Megavidéo Séries

Cap. 4 A proposal for resolution of other sources

The global economic crisis: An historic opportunity for transformation

http://casinocrash.org/

October 20th, 2008

An initial response from individuals, social movements and NGOs that support a transitional program for radical economic transformation.
Beijing, October 15, 2008

Inglés

Preamble

Seizing the opportunity that so many people from different movements and NGOs were gathered during the People's Forum Asia-Europe (AEPF) in Beijing, the Transnational Institute and Focus on the Global South convened informal nightly meetings between 13 and 15 October 2008.

For them, we examine the significance of the current global economic crisis and the opportunity it offers to bring the public domain some of the inspiring and feasible alternatives that many of us have been working for decades. This statement represents the collective outcome of our Beijing nights.

We, the initial signatories, we want to make a contribution to efforts to formulate proposals around which our movements can be organized as a basis for the creation of a political and economic order radically different. To avoid duplication in signing the Manifesto, please add your name and / or organization in the comments section of the English version .

Crisis

global financial system is crumbling rapidly. This is amid multiple crises: energy, food and climate . The power of the U.S. and the EU, and global institutions they dominate, particularly the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization are seriously weakened. Not only is this still questioned the legitimacy of the neo-liberal, but the very future of capitalism itself.

Such is the chaos of global financial system that Northern governments have resorted to measures progressive movements have advocated for years, such as nationalization bank. These movements, however, are measures of short-term stabilization and once the storm clears, you may return the banks to the private sector. We have a short window of opportunity to mobilize and prevent this from happening.

The challenge and opportunity

this conjuncture of profound crisis brings us into uncharted territory. The effects of the financial crisis will be severe. It is pushing people feel deeply insecure, the misery and hardship will increase everywhere, impacting particularly on the poorest. We must not give this moment to fascist groups, right wing populist, xenophobic, who will surely try to use the fear and anger of the people for their reactionary ends.

Over many decades, have formed powerful movements against neo-liberalism. This will grow as critical coverage of the crisis enlightens more people, people who are already angry at public funds being diverted to pay for problems they have created, people who were already concerned about the ecological crisis and rising prices - especially food and energy. The movements will grow further as the recession starts to bite and economies start sinking into depression.

There is a new openness to alternatives, and to have the care and support people have to be practical and immediately feasible. We have convincing alternatives that are already underway and we have many other good ideas attempted in the past but were rejected. Our choices are centered on the welfare of the people and the planet. Thus, we need a democratic control of financial and economic institutions. This is the thread that connects the proposals presented below.

proposals for discussion, development and action

Financial Sector

• complete socialization of the banks, not just the nationalization of bad assets.
• banks created based on the needs of people and consolidation of existing popular forms of lending based on mutuality and solidarity.
• Institutionalize total transparency within the financial system by opening the books to the public, provided by organizations citizens and workers.
• Enter the supervision of parliament and citizens on the existing banking system
• Apply social (including working conditions) and environmental considerations in all lending, including for purposes commercial.
• Prioritise lending, at minimum interest rates to cover social and environmental needs and to expand the already growing social economy.
• Overhaul central banks based on social and environmental objectives democratically determined, and make these institutions accountable to citizens.
  Protecting migrant remittances to their families and introduce legislation to restrict charges and taxes on transfers.

Tax

• Close all tax havens
• End tax breaks for companies of fossil fuels and nuclear.
• Apply stringent progressive tax systems
• Introduce a global taxation system to prevent transfer pricing and tax evasion
• Introduce a levy on the profits of the nationalized banks with which to establish citizen investment funds ( see below).
• Impose stringent progressive tax those with a carbon footprint higher energy.
• Adopt controls, such as the Tobin tax on speculative capital movements.
• Re-introduce tariffs and duties on imports of luxury goods and other goods already produced locally as a means to increase the tax base of state, also to support local production and thereby reduce overall emissions carbon.

public expenditure and investment

• Radically reduce military spending
• Redirect government spending from bailing out bankers to guaranteeing basic incomes and Social Security and to provide social services basic as housing, water, electricity, health, education, child care, Internet access and other public communications facilities.
• Use citizen funds (see above) to support the poorest communities
• sure that people at risk of losing their homes due to defaults on mortgages caused by the crisis are offered renegotiated payment terms
• Stop the privatization of public services
• Establish public enterprises under the control of parliaments, local communities and / or workers to increase employment
• Improve the performance of public enterprises through democratizing management and encourage responsible for public services, staff, unions and consumer organizations to collaborate to this end.
• Introduce participatory budgeting over public system at all levels possible.
• Invest massively in improved performance energy, public transport with low carbon emissions, renewable energy and environmental restoration.
• control or subsidize the prices of essential items.

