Global Call to Action to Demand a New Economic System

Nov 18th, 2008 | By admin | Category: Trade and Labour Email This Post Email This Post

The Committee for Asian Women endorsed the following statement and support the actions of the initial endorser groups.

Urging all people’s movements, organizations, coalitions and networks worldwide to organize CITIZENS’ ACTIONS in the days leading up to and on November 15!

Enough! Never Again!


US President George Bush and other G8 leaders have called a summit of governments of 20 of the world’s biggest countries on November 15 to respond to the international financial crisis.

This summit is fundamentally flawed. It excludes many countries whose citizens will also suffer the impacts of the crisis and provides no space for the in-put of citizens groups, social movements, peoples organizations, and other civil society formations.
The swift and massive response of the governments of the richest countries to bail out the banks and financial institutions is in very stark contrast to their failure to respond decisively to the unabated crisis of poverty, marginalization and deprivation that has afflicted the majority of peoples of the world for so long. In a matter of weeks, these leaders committed more than one trillion US dollars of public funds to bail out private banks and private financial institutions. Twelve years of "debt relief" initiatives generated only slightly more than 100 billion dollars in debts cancelled, at severe cost to the "beneficiaries" who had to implement free market neoliberal policies as pre-condition.
The elite circle of government leaders behind the Summit only aim to stabilize the system while preserving its essential character. It is a system founded on concentration of wealth and economic control in the hands of a few, the unmitigated and irresponsible abuse of the earth’s resources, the exploitation of the toil and sweat of the many, and continuing and deepening impoverishment of the majority. The reforms being proposed include more bail outs and giving greater power and legitimation to institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank which bear a big part of the responsibility for this financial crisis well as the climate, food and energy crises. And once again people will be made to pay the bill.
There will be greater suffering for workers, farmers, ordinary employees, low-income families, women and children, pensioners, rural and urban poor communities, indigenous peoples and greater damage to climate and the environment unless an alternative path is taken now.
We say:
1. Never Again! There must be fundamental structural changes to transform the global economic and financial system so crises like this never happen again.
2. Enough! There must be global economic structures and policies that put peoples´ needs first, that respect and promote human rights and social and environmental justice, that ensure decent jobs, sustainable livelihoods, essential services such as health, education, housing, water and clean energy.
3. Democratize! Give people greater control over resources and the decisions that affect their lives .
ENOUGH! We will take no more. This system can be changed and must be changed.
We urge all social movements, peoples’ organizations, coalitions, networks and citizens formations world-wide to organize various forms of actions in the days leading up to and on November 15 itself.
Let this be the start of many more actions to fight for our rights and bring forth a new, just, equitable, democratic and sustainable global order.
Please confirm if you support this call and intend to organize mobilizations or join actions in the days leading up to and on November 15. Reply to this email to sign up as endorser or write to N15globalactionday@gmail.com .
Please send information on your plans also to N15globalactionday@gmail.com
Please circulate this Call to your members and partners. And please feel free to add your name to the list of endorsers when you circulate this Call.

Initial Endorsers:

INTERNATIONAL and REGIONAL NETWORKS and MOVEMENTS
Jubilee South
JS – Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JS-APMDD)
Jubileo Sur Americas
Africa Jubilee South
European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD)
CADTM International
African Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)
South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE)
Least Developed Countries Watch (LDC Watch)
Alternatives Asia
Focus on the Global South
Transnational Institute (TNI)
Programa de Incidencia sobre la Deuda Externa Ilegítima de la Federación Luterana Mundial (América Latina y el Caribe)
Hemispheric Social Alliance (Americas region)
European Marches against Unemployment, Insecure Labour and Social Exclusion


ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Equity and Justice Working Group, Bangladesh
Jatiyo Sramik Joti (Workers Alliance), Bangladesh
Indian Social Action Forum – INSAF, India
International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), Indonesia
Institute for Essential Services Reform, Indonesia
Koalisi Anti Utang (KAU), Indonesia
Institute for Global Justice (IGJ), Indonesia
Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN), Nepal
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), Philippines
Bukluran ng Manggawang Pilipino (Solidarity of Filipino Workers), Philippines

Sanlakas , Philippines
Kalayaan , Philippines
Alab Katipunan , Philippines
Jubilee Australia, Australia
Committee for Asian Women, Thailand

AFRICA
Economic Justice Network (EJN), South Africa
Coalition des Alternatives Africaines Dette et Developpement (CAD), Mali
Réseau pour le Développement Local et l’Autopromotion de la Femme , de l’Enfant et de la Famille (RDL/AFEF), Mali
Alliance contre la Pauvreté au Mali 3AP, Mali
Forum National sur la Dette et Pauvrete (FNDP), Ivory Coast
Reseau Ouest Africain pour les Alternatives Developpement (ROAD), Ivory Coast
Human Rights Defenders Network (HURIDEN), Nigeria
Labour, Health and Human Rights Development Centre, Nigeria
African Forum on Alternatives, Senegal
ARCADE, Senegal

LATIN AMERICA and the CARIBBEAN
Diálogo 2000, Argentina
Plateforme Haitienne de Plaidoyer pour un Developpement Alternatif (PAPDA), Haiti
Comite Ejecutivo Regional dela APC, Haiti
Corporación Mujeres y Economía – Jubileo Sur Colombia
Campaña en deuda con los Derechos, Colombia

Corporacion de Investigacion y Accion Social y Economica (CIASE), Colombia
Colombian Network against Free Trade Agreements (RECALCA), Colombia
CCOECOCEIBA – Friends of the Earth, Costa Rica
Jubilee Peru, Peru
Jubileo Sur México
Movimiento Mexicano de Afectados por las Presas (MAPDER), México
Red Mexicana de Acción Frente al Libre Comercio (RMALC)
Marea Creciente, México

EUROPE
Jubilee Debt Campaign UK
Debt and Development Coalition – Ireland
Campagna per la riforma della Banca mondiale, Italia
Hungarian Social Forum – Social Roundtable, Hungary

NORTH AMERICA
Jubilee USA Network, USA
Foreign Policy in Focus- Institute for Policy Studies, USA
Global Economy Project – IPS, USA
Global Exchange, USA

Individuals
Prof.Dr.Ilse Hanak, Salzburg

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