tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50635504820583720742024-03-04T21:08:26.096-08:00The European Civil Society Round-UpUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-82438962160630503082013-12-03T02:28:00.003-08:002013-12-03T02:28:54.390-08:00WTO Ministerial Conference: Steps for inclusiveness and sustainability?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeEwvokm6OhKbjgleqogtq2WqjBnBRYuWu_4JFYSY9ID_Ogsi6zoxjUHg5EJnUrpILXvKmZJo9xkKcxsJmvcGzYaw1Rqv38gPQXxhl3rZcuMQv3zleywmhlvrdmrno-7xN3SF9LkpLG0M/s1600/Bali_Logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeEwvokm6OhKbjgleqogtq2WqjBnBRYuWu_4JFYSY9ID_Ogsi6zoxjUHg5EJnUrpILXvKmZJo9xkKcxsJmvcGzYaw1Rqv38gPQXxhl3rZcuMQv3zleywmhlvrdmrno-7xN3SF9LkpLG0M/s200/Bali_Logo.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Trade<span lang="EN-GB"> Ministers of World Trade Organisation’s 159 Members are meeting these
days in Bali, Indonesia, in the organisation’s 9th Ministerial Conference.
After an announcement by WTO Director General, Roberto Azevêdo, that the
negotiations in Geneva were not fruitful, the Ministers are expected to
continue negotiating in three areas: on food security, LDC package and trade
facilitation even though a negotiating ministerial was not foreseen and many
delegations do not have their main negotiators in Bali. The International Trade
Union Confederation (ITUC) and its Global Unions partners published today a <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/global-unions-statement-of-14191" target="_blank"><b>statement</b></a> on the WTO Ministerial
Conference encouraging governments to only sign a deal that takes steps
towards the implementation of the developmental mandate of the Doha Development
Agenda, strengthens food security and assists the economies of Least Developed
Countries (LDCs).</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">“An agreement on agriculture that would protect governments’ power to
purchase food from farmers and enact food programmes will have great impact on
the most vulnerable of people – one billion of those depend on subsistence agricultural
activities” said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of ITUC. However, in
its current form, the so-called ‘peace clause’ would only be a temporary
measure, which is a prize too high in exchange for a binding Trade Facilitation
Agreement.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%;">The <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/global-unions-statement-of-14191" target="_blank"><b>Global Union Statement</b></a>
further calls WTO Members to conclude an ambitious agreement on development
considering the 88 proposals that appeared earlier in the negotiations to make
Special and Differential Treatment principles more operational and effective.
Such an agreement, together with a package for Least Developed Countries that
allows duty-free quota-free access to products and preferential treatment of
their services, would be significant steps to the implementation agenda of
Doha’s mandate. The global union movement and civil society have repeatedly
called for an agreement on the basis of an already-negotiated package of
policies for the LDCs.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%;">Agriculture, development and trade facilitation
are not the only issues discussed at Bali. The negotiations for an expanded
Information Technology Agreement (ITA-II) collapsed and no new date for the
restart of negotiations has been announced. However, the Ministers will most
probably discuss this issue and decide on the way forward. Earlier this year, a
broad coalition of trade unions and civil society organisations addressed a <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ita_-_sign_on_-_final_en-2.pdf" target="_blank"><b>letter</b></a> to the negotiating Members
of the ITA-II that warned developing countries of possible erosion of domestic
manufacturing and loss of growth potential in higher value-added segments of
information technology manufacturing. </span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-51667120378760131982013-11-26T08:22:00.000-08:002013-11-26T08:22:24.507-08:00Over 50 civil society groups propose Alternative Trade Mandate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2eEPjeus8nRgNf-oVzgPAD6S9xOmhj5y_sGmVEGGbKEZMzGgjAQFh6jLHDWaiA5WIEzRPK82Xs0LKlohDMcbB6YVgXJmDIabuXIx31IiQZWr5AIDrC4U3YIOslmrI300QqaPqcS1F1dU/s1600/ATM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2eEPjeus8nRgNf-oVzgPAD6S9xOmhj5y_sGmVEGGbKEZMzGgjAQFh6jLHDWaiA5WIEzRPK82Xs0LKlohDMcbB6YVgXJmDIabuXIx31IiQZWr5AIDrC4U3YIOslmrI300QqaPqcS1F1dU/s200/ATM.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today,<span lang="EN-GB"> a European alliance of over 50 civil society
organisations has launched the <a href="http://www.alternativetrademandate.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Trade-time_for_a_new_vision-PRINT.pdf" target="_blank"><b>Alternative Trade Mandate</b></a>, a proposal to make EU trade and investment policy work for
people and the planet, not just the profit interests of a few. The launch was
taking place as EU trade ministers and the European Commission are leaving for
the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations in Bali next week. “The current
trade and investment regime, imposed by the EU and the WTO, isn’t working.
Prising markets open for global agri-business is wiping out small farmers and
is a major cause of hunger. The deregulation of financial services through free
trade agreements impedes tough regulation of the financial sector, paving the
way for the next disastrous financial crisis. We need to break away from this
corporate driven agenda,” said Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian
parliament, who was in Brussels to support the launch of the Alternative Trade
Mandate.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The new 20-page mandate proposes that core
principles such as human and labour rights and environmental protection should
drive EU trade policy. On several areas, such as food, work, money and raw
materials, detailed proposals for change are outlined. One proposal is for the
EU to become more self-sufficient in protein and oil crops as alternatives to
imports of (genetically-modified) soybeans, palm oil and agro-fuels, which are
devastating for the environment and small farmers in the global south. The
mandate also calls on the EU to hold European corporations accountable for
human rights violations, environmental destruction, tax avoidance and tax
evasion elsewhere.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The mandate also proposes a new process for
initiating, negotiating and finalising trade and investment agreements, giving
national Parliaments and civil society a stronger role and thereby rolling back
policy-capture by big business.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">“EU trade deals are negotiated behind closed
doors in the interests of a few rich corporations. The people who are affected
by these deals have never been asked what they really need. We want an open and
democratic process, controlled by the people of Europe and their elected
representatives, rather than unelected technocrats and corporate lobby groups,”
said Pia Eberhardt from Corporate Europe Observatory, a member of the
Alternative Trade Mandate Alliance. The proposals outlined in the Alternative Trade
Mandate were developed in a four-year process, with public workshops held all
over Europe and which engaged a wide range of civil society groups from both
within and outside the EU.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">A <a href="http://www.alternativetrademandate.org/news/2013/05/atm-democracy-consultation-outcome-paper/" target="_blank"><b>seriesof papers</b></a> with more detailed proposals on several pressing issues
accompanies the main text. The proposals will form the basis of an EU-wide
campaign to make trade and investment work for people and the environment,
which will first focus on the European elections next May, asking parliamentary
candidates to pledge support for the Alternative Trade Mandate. “At a time of
multiple global crises, the European Parliament needs MEPs who will stand up
for trade rules that work for people and the planet. We need MEPs who will
bring trade deals out of the shadows and into the light. We call on MEP
candidates to stand up for democratic trade and investment rules that serve
people, the economy and the environment at large – not just the profit
interests of a few,” said Amélie Canonne, co-ordinator of the Alternative Trade
Mandate Alliance.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">● Find more <a href="http://www.alternativetrademandate.org/" target="_blank">>>> here</a>.</span></b></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-85775269545167589452013-11-13T01:10:00.001-08:002013-11-13T01:10:49.288-08:00NGO Newsflash<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Please find more news in our section NGO Newsflash on the right bar or <a href="http://www.world-economy-and-development.org/wekonkret/index.php" target="_blank">>>> here</a>.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-4224198307689260552013-07-20T08:37:00.000-07:002013-07-20T08:37:28.111-07:00G20 Labour and Finance Ministers: Change of tone or will policy action follow? <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>DE-LU</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmJuVRzXm80i8a3mTIUOGBdRIV2Vow7Ptu8-0Lcwqm9rHs-BJKruX5r6TVWDy_UVEzn0LeldtjrxS0hJgvYRvqhSAdxW_oO4KTVOe29d0a-Q8u7pebGvkK7dxmlyflZA5jJnbL798Qbu7/s1600/G20_Russia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmJuVRzXm80i8a3mTIUOGBdRIV2Vow7Ptu8-0Lcwqm9rHs-BJKruX5r6TVWDy_UVEzn0LeldtjrxS0hJgvYRvqhSAdxW_oO4KTVOe29d0a-Q8u7pebGvkK7dxmlyflZA5jJnbL798Qbu7/s1600/G20_Russia.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">International unions welcomed the <a href="http://en.g20russia.ru/load/781652947" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">statements</b></a> of G20 Labour and Finance
Ministers following their first joint meeting in Moscow but warned the crisis
of unemployment and inequality has reached critical levels and requires an
urgent action plan to drive investment and create jobs. According to Sharan
Burrow, General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation, the
shared concern about the worsening jobs outlook voiced by both Labour and
Finance Ministers should be a warning to G20 Leaders meeting in St. Petersburg
in September to deliver a plan for investment and job creation. Over 200
million unemployed, growth forecasts down, families struggling to put food on
the table with low wages, yet there is no sense of urgency amongst our leaders.
