Tag Archive for: democracy

Alert: Argentina bans Civil Society from WTO Conference in Buenos Aires

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Media Release
Dec 1, 2017

Civil society slams Argentina’s repression of peoples’ voice at the WTO conference in Buenos Aires

Global civil society network People Over Profit (POP) condemns the arbitrary last minute decision of the Argentine government to bar more than 60 civil society and peoples’ organizations from next week’s 11th World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Buenos Aires. The decision is unprecedented in recent history of WTO.

Civil society representatives from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America including People Over Profit had their approved WTO accreditation revoked for reasons undisclosed by the Argentine government. Argentinian officials have yet to explain the basis for the revocation.

“That the WTO is being hosted by the neoliberal regime of President Mauricio Macri and that peoples’ movements from around the world are being prevented from the summit indicate for us that pro-big business agenda is set to overrun the WTO negotiations in Buenos Aires”, says Ivan Enrile of People Over Profit.

“WTO is skewed towards rich countries and against poor and underdeveloped countries. Transnational business groups exert heavy influence on policies and negotiations, while peoples’ movements are marginalized and excluded. Our voice is important in countering the WTO’s built-in bias against democratic participation. And yet, even this very minimal space is being taken away from the people”, adds Kurniawan Sabar of Institute for National and Democratic Studies, Indonesia.

People Over Profit warns that the repressive action of the Argentinian government serves the interest of transnational corporations to make the WTO a perfect venue for business and governments to pursue new agendas that would otherwise fail in open democratic forums.

“Current proposals in the WTO such as those on e-commerce, domestic regulation disciplines, and agriculture and fisheries subsidies elimination pose great threats to peoples’ rights and to poor and underdeveloped countries’ sovereignty and development. We stand firmly against moves that will further expand the corporate sellout of the world and our future”, says Leonida Odongo of FAHAMU Africa.

People Over Profit calls on civil society and peoples’ organizations to protest the decision of the Argentinian government and invites them to join protest actions around the world against WTO.

“The government of Argentina may prevent us from coming to Buenos Aires for the WTO summit, but they won’t stop us from organizing and mobilizing our local communities to expose and oppose the WTO for what it truly is: a supreme instrument for imperialist globalization,” says Enrile. ###

About People Over Profit
People Over Profit is a global campaign network that unites peoples movements and NGOs across the globe against free trade agreements and corporate plunder. Its members encompass all global regions.

Website: www.peopleoverprofit.online
Facebook: fb.com/peoplevsftas
Twitter:: @peoplevsftas

Reference: 

Ivan Phell Enrile
[email protected]
Campaign Coordinator
People Over Profit
3rd Floor, 114 Timog Avenue
Quezon City, 1103 Philippines
(632) 927-7060 loc 202

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Call for Submissions: APRN Research on Militarism and Democracy

Militarism has been employed by states to gain or maintain political and economic power not only against other countries, but also against the people within their own countries. In the 21st century, militarism has evolved into a complex, global, powerful system that employs both and new strategies and modalities that serve the interests mainly of Western powers and multi-national corporations.

As a growing concern of peoples from the region, research on militarism and democracy can provide important insights on how to analyze the rising militarism in Asia Pacific from the perspective of people’s organizations. While there is a not a shortage of analysis on militarism already existing, it is however critical to note that much of these researches are focused on improving military planning and warfare while only a handful of studies are dedicated in investigating the link between militarism and how it destroys democratic rule and even less when it comes to the people and their responses in situations of intensive militarism in their communities. Thus, there is a need to come up with a grounded research that reflects the realities faced by communities and marginalized sectors of society. An equally important dimension this research aims to address is the strand of new military offensives and strategies being employed by US and its allies at the level of policy analyzed from the theoretical focus of neoliberal globalization.

Contributors are expected to begin with their country researches from the 4th Week of May to 1st week of August. Towards ensuring the collaborative method of research and in order to address the fairly tight schedule proposed, contributors are invited to engage in regular consultations to be convened by the Secretariat throughout the period.

June 10, 2016: Deadline of expressions of interest
June-August 2016: Research Proper
August 2016: Deadline of submissions
October 2016: Publication/Launching

Contributors are invited to coordinate with the APRN Secretariat ([email protected]) on matters concerning the report. The Secretariat will hold the responsibility to oversee the compilation of country researches and the editing of contributions.

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