of the moment? The same who were our 'Mujahideen brothers' just 20 year ago or so ago are now terrorists. Some fifty years ago the Japanese had to be 'taught a lesson' hence no less than nuclear bombs were used. So what if millions were killed then and generations to this day pay the price of their 'sins'. Maybe this is what 'infinite justice' means. What other thoughts come to the mind of a person who has lived in country in the aftermath of 'hosting a war'? The hundreds of homes that now bear the very visible wounds of a destroying demeaning evidence of drug addiction. The hopelessness, the misery, the fear, the weariness in the eyes of many many women who now live side by side with this filthy devil. In other words, drug trafficking was the poisonous fruit, which came along as a product of war in Afghanistan. Now there is just about no squatter settlement in this country, which does house this ever-present enemy. Women are afraid to walk those narrow dark alleys, scared of being pulled in used and sold of those who are lost to all sense and decency of human life. And what was the fate of the Afghani people on whom the war was waged? Pakistan housed four million Afghan refugees, the largest number of refugees to be housed by any country ever, at least according to CIA reports. A country already poor, with meager resources to feed its own, the burden was awesome. The result has been the presence of massive poverty and misery on the streets of our country. It has been a common sight for the past 20 years or so to see young Afghan boys scavenging garbage dumps looking for food and recyclable material so that they could earn some meagre sum to feed their stomachs and that of their families. What of the Afghani women? Not seen or heard, as usual the invisible presence but who cares. They are only worth mentioning as a victim of the 'fundamentalist Islamic faith'. Their daily existence is seldom mentioned or thought of. The Afghan people seeking refuge in any part of the world are facing not only the loss of a homeland, but fighting racist discrimination. Remember the Norwegian ship carrying 400 Afghan refugees seeking a refuge? Does anyone know what will be their plight after the New York and Washington DC tragedies? This no doubt reflects the plight of many other millions across the globe. And what of Pakistan? For us, off spring of the Afghan War are the Talibans and with them the tightening grip of fundamentalism in our country. What has this fundamentalism done to our children? Religious madrissas (seminaries) abound. It has now become common for children to be sent to these madrissas rather than school. Children have been the tools of these militant groups, taught to hate all that defy the narrow confines of religious purity as defined by them. One can only imagine the horrors awaiting us when these children turn into adults and start practicing what has been taught to them. Girls, even as young as six and seven year old, are made to wear hijab. Who knows what is in store for them? Though one can almost predict the wrath of the 'pious' will fall on their unprotected heads. We have become used to walking with our heads down, scurrying through our streets, ashamed to be seen, guilty of our very existence. Hatred towards women knows no bounds. All atrocities under the pious flag of religion and conservatism are practiced. Pakistan is constantly under criticism by the so-called civilized world for honor killings practiced widely in this country. Much of this is part and parcel of the values that have increased with fundamentalism. In the end, we are left facing the criticism of the 'civilized' North of our 'harsh, fundamentalist, backward' culture, but never any acknowledgement from them about their 'crowning role' in proliferation of these 'fundamentalist' practices. Any now once again our country has been forced to have a central place in a war that should never be fought. What will this new 'crusade' deliver? What will this 'new friendship' bring in its wake? What new weapons will be developed to bring 'infinite justice' by the hands and minds of the insane capitalist gods of our 'global village'. From amittal at foodfirst.org Sat Sep 29 09:22:12 2001 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2001 00:22:12 +0000 Subject: [asia-apec 1804] Match your Gift By Donating Through Working Assets Message-ID: <0.700000824.1460498161-212058698-1001722934@topica.com> Dear Subscriber, In August you received a Food Rights Watch e-mail informing you that if you decided to donate your tax rebate of either $300 or $600 to Food First via giveforchange, Working Assets would match your donation. Following the tragic events of September 11, Working Assets expanded raised the matching gift from 1 up to 1.5 million and opened the donations to any gift from $10 up to $1,000. This is an excellent way to double the impact of your tax-deductible gift to Food First to support our struggle against hunger and social and economic injustice. In the aftermath of these terrorist attacks, Food First’s work to change the underlying conditions of inequity that contribute to such hatred is more important than ever. To make your donation to Food First simply go to our web site www.foodfirst.org and push the donate now button. Thank you for your continued support! In Solidarity Anuradha Mittal Co Director For more information, to order Food First Books,or to join our member-supported organization, go to: http://www.foodfirst.org. Or send your tax-deductible check to: Food First, 398 60th St. Oakland, CA 94618 ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxil2.aVxCnz Or send an email To: fianusa-news-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com This email was sent to: asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================