“G20 leaders must acknowledge the urgent need to take action to address rising
unemployment and inequality,” said Sharan Burrow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">“Year after year the social and economic
situation for working people has deteriorated; however, government
policies of the G20 countries are failing. Having Labour and
Finance Ministers meet is a first step to getting them to work together towards
policy coherence and should be continued under the Australian Presidency of the
G20,” said John Evans, General Secretary, TUAC. “Rising unemployment and
inequality are unacceptable. The downgrade of growth forecasts for G20
economies and the decrease in income-led demand is withering our economies. We
therefore need a clearer commitment to a Jobs and Investment Plan into green,
inclusive, fair and sustainable growth, with macroeconomic changes away from
austerity towards demand-enhancing policies,” said John Evans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">“While the failed policies of austerity have
attacked fundamental labour market policies, G20 Labour and Finance Ministers
have recognised for the first time that implementing labour market and social
investment policies that support aggregate demand and reduce inequality with
social protection, a minimum wage and national collective bargaining systems
will support economic growth and employment. Yet in reality too many
structural policies by national governments contradict this,” said Mr Evans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">While Labour Ministers showed support for
aggregate demand to drive economies, Finance Ministers do not recognise
people-centred recovery, which shows that much more is needed to achieve real
coordination of policy. The Labour Ministers’ communiqué makes progress on
monitoring commitments – which is absent from the joint communiqué, as well. “The
world needs an effective G20 with a commitment to people not just financial
markets. The hope of working people and their families lies in rebuilding trust
– this requires jobs. Success lies with economies where strong employment, fair
wages and social protection drive growth,” said Sharan Burrow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-11999090854063259822013-07-13T03:49:00.002-07:002013-07-13T03:57:28.799-07:00EU banking structure reform is overhyped<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>DE-LU</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8_E-1KY5Kgq3EkZsI8TmzvKDBiMuZUDaLRhrJ-UMZxEXdr75eg_Amg8CgwPZV-7Guy6nhqwxcBiluOLrUqy-ZiyWD3kLHBQupkBO2aw-BZjMb_PWnrGH6eQu3Y49wfF4Z8hJz42-6cj1/s1600/EZB__Frankfurt_80310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8_E-1KY5Kgq3EkZsI8TmzvKDBiMuZUDaLRhrJ-UMZxEXdr75eg_Amg8CgwPZV-7Guy6nhqwxcBiluOLrUqy-ZiyWD3kLHBQupkBO2aw-BZjMb_PWnrGH6eQu3Y49wfF4Z8hJz42-6cj1/s200/EZB__Frankfurt_80310.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Hamburg based World Future Council (WFC) responded to the public
consultation on a reform of the structure of the EU banking sector.</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Key messages of the WFC response in brief:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">● The separation of banking activities cannot efficiently cope with severe
problems like high leverage and excessive risk taking. It can only flank and
should not neglect effective measures such as <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">debt brakes for the financial sector</span>, a preventive testing of
financial innovations <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">(finance TÜV)</span>
and a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">scalable financial transaction
tax</span> to slow down systemically risky volatility.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">● There is neither evidence nor plausibility that the reduction of
intra-group subsidies through separating deposits from trading activities will
lead to shrinkage of the financial sector. Banks refinance themselves
primarily, if not solely, through lending activities within the financial
sector. Pro-cyclical and opaque credit intermediation chains and overly complex
financial innovations make appropriate risk premiums impossible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">● Possible shifts to non-bank finance must not serve as an excuse for
weak bank regulation but rather be integrated within an overall approach. This
is exactly the purpose of debt brakes for the financial sector, a finance TÜV
and a scalable financial transaction tax.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">● In view of the limited impact of ring-fencing or separating banking
activities as such, full ownership separation such as in the Glass Steagall Act
of 1933 is the clearest approach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Please find the complete response <a href="http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/nachhaltige_wirtschaft.html" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">>>>here</b></a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-84206085951047772002013-03-08T03:59:00.000-08:002013-03-08T04:02:43.447-08:00US spending cuts will hit also the South<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jXbYLjQBO2ciu62dDX5MiwkZZcVzCnfkWzPffEb9FmHf-3yAlJQCou9mQ-EtWvqOoXRNKVyxzCsAVqxm3iJ2VzW_aAVe3ZquXAKNGtmAuBP84Goa2HiKWQ6J-AXvGesHrcvEaf2rZLSy/s1600/US_Wirtschaft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jXbYLjQBO2ciu62dDX5MiwkZZcVzCnfkWzPffEb9FmHf-3yAlJQCou9mQ-EtWvqOoXRNKVyxzCsAVqxm3iJ2VzW_aAVe3ZquXAKNGtmAuBP84Goa2HiKWQ6J-AXvGesHrcvEaf2rZLSy/s1600/US_Wirtschaft.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">The government spending cuts in the United States as
the President and Congress fail to reach a deal </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">will be felt not only by Americans but also
the developing countries. This comes at a bad time as the rich economies are
already on a downward path. Last week, the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development, the group of 34 rich countries, said that the
gross domestic product of its members fell by an annual rate of 0.6% in the
last quarter of 2012. The European Commission, meanwhile, predicted that the
Euro-zone economies would contract by 0.3% this year, which could prove to be
optimistic given the recent political uncertainties in Italy. The spending cuts
in the US would add to the contractionary trend in the rich countries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">The continuously
weakening of the Western economies will have adverse effects on exports,
tourism, workers’ remittances and incomes in developing countries. There is
another and more direct dimension to the “sequestration” on the developing
world. The government’s spending cuts will affect the budget for aid given to
poor countries and to development programmes such as provision of medicines and
food, according to a report by the Inter Press Service (IPS).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">The new
secretary of state, John Kerry, revealed that the State Department and its aid
agency USAID, would have to cut US$2.6bil (RM8bil) from their 2013 budget. The
cuts would include $200m from humanitarian assistance and $400m from global
health programmes. For example, the US would reduce its contribution to the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by $300m this year, meaning
there will be less medicine donated to poor countries. Kerry has written to
Congress stating that this reduction would reduce the United States’ ability to
provide food assistance to two million people and USAID would have to cease,
reduce, or not initiate assistance to millions of disaster affected people, and
would “gravely impede” efforts at reducing AIDS-related and child deaths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">The IPS
report also quoted Jeremy Kadden of InterAction (an alliance of NGOs aiding
developing countries) as saying: “These cuts will cost lives. We’ve made very
significant progress over the past 10 years, with real people improving their
lives, and this would set that process back enormously, devastating actual
people on the ground.” He estimated that the budget cuts would lead to some
three million children losing access to the basic education they currently
receive; two million people would suffer reductions in or stop receiving food
aid, while 600,000 children would lose nutrition assistance. Unlike in the
United Kingdom, where the Cameron government decided not to cut its aid budget
despite huge slashing of the overall government budget, there is no exemption
for overseas spending in the US sequestration exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">The poor
in America will also be affected. About 600,000 low-income women and children
will stop receiving food aid. Also affected in the $26bn cut in domestic
programmes are health, education, drug enforcement, national parks and
Hurricane Sandy relief. Low-income families will also be affected by a cut in
public housing subsidies, which could hurt about 125,000 poor families,
according to <i>The Guardian</i>. The National Institutes of Health, which will
suffer a 5% budget cut, is cancelling hundreds of research grants. Another $16bn
in mandatory spending will be cut, including in medicare, agriculture
programmes and unemployment benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">* Excerpt
of the weekly ‘Global Trends’ column of Martin Khor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">>>> here</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span><br /></span><br /></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-23549428391188281512013-03-03T04:26:00.001-08:002013-03-03T04:27:41.791-08:00The Big 10: Behind the Brands campaign<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLaQOrsCBGNDO79nyNetTc6wcFSvje5JEDPcGoL6NE16YZKokbb1BYYHx7zZ38kKQ8Gdh0f8LRmES_W3rGfk2GCbLzAk_EAAldTgqz0Gq4RPY5xD6t9hUTsIJ2zOqd6PjxMoYz9hfYe7x/s1600/Behind_the_brands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLaQOrsCBGNDO79nyNetTc6wcFSvje5JEDPcGoL6NE16YZKokbb1BYYHx7zZ38kKQ8Gdh0f8LRmES_W3rGfk2GCbLzAk_EAAldTgqz0Gq4RPY5xD6t9hUTsIJ2zOqd6PjxMoYz9hfYe7x/s200/Behind_the_brands.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The social and environmental policies of the world’s ten biggest food and
beverage giants are not fit for modern purpose and need a major shake-up, says
international agency Oxfam. The “Big 10” food and beverage companies – that
together make $1bn a day – are failing millions of people in developing
countries who supply land, labour, water and commodities needed to make their
products. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.oxfam.de/sites/www.oxfam.de/files/bp166-behind-brands-260213-embargo-en.pdf" target="_blank">Behind the Brands</a></b> – part
of Oxfam’s GROW campaign to fix the broken food system – for the first time
ranks the agricultural policies, public commitments and supply chain oversight
of Associated British Foods (ABF), Coca Cola, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg’s,
Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé, Pepsico and Unilever. <br />
<br />
ABF (19%), Kellogg’s (23%) and General Mills (23%) scored most poorly. They
have weaker policies than Coca-Cola (41%), Unilever (49%) and Nestle (54%) for
example. “Some companies recognize the business case for sustainability and
have made important commitments that deserve praise” says Jeremy Hobbs,
Executive Director for Oxfam International. “But none of the ten biggest food
and beverage companies are moving fast enough to turn around a 100-year legacy
of relying on cheap land and labour to make mass products at huge profits, with
unacceptably high social and environmental costs. No company emerges with a
good overall score. Across the board all ten companies need to do much more. ” <br />
<br />
The Behind the Brands campaign reveals: <br />
● While some of the “Big 10” have publicly committed to women’s rights, none
have committed to eliminating discrimination against women throughout their
