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In Search of Alternatives to Globalisation
By Sergei Blagov
These days, when globalisation is accused of causing social pains without gains, calls for outlining alternative development strategies become increasingly popular. However, judging from comments inside and outside workshops here at the Social Summit, clearly spelled alternatives to globalisation seem sometime off.
It has been said that the major players in globalisation multilateral financial institutions perpetuate inequalities, argues Nicola Bullard, Focus On The Global South, Bangkok-based NGO. “Thus we need to fight against the monotheism of neo-liberalism”, she said. Nicola Bullard is not alone in using theological lexicon to describe the evils of neo-liberalism.
Globalisation is falsely claimed to be a natural order of things, said Joy Kennedy, Ecumenical Coalition of Canada. It amounts to idolatry proponents of globalisation ask to sacrifice for the sake of structural adjustment, she said. Other analysts highlight economic and financial aspects of globalisation and their repercussions.
Financial markets are becoming the fifth estate and that’s exactly what we are opposing, said Anja Osterhaus.. Democratic societies must control financial markets, and not vice versa-- assuming political will is available, she said. Even relatively affluent South Korean farmers lash out globalisation. Global price volatility makes it extremely difficult for farmers to choose right crops, argued Kyung-Ho Han, research group for Korean Agriculture Ministry .
Thus agricultural globalisation could only bring poverty to farmers, he said. Another lobbying group, UK Network for Civil Society Link with UN General Assembly, or UNGA-Link UK, presses for setting up UN non-state assembly as a General Assembly’s subsidiary. It is supposed to be convened according to respective nations’ population size so as to supplement the General Assembly. All sectors of civil society should be represented, argues Jeffrey Segall, chair of UNGA-Link UK. Nonetheless, the lobbying groups unanimous in condemning ills of globalisation tend to fall short of offering viable alternatives.
The measures suggested like shutting down tax havens or Currency Transaction Tax looks like a tool to improve globalisation policies, and not to substitute them. Equally, and attempt to set up a parallel non-state UN assembly, also seems unlikely to deliver better representations of the civil society as lobbying groups are yet to agree on mutually accepted definition of the civil society.
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Has the world lived up to its 1996 commitments..?
Solidarity 2000 starting 17th of June!
MS's big summer event Solidarity 2000 will start very soon now, with a week-long variety of debates and arrangements. The activities range from encounters between young people from Balkan, Africa and Central America to big conferences on the planet's social development and environment.
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The 1996 Copenhagen Social Summit final report in English, French and Spanish.