International Trade and Finance

• Apply a permanent global ban on short selling of shares
• derivatives trading ban
• Ban all speculation on staple foods.
• Cancel the debt of all developing countries - is mounting as the crisis causes the value of currencies in the southern hemisphere.
• support the United Nations call to be involved in discussions on how to resolve the crisis, which will have a much bigger impact on Southern economies than is currently being acknowledged.
• Delete the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization
• Remove U.S. dollar as the international reserve currency
• Establish a people's inquiry into the mechanisms necessary to establish a just international monetary system.
• Ensure aid transfers do not fall as a result of the crisis
• Abolish tied aid
• Abolish neo-liberal conditionalities of aid programs
• Remove oriented development paradigm export, and refocus sustainable development on production for local and regional market.
• incentives for products produced for local markets or nearby.
• Cancel all negotiations for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Economic Partnership Agreements.
• Promote regional economic cooperation, such as UNASUR, the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the Treaty of Commerce of the Peoples (TCP) and others, that encourage genuine development and end poverty.

Environment

• Introduce a global system of compensation for countries which do not exploit fossil fuel reserves in the interest of limiting global climate effects, as Ecuador has proposed.
• Pay reparations to Southern countries for the ecological destruction wrought by the North so they can deal with climate change and other environmental crises.
• Strictly implement the "precautionary principle" of the statement UN Right to Development as a condition for all developmental and environmental projects.
• End lending for projects of "Clean Development Mechanism" of the Kyoto Protocol that are environmentally destructive, such as monoculture plantations of eucalyptus, soya and palm oil.
• Stop the development of carbon trading and all other environmentally counter, such as carbon capture and sequestration, biofuels, nuclear power and technology "clean coal"
• Adopt strategies to radically reduce consumption in rich countries, while promoting sustainable development in poorer countries
• Introduce democratic management of all international funding mechanisms for climate change mitigation , with strong participation from Southern countries and civil society.

Agriculture and industry

• Remove the pernicious paradigm of industrial development, which squeezes the rural sector to provide the resources needed for industrialization and urbanization
• Promote agricultural strategies that seek security and food sovereignty and sustainable farming.
  Promote land reforms and other measures which support small holder agriculture and sustain peasant and indigenous communities.
• Stop the spread of agro-business companies to promote socially and environmentally destructive monoculture.
• Stop the labor law reforms aimed at extending hours of work and facilitate the dismissal or transfer of employees.
• Secure jobs through outlawing precarious low paid work.
• ensure equal pay for women in the same working conditions, such as basic principle and to help counter the recession by increasing consumer power of workers.
• Protect the rights of migrant workers in the event of loss of employment, ensuring the return and reintegration in their countries of origin. For those who can not return, there should be no forced return, their security must be guaranteed, and they should provide employment or a basic minimum income.

Conclusion

All these proposals are practical and common sense. Some initiatives are already underway and demonstrably feasible. Their successes need to be publicized and popularized to inspire its implementation elsewhere. Others are unlikely to be put into practice based solely on their objective merits. Political will is required. Implicitly, therefore, every proposal is a call to action.

We have written what we see as a living document that will be developed and enriched by the contributions of all of us.

To avoid duplication in signing the Manifesto, please add your name and / or organization in the comments section of the English version .

The next opportunity to meet and work together on the actions needed to achieve these and other ideas will be at the World Social Forum in Belem, Brazil in late January 2009.

We have the experience and ideas - let's meet the challenge of the current mess and keep the momentum towards an alternative!

Translation: Ecologists in Action