supply chains. <br />
● None of the companies have adequate policies to protect local communities
from land and water grabs, despite all of them sourcing commodities plagued by
land rights violations, such as palm oil, soy and sugar. Not one company has
declared ‘zero tolerance’ against land grabs in their supply chains <br />
● All ten companies are overly secretive about their agricultural supply
chains, making their claims of ‘sustainability’ and ‘social responsibility’
difficult to verify. Nestle and Unilever are most open about the countries they
source from, but no company is providing enough information about their
suppliers. <br />
● Companies are generally increasing their overall water efficiency but most
have failed to put policies in place to limit their impact on local water
sources. Only Pepsi has publicly recognized water as a human right and
committed to consult local communities. Nestle has developed guidelines for its
suppliers to manage water and was ranked top for policies on water. <br />
● All of the companies have taken steps to reduce direct emissions, but only
five – Mondelez, Danone, Unilever, Coca-Cola and Mars – publicly report on
agricultural emissions associated with their products. Unilever alone has
committed to halve its greenhouse gas footprint by 2020. None have yet
developed policies to help farmers in their supply chains to build resilience
to climate change. <br />
● None have publicly committed to pay a fair price to farmers or fair business
arrangements with them across all agricultural operations. Only Unilever –
which is top-ranked for its dealings with small-scale farmers – has specific
supplier guidelines to address some key issues faced by farmers. <br />
<br />
According to Oxfam, it’s time these companies take more responsibility for
their immense influence on poor people’s lives. 80% of the world’s hungry
people work in food production and these companies employ millions of people in
developing countries to grow their ingredients. They control hundreds of the
world’s most popular brands and have the economic, social and political clout
to make a real and lasting difference to the world’s poor and hungry. “Analyzing
their social policies is an important first step. These policies indicate a
company’s intent to do good. They are ultimately how consumers and producers
can begin to hold them to account. No brand is too big to listen to its
customers. If enough people urge the big food companies to do what is right,
they have no choice but to listen. By contacting companies on Twitter and
Facebook, or signing a petition to their CEO, consumers can do their part to
help bring lasting change in our broken food system by showing companies their
customers expect them to operate responsibly.” <br />
<br />
The ‘Behind the Brands’ campaign has been launched in more than 12 countries
including the US, Mexico, China, Brazil and across Europe. Its first public
action will target Nestle, Mondelez and Mars for their failure to address
inequality faced by women who grow cocoa for their chocolate products. Oxfam is
urging the three companies to do more to know and show how women are treated in
their supply chains, create an action plan to address inequality for women in
their supply chains and engage in advocacy to influence other powerful actors
to do the same. <br />
<br />
Oxfam has engaged with all 10 companies during the last year who have
cooperated in providing data to inform this scorecard. The scorecard will be
updated if companies change their policies. Oxfam rated the companies on their
policies on seven topics: how they ensure the rights of the workers and farmers
who grow their ingredients, how they protect women’s rights, management of land
and water use, climate change and the transparency of their supply chains,
policies and operations. It did not review other important policies such as
those dealing with nutrition, tax and waste, for example. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<strong>>>> More information about the campaign </strong><a href="http://www.oxfam.org/en/grow/campaigns/behind-brands" target="_blank"><strong>>>> here</strong></a><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>>>> Download of the study </strong><a href="http://www.oxfam.de/sites/www.oxfam.de/files/bp166-behind-brands-260213-embargo-en.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>>>> here</strong></a><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-19042589623430037062013-03-01T04:09:00.000-08:002013-03-01T04:11:08.129-08:00European perspective on post-2015 goals<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_32ZTpkM40_zAjjLLPJonFWEvu2nGjcWmorO71__ve2sxhPYjqqKARcYUbwufNCYnKI76N3h3gmFP8jwNYxjEoBfa32LpZxCviuyjAtqzQNitQGx3oMSzJ3yT_3fsPsYHSFq2RGLa3uhj/s1600/EU_Fahne_s_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_32ZTpkM40_zAjjLLPJonFWEvu2nGjcWmorO71__ve2sxhPYjqqKARcYUbwufNCYnKI76N3h3gmFP8jwNYxjEoBfa32LpZxCviuyjAtqzQNitQGx3oMSzJ3yT_3fsPsYHSFq2RGLa3uhj/s200/EU_Fahne_s_w.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The European Commission has published a
Communication this week, proposing a change to the EU’s global poverty strategy
after 2015 by integrating environmental sustainability and poverty eradication
efforts into a single agenda. With the Communication, entitled </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://europa.eu/newsroom/calendar/event/425094/%E2%80%9Ca-decent-life-for-all-by-2030%E2%80%9D-ending-poverty-and-giving-the-world-a-sustainable-future" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">A decent life for all: Ending poverty and giving the world a sustainable future</span></span></a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, the Commission is reclaiming a role in the ongoing debate
aiming at a new generation of development goals for the time after 2015 when
the MDGs expire. The document should ensure a unified EU positions in the
negociations.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">However, after the recent cuts in the
development budget of the block NGOs remain sceptical. For CONCORD, the
European confederation of Relief and Development NGOs, representing over 1,800
NGOs to the European institutions, the EU is </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">is right to recognize that
development and environmental sustainability are two sides of the same coin.
Yet </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">CONCORD Director, Olivier Consolo</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> can find only few
new proposals for “how we’ll actually achieve sustainable development that
benefits everyone and especially the extremely poor”. “</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Commission also wants an
agenda whose goals apply globally, not just to developing countries, which is
welcome” says CONCORD. “</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">However more clarity is needed on what changes the EU
and richer countries would have to make themselves to fulfil this agenda.” CONCORD
believes the Communication is extremely light on accountability mechanisms to
ensure leaders and countries fulfil their commitments. The poverty and
sustainability challenges set out in the Communication need to be met with real
commitment to the changes needed if the EU wants to be taken seriously by the
international community. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In September 2013,
a UN special event will take stock of the efforts made towards achieving the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), discuss ways to accelerate progress until
2015 and start exchanges on what could follow after the MDG target year of
2015. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked the UN High Level Panel on the
post-2015 development agenda to which European Commissioner for Development
Andris Piebalgs is a member, to prepare a special report, to be presented by
the end of May. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-88912816835370309172013-02-07T03:51:00.002-08:002013-02-07T03:51:57.659-08:00EU budget talks in Brussels: Aid under threat<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2ZKghdSVYzBL9O3piTs5Nuei5NnYaldtFy1qkzsgv84OvztnIP2nqI98_h3uMwO_AXHqrjPqtIflUKHqthuZ90rXM-n4ai6Oq5FdwIDIRQLbX-L2nLF_aDmmBgXdizd9Bfo8MaWhZF2D/s1600/Euroscheine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2ZKghdSVYzBL9O3piTs5Nuei5NnYaldtFy1qkzsgv84OvztnIP2nqI98_h3uMwO_AXHqrjPqtIflUKHqthuZ90rXM-n4ai6Oq5FdwIDIRQLbX-L2nLF_aDmmBgXdizd9Bfo8MaWhZF2D/s200/Euroscheine.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today and
tomorrow, EU leaders meet in Brussels to decide the EU budget for 2014-2020,
including the proposed €51bn of EU development aid to the world’s poorest.
According to NGOs like BOND or ONE, EU aid works. Between 2004 and 2009, it
helped enrol more than 9 million children in primary education, vaccinate 5.5
million children against measles, and connect more than 31 million people to
clean water. If the proposed €51bn EU aid budget is adopted, in the next 7
years 15 million more children could be enrolled in school, 9 million more
could be vaccinated and 51 million more people could be connected to clean
water. But proposals for European aid are under serious threat. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the
last summit in November, proposed development assistance to the world’s poorest
was slashed by €6.1bn. And some leaders want to make even deeper cuts that
could take funds below current spending levels. Ahead of this week’s critical
talks, ONE members from all over Europe have been rallying to ask European
leaders to protect lifesaving EU aid at the proposed levels. In the next step
of its </span><a href="http://www.one.org/c/international/actnow/4455/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lifesaver
campaign</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, ONE estimated that it would cost just 3 euro cents (or 2 pence)
per week, per EU citizen to reverse proposed cuts to aid for the poorest. ONE
members have therefore decided to make their small change count! In the UK,
over 2000 ONE members have asked for </span><a href="http://www.one.org/c/international/actnow/4573/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">postcards</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to send
their 2 pence to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to protect proposals
for lifesaving EU aid in the budget negotiations. In Germany, ONE members have
sent </span><a href="http://www.one.org/de/blog/2013/01/25/haste-mal-3-cent-dann-schick-sie-doch-an-kanzlerin-merkel/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">postcards</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
to Chancellor Angela Merkel, adding their 3 cents. In Brussels, the team
collected by hand over 230 postcards for President of the European Council,
Herman Van Rompuy including </span><a href="http://www.one.org/international/blog/making-change-count/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">around 60
Brussels-based interns and young professionals who came to our meet-up</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> last
week. In France, as part of the French version of ONE’s Lifesaver campaign, </span><a href="http://www.one.org/c/fr/focus/4523/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“sauveteur du siècle”</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, ONE
members have mailed more than 500 </span><a href="http://www.one.org/c/fr/agir/4581/?akid=3654.1884908.ysSExT&rd=1&t=1"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">postcards</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
to President François Hollande, urging him to make sure that, in Winter sales
season, EU leaders don’t try to make savings on the back of the world’s
poorest.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
parallel, ONE also estimated </span><a href="http://one.org.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/ONE_EUCO_MFF_briefing_25Jan2013.pdf"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">how
