International conference against neo-liberalism
GENEVA — Nearly 600 people from all over the world attended three days of intense discussion and exchange of experiences here, June 22-24. The common focus of the participants, who represented some 190 organisations in 62 countries, was the fight against neo-liberalism and in defence of the victims of globalisation.
This was spelled out on the banner over the stage at the opening session: "Against neo-liberal and sexist globalisation: globalise the resistance!" The same slogan headed a spirited march of 5000 people on the day following the conference.
The conference, entitled "Alternative Summit of the Bangkok Appeal", was timed to conclude immediately before the opening here of the United Nations World Summit on Social Development, June 26-30. The UN meeting was supposed to evaluate progress on pledges to eliminate poverty made five years earlier at a summit meeting in Copenhagen.
The Bangkok Appeal referred to in the title of the conference was issued by non-government and social movement organisations in February, inspired by last year's massive Seattle protests. It called on "social movements to mobilise in large numbers and unite against globalisation wherever world leaders gather".
Answering the Bangkok call, Swiss social movements and NGOs formed the Swiss Committee for the Bangkok Appeal to organise the Alternative Summit. They were aided by three French movements: ATTAC (Action for a Tobin Tax to Assist the Citizen), CCCOMC (Coordination for Citizens' Control of the World Trade Organisation) and the Peasants' Federation.
Participants came from every inhabited continent. Simultaneous translation was provided as needed into French, English, Spanish and, on the final day, Portuguese (for the benefit of a large Brazilian contingent).
For many, the alternative summit provided their first meeting with people from neighbouring countries concerned with the same issues as themselves, while for others it was a chance to renew or continue collaboration with comrades from previous struggles. Regional workshops — Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean — on the first day provided an opportunity to gain information on regional developments and plans.
Of the many issues and campaigns in which conference participants were involved, probably the biggest component came from ATTAC (which exists in many countries besides France) and from various campaigns for the cancellation of Third World debt, especially the Jubilee 2000 movement.
But there were many different struggles represented, and indeed many people were involved in more than one campaign. One well-attended workshop was on unions and globalisation. Others included: farmers' struggles, genetically modified organisms and rural development; labour and environmental standards; women and globalisation; the World Trade Organisation; the IMF and the World Bank; capital taxation and tax havens; public services; investment treaties; globalisation and armed conflict; and alternatives to neo-liberalism.
In these workshops, participants both reported recent developments in their struggles and outlined plans for upcoming events, of which there are many, including meetings and/or protests in Okinawa in July, Prague in September, New York City in October, Dakar in December and Davos (Switzerland) and Porto Alegre in January.
The Brazilian Workers' Party vice-governor of Rio Grande do Sul (of which Porto Alegre is the capital), Miguel Rossetto, was present at the final plenary session of the alternative summit. He made an impassioned attack on neo-liberalism and urged movement activists to attend the Porto Alegre "World Social Forum", which is intended to be an annual discussion of the struggle for human needs, contrasted to the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, where big business meets to plot its strategies.
A major theme throughout was the need to popularise an understanding of the inhuman regime being inflicted on the poorest countries by international organisations like the World Bank, IMF and World Trade Organisation. There was considerable discussion of how debt is used to force Third World governments to adopt the policies demanded by imperialist corporations and their governments.
The Bangkok Appeal referred to a need "to strengthen international cooperation" among those opposed to neo-liberalism, and this was a topic frequently discussed at the alternative summit.
No clear consensus emerged on precisely how to do this. Discussion in the final day's plenary session revealed that both geography and differing political situations produced different perceptions of what was possible. Thus, participants in the European workshop decided to set up an open network of European movements which would meet four times a year, while the Asian workshop concluded that such regular collaboration would be much more difficult in that region.
The June 25 demonstration was a colourful procession through the streets of Geneva. It spent several hours wending its way from the southern side of the city, passing the offices of the World Trade Organisation and finishing outside the United Nations' European headquarters.
The international spirit came not only from participants in the alternative summit but also from French and Italian contingents that travelled to Geneva for the day. From France, there was a large body of unionists carrying red flags with the emblem of the CGT (trade union) federation, and smaller but vocal contingents of the Communist Party and the Revolutionary Communist League.
There were scores of banners from participating organisations and even more placards and homemade signs. Many of the posters suggested that the letters OMC — the French initials of the World Trade Organisation — stand for Office for Major Corporations or Oppression and Manipulation of Citizens. "The world is not a commodity", proclaimed several banners, and there were many variations: "Education is not a commodity", "Our bodies are not commodities".
The marchers were in good spirits but serious. It was an inspiring example of a different sort of globalisation.
BY ALLEN MYERS