much it would cost each government per year to reverse the cuts to the proposed
€51bn for EU aid.</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> For Germany that’s €174m, for the UK €113m and for France
€154m – peanuts compared to overall annual government spending. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-53418636424007060152012-11-20T07:01:00.000-08:002012-11-20T07:01:05.341-08:00EU: Balancing books on the backs of the poor<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX1rwQ_yJT41gk0ZHro7cYbtbsrbQNezGUrhMbA7_Ae532Cfb1vc6oG8a-mbF4_eTPUe5o4jGrppLFgD-z7Au-iFV3ATMSpTHKXM7MRdizZ68ELXaqRnrXFc4G-rM7j7e_goRuOd8K6Ib/s1600/EU-Flagge-mit-Menschen.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX1rwQ_yJT41gk0ZHro7cYbtbsrbQNezGUrhMbA7_Ae532Cfb1vc6oG8a-mbF4_eTPUe5o4jGrppLFgD-z7Au-iFV3ATMSpTHKXM7MRdizZ68ELXaqRnrXFc4G-rM7j7e_goRuOd8K6Ib/s1600/EU-Flagge-mit-Menschen.GIF" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Leading NGOs call on EU leaders to protect EU development
aid against short-sighted cuts ahead of this week’s special EU Budget summit. Cuts
tabled last week disproportionately target EU development and humanitarian aid,
a clear attempt to balance the EU’s books on the backs of the world’s poor. The
latest negotiating paper being considered by EU governments to agree the EU
budget 2014-2020 calls for aid cuts of up to €10.6 billion, compared to the
proposals by the EU Commission & EU Parliament. Most affected would be the
European Development Fund (EDF), the largest part of the EU aid budget that targets
African countries. The EDF is facing a cut of 11% or €3.335billion while the
overall cut is 7%.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">In their attempts to reach agreement on the next 7-year
EU budget, EU member states must preserve EU aid, a smart investment that
represents just 6% of the overall budget, according to Concord, Oxfam
International, Plan and ONE. In just six years, EU aid has made a lasting
difference in the lives of millions and helped them out of poverty: 50 million
people were stopped from being hungry, more than nine million children have
enrolled in primary education, more than five million have been vaccinated
against measles and more than 31 million people have been connected to drinking
water. The positive results and effectiveness of EU aid have been cited by many
independent reports. Reviews by institutions including the Center for Global Development
and Brookings Institution, and the OECD have also ranked EU aid highly. Publish
What You Fund’s 2012 Aid Transparency Index ranked the European Commission’s DG
Development and Cooperation (DG DEVCO) 5th out of 72 aid organisations across
43 indicators.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Support for EU aid remains strong among European
citizens. The results of a Eurobarometer survey released in October show that
85% of EU citizens believe that Europe should continue helping developing
countries despite the economic crisis, while almost two thirds believe that aid
to developing countries should be increased. It is telling that this support
remains strong in Greece, Spain and Ireland – the European countries most
affected by the crisis.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">According to a <a href="http://one.org.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/The_effects_of_EU_aid_on_receiving_and_sending_countries_Report.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>report</strong></span></a>
published last week by the Overseas Development Institute, the National
Institute of Economic and Social Research and ONE, looking at the economic
impact of EU aid on donor and recipient countries, EU aid will also more than
pay for itself by 2020. The research shows that as well as boosting GDP in
sub-Saharan Africa and globally, EU taxpayers would recoup the funds for the
world’s poorest with a 20% return on investment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-28189053140057105852012-10-31T04:10:00.000-07:002012-10-31T04:10:33.412-07:00World Social Forum 2013 in Tunis<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7fip-3Wgg9OXoTKhUMhcxIVaNUaKpPXjgiBfNf7yl18lTXu2ug2WWhMpSI9jbyPqYQdO9DCH5OBKU7iWUU0NUQCQw8zczJaHDxqzKExey1fTugyrvc8mQTA7scxUvL7QP3yLS8foWHOD/s1600/WSF_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7fip-3Wgg9OXoTKhUMhcxIVaNUaKpPXjgiBfNf7yl18lTXu2ug2WWhMpSI9jbyPqYQdO9DCH5OBKU7iWUU0NUQCQw8zczJaHDxqzKExey1fTugyrvc8mQTA7scxUvL7QP3yLS8foWHOD/s200/WSF_2013.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The World Social Forum 2013 (WSF 2013) will take place in Tunis from the
26 to 30 March. Its <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.fsm2013.org/en" target="_blank">website</a></b> was
launched on 15 October, and that kicked off the registration process for
organizations and for proposals of activities. In the Tunisian Secretariat
members of the WSF 2013 are listed the two focal point of Social Watch in that
country: the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) and the Tunisian
Association of Democratic Women (ATFD). This decision on the venue was taken by
the WSF International Council in Paris, and confirmed last July in Monastir,
Tunisia, after several consultations among social movements from this country
and others from the other North African countries.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The ATFD, the LTHD, the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), the
Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), Raid-Attac, the Tunisian
Union of Unemployed University Graduates, the Association of Tunisian Women for
Research and Development (AFTURD), the National Council for Liberties in
Tunisia (CNLT) and the Tunisian Bar make up the Tunisian Secretariat of the WSF
2013. The Secretariat was deployed to prepare the Monastir meeting, to start
negotiations with the Tunisian authorities, to make efforts to involve new
social movements, and to broaden the process in thematic as well as in
geographical terms, despite the ongoing difficulties in Tunisia and in the
whole Maghreb and Machrek region barely two years after the events that have
shaken the region, remarked the Maghrebian Social Forum's Steering Committee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The WSF 2013 Tunisian Secretariat has set up a number of commissions
which have been working for several months and presented its plan, later
endorsed by the Maghrebian Social Forum's Steering Committee, and which is the
following :<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 15 October: Launching of the WSF 2013 website and of the registration
process for organizations and proposals of activities;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 1 December: End of the phase dedicated to proposals of activities, and
publication of the proposals, including the contacts to get in touch with their
promoters;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 2-15 January 2013: Merging process;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 16-31 January: Registration of the demands for assemblies and
distribution of the rooms and spaces;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 1-28 February: Production of the final program and translation into
the main WSF working languages;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 1-20 March: Logistical setting up, printing of the program and
organization of the WSF physical space;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 26-30 March: Worls Social Forum 2013;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 30 March: Closing March;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">● 31 March-1 April: Meeting of the WSF International Council in Tunis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Maghrebian Social Forum's Steering Committee and the WSF 2013
Tunisian Secretariat are inviting movements, unions, organizations and groups
of activists of civil society from Tunisia, from the Maghreb, from the Machrek,
from all Africa, from the Mediterranean region and from around the world to
make a success of the 12th World Social Forum. “As in previous forums, the WSF
2013 will enable encounters between all the women and the men who fight, in
their communities and their basic activities, against the neoliberal management
of economy, the financial markets' diktats, social fragmentation, and who
struggle to build democracy, equality for all, solidarity, justice and peace,
to protect the environment and commons,” said the Maghrebian Social Forum’s
Steering Committee in its statement. “To make the WSF 2013 a success, we call
all social movements to participate, together, in the setting up of the
process, to contribute to the internationalization of the preparatory
commissions (methodology, logistics, finances, communication, mobilization,
youth, women, culture...). More particularly, we call on you to seek the human
and financial means that will foster the broadest participation in the WSF,”
added the Committee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The WSF 2013 will have an “extended” form, which means that it will
allow civil society organizations, networks and movements that wish to do so to
actively participate in the WSF 2013 wherever they will be in the world, and
whatever the size of the delegation they can send to Tunis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.fsm2013.org/en" target="_blank">>>> Website of WSF 2013</a></span></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-67395794910644699072012-10-16T02:37:00.000-07:002012-10-16T02:37:14.000-07:00After the IMF meeting: The trade union view<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnGrR-t4Io4UEz0usqzpANytyzE1rMFgNUQoTFofDTn8PjwcN9fZgqP1IxyokgfmAxNDTTmKxARNt7I3Vv6Z41UQ1s3GOvEWlJKY-iwLK_k99VBnZwDWuCakPz9MlKfrTRiPnLEudD1JP/s1600/Jahrestagung_Tokio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnGrR-t4Io4UEz0usqzpANytyzE1rMFgNUQoTFofDTn8PjwcN9fZgqP1IxyokgfmAxNDTTmKxARNt7I3Vv6Z41UQ1s3GOvEWlJKY-iwLK_k99VBnZwDWuCakPz9MlKfrTRiPnLEudD1JP/s200/Jahrestagung_Tokio.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
According to Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC) the recent annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank
confirmed what the ITUC and trade unions around the world have been saying for
more than two years: The idea that you can create ‘growth through austerity’ is
an illusion that has destroyed million of people’s livelihoods. “The IMF should
use the important findings it made public this week and support a jobs- and
income-led growth strategy, not let a few countries or its partners in the
European ‘troika’ dictate a continuation of austerity policies.”<br />
<br />
Before the 12-14 October meetings opened in Tokyo, the IMF’s chief economist
revealed that the Fund had seriously underestimated the impact of
budget-cutting austerity measures on national economies, apparently due to
using an incorrect “multiplier” in their economic models. However the final <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2012/pr12391.htm" target="_blank">communiqué of the IMF’s ministerial committee</a></b> (IMFC) asserted that only emerging-market economies, not
industrialized countries, should “use policy flexibility [to] support growth”,
even though ten European economies are expected to be in recession in 2012. “It
is incomprehensible for the IMFC to tell Europe to pursue structural adjustment
and fiscal austerity, even though it is in recession, while only countries that
are already enjoying growth are encouraged to support pro-growth policies. It
seems evident that this totally incoherent approach came from some
industrialized-country governments that have obviously not learned the lessons
of the IMF’s research revisions,” said Burrow.<br />
<br />
Burrow also praised the G24 group of emerging and developing countries at the
international financial institutions for drawing appropriate conclusions from
the World Bank’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?contentMDK=23044836&theSitePK=8258025&piPK=8258412&pagePK=8258258" target="_blank">World Development Report (WDR) 2013</a></b> on the theme of employment. The G24 stated in a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/cm/2012/101112.htm" target="_blank">communiqué</a></b> issued at the Tokyo
meetings: “We note the finding of the World Bank’s recent World Development
Report that a focus on jobs is the most effective means to reduce poverty,
empower people, and promote social cohesion.” According to Burrow the World
Bank and IMF should re-examine all of their policies through the ‘jobs lens’ as
the WDR proposes. “We also agree with the G24 that it is unacceptable that
governments have missed the deadline for the 2010 quota reform by not ratifying
in sufficient number a modest shift of some votes at the IMF to emerging
economies. The G24 also made important suggestions, which we share, about the
need for the IFIs to do more to combat commodity price volatility, especially
in light of the recent food price hike which will drive millions more people in
developing countries into extreme poverty.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-92147878223355300932012-10-02T09:11:00.002-07:002012-10-02T09:11:48.044-07:00Europe’s engagement with civil society: Policy inconsistencies<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaVAejVf5qfpXu1Rk9MbFRzq-2v0NUdkn7C51wzo_rHvkq1YHEqk01DatLbPzTo9FXcVKOp-C-4JVr5TmVvyXCJLXfdgoX7whaNRyDl8sDNQI23Aa8se2aulmcyh3XMGcCHjlMaQ0WNb-/s1600/EU_Fahne_s_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaVAejVf5qfpXu1Rk9MbFRzq-2v0NUdkn7C51wzo_rHvkq1YHEqk01DatLbPzTo9FXcVKOp-C-4JVr5TmVvyXCJLXfdgoX7whaNRyDl8sDNQI23Aa8se2aulmcyh3XMGcCHjlMaQ0WNb-/s200/EU_Fahne_s_w.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The European Commission recently published a new communication
aiming to set out a more strategic engagement with civil society organisations
(CSOs). Entitled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0492:FIN:EN:PDF" target="_blank">The Roots of Democracyand Sustainable Development; Europe’s Engagement with Civil Society in External Relations</a></b>, the communication draws on a “structured dialogue – for an
efficient partnership in development” with CSOs as well as a public
consultation undertaken earlier this year. The Communication credits civil
society as being ‘an asset in itself’ and a great contributor for bringing
about development outputs. However, as Frauke de Weijerin of the European
Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) notes, the Communication fails
to explain how the new strategic engagement with CSOs will actually translate
into practice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Although it emphasises the importance of civil society
at country level, the Communication is unclear as to how it plans to engage
with CSOs, particularly those with who it is less familiar, such as faith-based
organizations, unions or even social movements from these countries. For CSOs
to be eligible for inclusion in policy dialogue the Commission wants them to be
‘accountable and transparent and share its fundamental values’. However, as
Weijerin argues, the ‘full spectrum of perspectives’ must be brought on board
in order for the development policy to be broadly owned by society. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A 2008 </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/how/evaluation/evaluation_reports/2008/1259_docs_en.htm" target="_blank"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: windowtext; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">evaluation of EC aid delivery through civil societyorganizations</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> found an
inconsistency between the Commission’s policy objectives and the actual use of
the civil society channel. For example, it noted an inability of the Commission
to mobilise the CSO potential in governance related processes and a tendency to
utilise European NGOs at the expense of local civil society organisations. Additionally,
the evaluation noted the existence of an institutional culture within the
Commission which is not conducive to the proper engagement of CSOs – mainly due
to limited political backing from the top. While institutional changes have
been made since the evaluation was undertaken and it is hoped that the new communication
will provide the necessary push to remove the barriers to a proper engagement with
civil society, according to the EuroStep network.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-22448399188818245052012-09-26T02:44:00.000-07:002012-09-26T02:44:15.373-07:00EU reducing biofuel target?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjBG2vLl96ZnuAkrdAl7x2x1MmlrBEjH-qQnHx9Hxig1IERyfa3YYbKNvcIYrFQ8VGWeG-PMplYZGrt_jUcdP03Dyhs9DYckW-kUn_wzxPqcD5iCt_bBGZfwkPm37eiC-E2PexXLs7b9P/s1600/biofuel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjBG2vLl96ZnuAkrdAl7x2x1MmlrBEjH-qQnHx9Hxig1IERyfa3YYbKNvcIYrFQ8VGWeG-PMplYZGrt_jUcdP03Dyhs9DYckW-kUn_wzxPqcD5iCt_bBGZfwkPm37eiC-E2PexXLs7b9P/s1600/biofuel2.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Commission announced a proposal last week to
reduce biofuel mandates to 5% by 2020, revising the controversial target of 10%
of fuel transport to come from renewable sources by 2020. The 10% target was
primarily envisaged as being met from biofuels. While recognising this was a
step forward, aid agency Oxfam is calling on EU leaders to completely scrape
the target. “The EU must recognise the devastating impact its biofuel policies
are having on the poorest people through surging food prices, worsening hunger
and contributing to climate change”, said Barbara Stocking, Oxfam’s chief
executive.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Introduced in 2009 in an attempt to fight climate
change, biofuel targets have increasingly become controversial as this resulted
land being used to produce biofuel in place of food, impacting on supplies of
food and contributing to increasing food prices. International Land Coalition
estimates that around two-thirds of all large-scale land deals around the world
in the past 10 years have been acquisitions in order to grow biofuel. Many such
deals have displaced local communities with claims on the land or have involved
laying claim to water rights. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">“Europe has helped spark a global rush for biofuels that
is forcing poor families from their homes, while big business piles up the
profits. Biofuels were meant to make transport greener, but European
governments are pouring consumers' money down the drain, whilst depriving
millions of people of food, land and water,” said Natalia Alonso, Head of
Oxfam’s EU Office. According to Oxfam, in 2008 €3bn was spent in the EU on
incentives for biofuel production, levels comparable to the cuts agreed in the
Greek bailout mechanism earlier this year. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Oxfam’s alarm bell
comes in the context of an informal energy ministers’ meeting in Cyprus last
week where European Energy Commissioner Oettinger recognised the fact that the
current EU policy had lead to “unfavourable developments such as the tearing
down of rainforest to produce biofuel”. The ministers agree that anything over
the 5% cap should be achieved without using food crops, but Oxfam calls the 5%
cap itself ridiculous. “At this moment the biofuel use in the EU is only at 4.5%.
So the new cap of 5% is actually an increase of what we’re using at the
moment”, says Ruth Kelly, Oxfam’s economic policy advisor. The land used for
growing the crops for biofuels in 2008, could have fed 127 million people
according to Oxfam calculations revealed in its last week report, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp161-the-hunger-grains-170912-en.pdf" target="_blank">The Hunger Grains</a></b>.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-34698393479041373842012-09-06T08:04:00.001-07:002012-09-06T08:07:12.204-07:00Norway: First creditor ever to carry out a debt audit<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On 15 August 2012 the Norwegian Minister of
Development Heikki Holmås announced that Norway will make an assessment of the
legitimacy of developing countries’ debt to Norway. This means that the
Norwegian government will be the first to ever carry out a creditor’s debt
audit. Since being elected in 2009, the Norwegian government has promised to
carry out a debt audit, as well as working to establish binding guidelines for
responsible lending. Now Holmås promised that the audit will now be launched,
to be followed up with new and stronger guidelines for responsible lending. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Norwegian government has </span><a href="http://eurodad.org/302/"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">previously
admitted their responsibility as a creditor</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> for dirty debts attached
to a particular set of loans for developing countries to buy Norwegian ships.
In 2006 the government announced that they would cancel debts for seven
countries because the original loans had been a “development policy failure”. The
Norwegian Coalition for Debt Cancellation (SLUG) has done its own investigation
of debts owed to Norway. </span><a href="http://eurodad.org/4128/"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The research reveals</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> that a part of
Indonesia’s current debt to Norway is clearly illegitimate. SLUG shows that the
people of Indonesia is still paying for a wave power plant that was never
built, and failed technology for sea monitoring systems.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Norwegian initiatives have led to the
establishment of international principles for responsible lending and borrowing
in the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The principles will be
applied in the Norwegian debt audit. In April, the UK government unsuccessfully
tried to stop UNCTAD working on responsible lending and borrowing principles. Jostein
Hole Kobbeltvedt, Eurodad representative at the UNCTAD expert group on
responsible sovereign borrowing and lending, said: <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“To apply the UNCTAD Principles in the Norwegian debt audit is a solid
way of showing that the Norwegian government takes the Principles seriously and
that they take their responsibility as a creditor seriously.” </span>Development
Minister Holmås announced that the plan is for the audit to be concluded within
a year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">* For more information </span><a href="http://eurodad.org/1543427/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">>>> here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. </span></strong></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-72920614622339195502012-08-31T01:00:00.004-07:002012-08-31T01:00:51.109-07:00Advocacy week on EU-Arabic relations in Brussels
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A “Week of advocacy on policies and issues of
cooperation and partnership between the European Union and Arab countries”,
arranged by the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) in cooperation with
Eurostep and CNCD-11.11.11, will engage civil society organizations from both
regions. The meetings between 17 to 21 September in Brussels are to see
exchanges also between Arab representatives and European policy makers on
issues of common concern. It will serve as an opportunity to deepen the
discussions on the outlined issues, clarify the demands and propositions from
civil society groups, and elaborate on ways of cooperation and possible
collective campaigning on priority policy areas. It will also be an opportunity
to articulate these demands to policy makers at the European Union level,
including in the European Parliament and European Commission, remarked the ANND
in a press release.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Arab region has been witnessing a period of
change and quest for new societal relations between the citizen and the state,
based on respect of fundamental freedoms, rights, dignity, and rule of law.
Along the multiplicity of factors including political repressions, corruption,
and lack of accountability and legitimacy of Arab regimes, the peoples’
uprisings and revolutions in multiple Arab countries have reflected a failure
of social and economic policies, according to the Network. Indeed, citizens are
calling for a new development paradigm, which re-enforces the right to
development and economic and social rights and justice. Accordingly, the
democratic process and practice in the region necessitates revising the
approach to the economic and social policies and policy making, aligned with
reforms of political systems and enhancing the role of civil society, observed
the ANND.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These changes in the Arab countries necessitate
a re-thinking of priorities and policy approaches in the cooperation and
partnerships with the European Union, on various fronts whether political,
economic, social, and cultural. One of the main challenges to be addressed is
seeking coherence among the various levels of cooperation between the EU and
Arab countries, specifically among the development cooperation and the economic
partnership, including the trade and investment relations. Furthermore, the
region witnesses have swept across the whole Arab region, including the
Maghreb, Mashreq, and Gulf countries, thus requiring a holistic approach in the
revision of the relation between the EU and the various Arab countries. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-style: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Find more information
</span><a href="http://bit.ly/PqfvKi" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">>>> here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></em></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-26469608025546626022012-08-15T10:40:00.000-07:002012-08-15T10:40:35.707-07:00The Drought and the Coming Food Price Bubble<iframe width="400" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iq6Ng638Ejw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-17744305367951743362012-06-20T03:06:00.002-07:002012-06-20T03:06:48.793-07:00Environment and development at Rio+20: Splitting them up again?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JAncoUY99JmM8X0bAcUhSGbXzg6bEkDjSp9m_6uTf0ug7-KNcuqk4zXo7W7NuBgkAfP3Ub1MWmyfHR9kgsOl5N-1Ym-TqY2fBOG3931R9lf495J9_28KeoiQ1_udKbvDf9ku7UhWAZzA/s1600/2_Rio+20_Logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JAncoUY99JmM8X0bAcUhSGbXzg6bEkDjSp9m_6uTf0ug7-KNcuqk4zXo7W7NuBgkAfP3Ub1MWmyfHR9kgsOl5N-1Ym-TqY2fBOG3931R9lf495J9_28KeoiQ1_udKbvDf9ku7UhWAZzA/s1600/2_Rio+20_Logo.JPG" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Rio+20 Summit will fail if it
agrees to current proposals, which risk worsening the divide between
environment and development efforts, warned anti-poverty and environmental
campaigners. Agreement on Sustainable Development Goals is expected to be one
of the major outcomes from the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, which
starts on 20 June in Rio de Janeiro. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The UN has already begun to
deliberate on the post 2015 global development framework, starting with a
review of lessons learnt from the existing Millennium Development Goals and
options for after they expire in 2015. The current proposal on the table in Rio
would effectively create a second process for global goals in the post-2015
period. A separate process focused on the environment will not provide the
solution urgently needed to end poverty and inequality while protecting the
planet, said international agency Oxfam and the international campaigns, Beyond
2015 and the Global Campaign against Poverty (GCAP).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Ending poverty and protecting the
environment are inextricably linked and cannot be addressed in isolation. The
current proposals are a recipe for <span style="color: black;">diluted
commitment, duplicated effort, and dispersed focus,” </span>said Antonio Hill
of Oxfam. “The world’s poorest people, who still suffer a lack of quality
healthcare and education, are also denied their fair share of water, land and
clean air. Poor people will be the first to lose out if Rio+20 fails to aim for
one set of goals for one planet. We need a single guiding framework whose
purpose is to end poverty and restore the living world that sustains us all. “<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The groups believe that commitment
in Rio to a single process that brings together the Sustainable Development
Goals and the post-2015 development framework could represent a landmark
agreement to eradicate poverty and ensure prosperity for all by sharing the
Earth’s limited resources. But the move could fail if this integration does not
happen from the start. The groups also warn that the success of any future
goals hinge on the progress made towards ending poverty through the Millennium
Development Goals. “Governments in Rio are re-arranging the deck chairs on the
Titanic while 1.4 billion people still live in poverty, in a daily struggle for
food, water and energy. For these people environment and development are not
separate choices. We need a race to deliver the existing Millennium Development
goals, and a single framework to succeed them,” said Rajiv Joshi from GCAP.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-31845466456228382502012-06-13T08:55:00.000-07:002012-06-13T08:55:17.737-07:00Civil Society Reflection Group seeks post-2015 agenda<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE-3lfwtEEZA18YBRLCtQ1QsDk8p6ErOGuPxoc8KXVZQlZu5psxrM5VkjM5Z1_0H6Z_Il9MnjobqHERBo9wgvbSPxPcJ4Rc3dXChoiJ6rdBySwLsutDSITUpkBo0GH4z8pc63pzHqkTWR/s1600/Reflection_Group.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE-3lfwtEEZA18YBRLCtQ1QsDk8p6ErOGuPxoc8KXVZQlZu5psxrM5VkjM5Z1_0H6Z_Il9MnjobqHERBo9wgvbSPxPcJ4Rc3dXChoiJ6rdBySwLsutDSITUpkBo0GH4z8pc63pzHqkTWR/s320/Reflection_Group.JPG" width="217" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On the eve of the United Nations
conference in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20), 18 leading civil society activists and
scholars from around the globe proposed concrete measures to effectively
overcome the obstacles that prevent the world population to achieve a real
sustainable development that enhances social equality and protects the
environment. In its report, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.dhf.uu.se/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dd59_web_optimised_single.pdf" target="_blank">No FutureWithout Justice</a></b>, the Civil Society Reflection Group on Global Development
Perspectives “describes the root causes of the multiple crises” that suffers
the planet, “reconfirms the framework of universal principles and rights,
reconsiders development goals and indicators, and draws conclusions for the
post-2015 development agenda.”<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The text “seeks to stimulate
debates about alternative development paths, participatory and inclusive
governance structures, and the transformation in politics and societies that
future justice for all will require,” reads a statement launched by the Group,
comprised of members of Social Watch, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, terre des
hommes, Third World Network, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, DAWN and the Global
Policy Forum. “Governments failed to bring their policies into line with the
agreed principles of sustainability and human rights. Instead, policies are
still too often sectorally fragmented and misguided, with an overreliance on
economic growth and self-regulation of the ‘markets’. New concepts like ‘green
growth’ are, at best, attempts to treat the symptoms of the problems without
tackling their root causes,” warns the Group.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“All too often, national and
international policies have not aimed at reducing inequalities,” summarizes the
statement. “The dedication to stimulating economic growth has provided the
incentive to exploit nature, rely on the use of fossil fuels and deplete biodiversity,
undermining the provision of essential services. Women, especially the poor,
continue to suffer from social and economic discrimination and in many places
are deprived of their bodily, reproductive and sexual rights. Biodiversity and
the bounty of nature, while cherished, are not respected, protected or valued.
Communities and populations that seek to live in harmony with nature find their
rights ignored and their livelihoods and cultures jeopardized.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“We have exceeded the ecological
limits and ignore the planetary boundaries. With the climate change threat we
are already living on borrowed time. However, we refuse to cut back on
emissions and allocate the scarce resources to those who have not yet
benefitted from their exploitation,” warned the Reflection Group. The activists
and experts propose “fundamental changes at three levels”: (1) “changes in the
mindset, the guiding concepts and indicators of development and progress”; (2) “changes
in fiscal and regulatory policies at national, regional and international
levels in order to effectively overcome social inequalities and the degradation
of nature and to strengthen sustainable economies”, and (3) “changes in
institutions and governance mechanisms at national, regional and international
levels.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“To date, a holistic approach of
sustainability has not been adopted for action. It is necessary to redefine,
for public policy and public life, the concepts of development and well-being,
along with their content, their metrics and their strategies,” adds the Group
and remarks that “every concept of development, well-being and progress in
societies is based on a set of fundamental principles and values” that “are
rooted deeply in our cultures, our ideologies and our belief systems.” In that
sense, it proposes a “set of eight principles as the foundation for a new
sustainability rights framework”, that “are interconnected and must not be
applied in isolation” and “should build the cornerstones of a universal
sustainability rights framework”. They are the “solidarity principle”, the “’Do
no harm’ principle”, the “principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities”, the “’polluter pays’ principle”, the “precautionary
principle”, the “subsidiarity principle”, the “principle of free, prior and
informed consent”, and the “principle of peaceful dispute settlement”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The statement also refers to
“fundamental values, which are also essential to international relations,” some
of them included in the Millennium Declaration, such as “freedom, equality,
diversity and respect for nature”. But most of the governments “have mostly
failed to translate them into enforceable, guaranteed obligations and specific
policies.” The document postulates “a framework for global sustainability
goals”, with a preliminary list that is the “result of a joint brainstorming
exercise of Reflection Group members”. It is made up by six “core goals”:
“dignity and human rights for all”, “promoting equality and justice”, “respect
for nature and the planetary boundaries”, “building peace through disarmament”,
“fostering fair and resilient financial systems”, and “strengthening democratic
and participatory governance”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-56896628591378252392012-06-12T04:32:00.000-07:002012-06-12T04:32:06.827-07:00G20 must tackle hunger by fighting its roots causes<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIwaWHnVBCxyyaZlD-Ax6f8KA6wodCFOuUjDwJOrjybBCEc8WpIsPPsv0ACDVHWSXSPpOGDo0n_sX9_fo2bwaGHSM22ng9Aokha9NJTvLr_JmsXdlEdTcZE6GDaU3bUOA24uRBwBG7o7x/s1600/G20_Mexiko_pr%C3%A4s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIwaWHnVBCxyyaZlD-Ax6f8KA6wodCFOuUjDwJOrjybBCEc8WpIsPPsv0ACDVHWSXSPpOGDo0n_sX9_fo2bwaGHSM22ng9Aokha9NJTvLr_JmsXdlEdTcZE6GDaU3bUOA24uRBwBG7o7x/s1600/G20_Mexiko_pr%C3%A4s.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Caritas-CIDSE G20 Network of Catholic agencies says making sure all
people have access to appropriate food must be the priority for the leaders of
G20 economies as they meet 18-19 June in Mexico. </span></strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">There are 925
million people in the world without enough to eat. About 300 children die from
malnutrition every hour while one in four children is stunted, and in developing
countries that figure rises to one in three. Yet we produce more than enough
food globally to feed everyone. The Caritas-CIDSE G20 Network says reducing
inequality and promoting sustainable development must be at the heart of the
G20s plans to address food insecurity in the short, medium and long term.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Caritas Internationalis Secretary General
Michel Roy said, “Hunger is not inevitable. It must be tackled by fighting its
structural causes, primarily by promoting sustainable agricultural development of
poor countries.” CIDSE Secretary General Bernd Nilles said, “The Mexican G20
has a real opportunity to show leadership on the issue of food security by
ensuring better regulation of markets, strengthening of local food production
and creating better access to markets for small-holder farmers. The G20 also
have a particular responsibility to lead the fight against global poverty,
since more than half of the world's poorest people live in G20 countries.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Caritas-CIDSE G20 Network calls on the G20 to
live up to the promises they made in Seoul in 2010. The Caritas-CIDSE G20
Network says increasing food production alone will fail without addressing the
problems of access and distribution by building food reserves, curbing
speculation in commodities´ markets and introducing social protection schemes. The
G20 must act on the financial markets where under-regulated speculation is
increasing food prices that are harming the poor. Tackling this problem
requires greater intervention by public authorities, including at a global
level, to rein in speculation, improve supervision of and increase transparency
of markets. Emergency reserves and buffer stocks are needed in the poorest
countries to protect the most vulnerable and stabilise market prices. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Caritas-CIDSE G20 Network is a Network of
180 Catholic agencies working in collaboration to advocate at the G20 for the
most vulnerable in our world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-58446824627183307342012-05-07T03:15:00.001-07:002012-05-07T03:15:34.085-07:00Business-as-usual won’t do at Rio+20 summit: New agenda needed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbc5u-rdaLh9kKQXfRT3nnPEz0C9BVWiTV8AlssyAKf6LKKeP0FbZVkYkTJHRPXOuGzLIfqKGHSqGIUoXdPhmoHwqN2c69P2znAzrAbCnAm0fWjNt5KoPvkZ515dXLZHm8TPDu49ME4q_J/s1600/2_Rio+20_Logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbc5u-rdaLh9kKQXfRT3nnPEz0C9BVWiTV8AlssyAKf6LKKeP0FbZVkYkTJHRPXOuGzLIfqKGHSqGIUoXdPhmoHwqN2c69P2znAzrAbCnAm0fWjNt5KoPvkZ515dXLZHm8TPDu49ME4q_J/s200/2_Rio+20_Logo.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A group of leading
international humanitarian, development, social justice, environmental, and
workers’ organizations warned last weekend that next month’s UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20) looks set to add almost nothing to global
efforts to deliver sustainable development. The group also warns that too many
governments are using or allowing the talks undermine established human rights
and agreed principles such as equity, precaution, and ‘polluter pays.’ </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The warning from Development Alternatives, Greenpeace,
the Forum of Brazilian NGOs and Social Movements for Environment and
Development (FBOMS), International Trades Union Confederation (ITUC), Oxfam,
the Slow Food Movement and Vitae Civilis comes at the end of two weeks of
negotiations between governments on the conference outcomes, with less than 50
days before the summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 - 22 June.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“After four months of talks on the so-called ‘zero
draft’ outcome document, the Rio+20 talks are stuck at zero. Little or nothing
has emerged that will deliver on what governments agreed was needed 20 years
ago at the Earth Summit,” said Antonio Hill of Oxfam. “The 1992 Earth Summit was
a milestone that united development and environment efforts. The challenge set
then – to provide prosperity for all without exceeding ecological limits – is
even more urgent today. Now’s the time to end deforestation, achieve high seas
protection, and deliver the energy revolution – that is a future worth
choosing,” said Daniel Mittler of Greenpeace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The group argues that the current financial crises,
growing inequalities, broken food system, global climate change and shrinking
natural resources require a new approach to economic development but the
current negotiating text offers just more of the same. Together with workers,
citizens, producers and consumers around the world, these organizations are
working to delivering well-being, economic equality, and a prosperity that
restores the natural environment upon which we all depend. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“We hear the voices of citizens everywhere
calling for a better future</span>. Millions of people are demanding their
rights and expecting fair and green solutions to poverty and suffering now. The
message is clear: it’s time to change course and put the future of people and
the planet first,” said Alison Tate of ITUC.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As a benchmark against which to assess what
governments achieve in Rio+20, the organisations have set out a 10-point agenda
for the global transformation urgently needed to deliver sustainable
development. They jointly call on governments to:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>1. Agree an ambitious set of global goals for
sustainable development</b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, designed to
eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and realise justice and human rights
while respecting the finite limits of Earth’s natural resources.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">2. Provide new and additional resources</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> for sustainable development, including innovative
sources of public finance such as financial transaction taxes to tackle poverty
and climate change, and commit to far-reaching budget reforms, including
re-directing money from harmful subsidies towards sustainable fishing,
renewable energy access, and smallholder agriculture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">3. Enact reforms of the system of global governance</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> to ensure strong institutions with real power to
enforce international rules and commitments on environment and development, and
launch talks on a global treaty to realise rights of public access to
information, greater participation, and access to justice, in order to
strengthen accountability and citizen monitoring of environmental and
development performance at the national, regional, and global levels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">4. Commit to invest a share of national income</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> in green and decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods,
ensuring social equity, gender equality, trade union rights, democracy, and a
just transition from today’s economies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">5. Establish a universal Social Protection Floor</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> to realize human rights and support decent living
standards worldwide, including allocating resources to establish an adequate
level of social protection in the least developed countries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">6. Agree a plan to move quickly towards sustainable
patterns of production</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and
consumption, including greater investment in small- and medium-scale
enterprises, producer cooperatives, and informal sectors, as well as public
procurement policies and incentives for fair and green products and services.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">7. Agree a global framework of rules to strengthen
corporate reporting</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> on social and
environmental impacts worldwide, consistent with the Rio Principles, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and encompassing the full range of impacts
associated with corporate activities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">8. Kick-off a major shift towards adequate,
nutritious, and healthy food</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> for all,
including policies and investments to support small farms, women producers, and
secure access to (and protection of) the water, land, soils, biodiversity, and
other resources upon which our food security depends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">9. Take decisive action to recover healthy, productive
and sustainable oceans</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> – launch a new
agreement to protect high seas marine life under the UN Convention on the Law
of the Sea, and take steps to reverse over-exploitation, enable sustainable,
marine-based livelihoods, and guarantee abundant marine life for the future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">10. Provide fair and lasting energy solutions that put
poor people first</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and help cut
greenhouse gas pollution, including new financial and technical support to
developing countries that focuses on providing the full range of energy
services needed to help pull people out of poverty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-82443992621049152982012-04-25T04:29:00.001-07:002012-04-25T04:29:55.256-07:00NGOs call on EU to keep its development commitments ahead of Rio+20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9Z9tZRRwviCO_qB5y9hyGMuTg5zAyPwOpkhP1WDTbbSpHiADtI3Zm5WQhZikaOyvkg_4rsWDOhNou3nzFjJhyphenhyphenGWHb1DbP1CFR1LKSFRtev8wofUHvrSLYmj8rmn0NkJGGrEZPZ9Pw6xI/s1600/2_Rio+20_Logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9Z9tZRRwviCO_qB5y9hyGMuTg5zAyPwOpkhP1WDTbbSpHiADtI3Zm5WQhZikaOyvkg_4rsWDOhNou3nzFjJhyphenhyphenGWHb1DbP1CFR1LKSFRtev8wofUHvrSLYmj8rmn0NkJGGrEZPZ9Pw6xI/s1600/2_Rio+20_Logo.JPG" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With just a few weeks to go until the UN Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20) will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Eurostep in
collaboration with ANND, Social Watch, Third World Network and ALOP have called
on the EU not to shy away from its commitments to a global sustainable
development agenda. In a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.eurostep.org/wcm/dmdocuments/LET_1230000_April_16.pdf">letter sent to EU officials</a></b> and member state representatives, the coalition points to a
move away from a rights-based approach to development during the conferences’
preparatory process, and avoidance of any discussion about the current
unsustainable consumption and production patterns in developed countries.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The letter points out that in the context of the massive Eurozone debt
crisis — which has been dominating the EU’s agenda — it is more important than
ever that the EU adheres to its core principles — including human rights and
equity. In the zero draft outcome document for Rio+20 on the other hand, some
UN members, including the EU, have weakened or even undermined these core
principles. “In such critical times, the focus of some actors is simply not
acceptable — whether that focus is on preserving short term and narrow
interests or on trying to dismantle the core pillars of the UN development
agenda to the detriment of wider and future populations”, they warn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">EU officials are urged to reaffirm key principles agreed on in previous
conferences regarding sustainable development. Most important is the principle
of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) among developed and
developing countries. This principle is being contested in the negotiations,
with developed countries trying to diminish their share in responsibilities, to
the detriment of developing countries. “Even though this principle is at the
core of the development and sustainable development agendas, it is crucial to
stress that while new countries have emerged as economic powers, developed
countries are historically responsible for the current state of the planet and
are still the greatest per capita emitters of CO2 emissions”, the letter
states. “Recognizing the CBDR principle is about acknowledging responsibility,
ensuring the realisation of the right to development, striving for more equity,
committing to differentiated targets for sustainable development and about
providing an enabling environment for developing countries in international
relations and assistance according to countries’ needs”, it continues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Eurostep and its partners call on the EU and its member states to spell
out — in the outcome document — certain rights, including the right to safe and
clean drinking water and sanitation, and to reiterate the EU’s core principle
to uphold and promote all human rights. “Human rights are legal guarantees that
contribute to people’s empowerment and improved equity and ensure equal
protection of people before the law; they are fundamental requirements for a
sustainable world. Given the EU’s laudable engagement on human rights, to
improve democracy, inclusiveness and participatory approaches and increase the
role of civil society organizations in decision making processes, we urge the
EU to listen to these pleas”, the letter concludes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These concerns have been echoed by a wide range of international actors
including civil society organisations and UN representatives. In an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/OpenLetterRio20.aspx" target="_blank">Open Letter</a></b>, 22 Human Rights Councils‘
independent experts called on all states negotiating the Rio+20 Outcome
Document “to incorporate universally agreed international human rights norms
and standards in the Outcome Document of the Rio+20 Summit with strong
accountability mechanism to ensure its implementation“.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE-LU;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/rightsatrisk/" target="_blank">anotheropen letter</a></b>, international civil society and non-governmental organisations
address the Secretary General for Rio+20 and UN member states to bring the
“negotiations back on track“, so that Rio+20 can deliver “the realization of
rights, democracy and sustainability” while adhering the principles of
transparency and accountability and thus strengthen the foundations of peace
and prosperity.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-85157240845908713612012-03-14T02:24:00.004-07:002012-03-14T02:30:31.108-07:00Greenwashing of dams at World Water ForumActivists created a living river and inflated a large dam in central Marseille today against the corporate greenwashing of dams at this week's 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France. The colourful manifestation of over 50 protestors from China, Turkey, Brazil, Vietnam, France, and others called attention to how dams are destroying the world's freshwater biodiversity and causing irreversible losses to the world's cultures. Ronack Monabay of Friends of the Earth – France, stated that “large dams are not green. 60% of the world's rivers are dammed, and freshwater ecosystems are losing species and habitats faster than any other type of ecosystem. Millions of people have been displaced because of dams worldwide. These are the reasons why we are protesting today. Life depends on healthy rivers.”<br /><br />Yet, the world's banks are rushing to finance big dams. Since 2003, the European Investment Bank (EIB) alone has spent close to €1bn in financing dams in the global South under the guise of clean energy access, though the dams primarily benefit manufacturers and large industries looking for cheap electricity to produce export goods. The protestors warned that the World Water Forum has turned into a trade show for corporate initiatives to greenwash the dam industry. At the Forum, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) presented the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, a voluntary self-policing scorecard for dam builders. This Protocol is “a greenwash of the world's dam industry,” said Zachary Hurwitz, Policy Coordinator of International Rivers. “The Protocol allows dam builders to claim they are sustainable while they continue to violate international and national environmental and human rights law. In order to not repeat the errors of the past, dam builders must be held accountable to the highest social and environmental standards.”<br /><br />One of the World Water Forum's twelve priorities for action, “Harmonize Water and Energy,” calls for 20 countries to adopt the Protocol by 2015. The IHA is lobbying governments, the European Union, and international agreements, such as the EU Emissions Trading System and Water Framework Directive, to use the Protocol in place of existing high standards. Instead of adopting the IHA Protocol, the protestors are calling on corporations, governments and international financial institutions such as the World Bank and European Investment Bank to comply with the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams, and international standards such as the Conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). They also call on governments and international financial institutions to stop to finance large dams and to diversify their energy portfolio towards more sustainable energy alternatives.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-44023949523289417922012-03-08T06:51:00.000-08:002012-03-08T06:51:56.558-08:00Gender equity: Germany behind Nordic countries and Spain<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47vfIpv68LEW9rvm9eGnf1kkUVKmnsyeAPYPQkK5f6PvubTci_0maY80-Ho6qcbhpH8x_pZu0r9VWvVJ3KxWrsg3uWboH8LKXccaMSogWicYqxBnl-sgaaun1H31Hp2zDsNDQJHQ7Tmg2/s1600/Gender_Index.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47vfIpv68LEW9rvm9eGnf1kkUVKmnsyeAPYPQkK5f6PvubTci_0maY80-Ho6qcbhpH8x_pZu0r9VWvVJ3KxWrsg3uWboH8LKXccaMSogWicYqxBnl-sgaaun1H31Hp2zDsNDQJHQ7Tmg2/s200/Gender_Index.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717538919471662738" /></a>In terms of gender equity Germany places itself well above the European average, but below the Nordic countries and Spain. This is made apparent by the Gender Equity Index (GEI) 2012, published by Social Watch on the eve of Women’s International Day, 8 March. The GEI prepared annually by Social Watch measures the gap between women and men in education, the economy and political empowerment. The index is an average of the inequalities in the three dimensions. In literacy, it examines the gender gap in enrolment at all levels; economic participation computes the gaps in income and employment; empowerment measures the gaps in highly qualified jobs, parliament and senior executive positions.<br />
<br />
Social Watch measures the gap between women and men, not their wellbeing. Thus, a country in which young men and women have equal access to the university receives a value of 100 on this particular indicator. In the same fashion, a country in which boys and girls are equally barred from completing primary education would also be awarded a value of 100. This does not mean that the quality of education in both cases is the same. It just establishes that, in both cases girls are not less educated than boys.<br />
<br />
Germany’s 80 points rank it among those countries with LOW GEI. The country’s index is seven points higher than Europe’s average – which is 73 – and places it also above neighbouring Luxembourg (68), Czech Republic, Austria (both with 73), Poland (76), France (77), Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland (the three with 79), but below its other neighbour Denmark (84). It should be noted that only the eight countries leading the score (Norway, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, Spain and Mongolia) have reached the minimum of 81 points that places them as countries with a MEDIUM GEI. <br />
<br />
The five levels according to which the index measures the gender gap are: CRITICAL, VERY LOW, LOW, MEDIUM AND ACCEPTABLE. It should be noted that no country has reached 90 points or more, meaning that no country has yet reached the ACCEPTABLE level.<br />
<br />
The only dimension in which Germany reaches an acceptable value is education (100 points), while in economic participation and empowerment the country’s performance is much less praiseworthy: 78 and 62 respectively (LOW in both cases). Norway, Finland and Iceland are at the top of Europe and also the world, with 89, 88 and 87 points respectively. The three European countries that present largest gender gaps are Malta (63), Albania (55) and Turkey (45). <br />
<br />
Out of the 154 countries computed by the IEG 2012 those five in the worst global situation are the Republic of Congo (29), Niger (26), Tchad (25), Yemen (24) and Afghanistan (15). <br />
<br />
Social Watch members are spread across all regions. The network fights for the eradication of poverty and its causes, the elimination of all forms of discrimination and racism and to ensure an equitable distribution of wealth and the realization of human rights.<br />
<br />
For a detailed description of methodology sources see <a href="www.socialwatch.org">www.socialwatch.org</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063550482058372074.post-91135636968436492522012-03-07T03:28:00.000-08:002012-03-07T03:28:22.408-08:00Women’s Day: Gender pay gap remains unchanged for 10 years<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawBekXhUM8WHabMMdheKo1Lvr4OEEmO13lHJpWtHGjVvbco6Zw5SIdsacvlc47f04EsaEwv3tGo7EisMuXRC2GblvAgNZ666djLyehkXafl0mkYRsgXwODPqfq-YrNDQuNQmw3HckB41I/s1600/Womensday.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 105px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawBekXhUM8WHabMMdheKo1Lvr4OEEmO13lHJpWtHGjVvbco6Zw5SIdsacvlc47f04EsaEwv3tGo7EisMuXRC2GblvAgNZ666djLyehkXafl0mkYRsgXwODPqfq-YrNDQuNQmw3HckB41I/s200/Womensday.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717115415700982066" /></a>Whereas mainstream debate points to women’s underrepresentation in corporate boardrooms a new report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) reveals that worldwide, women are paid 18% on average less than their male counterparts at work. The report, <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/frozen-in-time-gender-pay-gap.html"><strong>Frozen in time: Gender pay gap unchanged for 10 years</strong></a>, released on the eve of International Women's Day, looks at women's wages in 43 countries, twice the number of previous studies. "For the last decade we have seen women's wages hitting a road block. The pay gap remains frozen in time almost everywhere. Asia is the continent with the greatest wage differential between men and women with no progress made to close the gap for over a decade," said Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary.<br />
<br />
For the first time, researchers have ranked industries internationally by analysing the differences in wages in 15 sectors from construction to domestic workers. The report also includes detailed statistics from official sources in 18 countries. More unionised sectors such as the public sector tend to have lower pay gaps. Those with low unionisation rates and low wage levels, such as retail, hotels and restaurants as well as agriculture tend to have higher gaps. Part of the problem is that many workers are not paid a decent minimum wage.<br />
<br />
The report also found:<br />
* Male dominated sectors such as construction have the smallest gender pay gaps due to the relatively low numbers of women, and the fact that the women tend to be better educated.<br />
* Domestic workers show the lowest level of earning and the largest gender pay gaps.<br />
* The highest 'unexplained gender pay gaps' attributed to discriminatory practices are found in Chile, South Africa and Argentina.<br />
* A 'child penalty' contributes to keeping women's wages low, particularly affecting women aged 30 - 39.<br />
<br />
The report is the third study into the gender wage gap by the ITUC, following up on studies in 2008 and 2009. It was written by Dutch academics K.G Tijdens and M Van Klaveren and is based on country level wage data from the ILO, Eurostat as well as on individual-level wage data from the multi-country WageIndicator Foundation web survey. While previous ITUC reports show that official figures tend to underestimate the gender pay gap, data collection has improved in recent years, especially through the OECD and the EU.<br />
<br />
The report can be read <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/frozen-in-time-gender-pay-gap.html"><strong>>>> here</strong></a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0