GLOBAL CALLS :POVERTY & EQUALITY

CREATING NEW FINANCIAL AND TRADE ARCHITECTURE IS BEST OPPORTUNITY TO END POVERTY

Nov 25th, 2008; Members of the Global call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) from every continent will represent the voices of millions of people at next week's FFD meetings in Doha, Qatar. The alliance, which last month helped mobilise 117 million people worldwide, is calling on governments attending the conference to include the initiatives and proposals of developing countries, civil society and women's organisations in particular, in their discussions and final declaration.

GCAP has been campaigning on aid, trade and debt since 2005 and sees the Doha meeting as a great opportunity for progress on five main areas (more details below);

1) Cancelling irreversibly illegitimate and unpayable debts

2) Mobilising new resources and adopting policies to tackle the food, fuel and finance crises

3) Honouring past aid commitments on quantity and improving aid quality

4) Integrating gender and climate change considerations into the process

5) Reforming the trade system so it works for all

The alliance urges every government attending Doha to reform the global economic system, building on the recent G20 in Washington,, in more democratic forums so the people affected by poverty have a full and equal say. A new financial architecture must deal with global imbalances, the need for government regulation and interventions for each developing country.

"With the ink barely dry on the Washington G20 declaration, we can see no reason why the Doha conference cannot deliver much more. If there is no scaling down on the initial ambitions, both womens and other organisations need to be included in development planning. The long term solution to the financial crisis requires much more than restablishing rich county economies and bailing out banks, " said Kumi Naidoo, Co-Chair of GCAP.

The Civil Society Forum is an opportunity for civil society organizations and NGOs to prepare strategic policy interventions and bring them to the round tables of the Financing for Development review conference. These will all include long term proposals to tackle the financial crisis, improve multilateral cooperation and donor performance and also involve the private sector in future country development programmes.

"We come from Africa, Latin America and Asia with solutions for a new financial and trade architecture that could provide for the poor and often voiceless people in the world" said Adelaide Sosseh, GCAP Co Chair from the Gambia. "We have taken this position to Accra in September, the High Level event on the MDGs in New York so now the political will to implement needs to be demonstrated in Doha."

GCAP will be represented in Doha by; members of the Feminist Taskforce, Arab Region, Africa, Asia, Europe coalitions members and Co-chairs Sylvia Borren and Adelaide Sosseh.

For more information or to book an interview contact;

Ciara O'Sullivan Cel.+ 34 679 594 809 ciara.osullivan@civicus.org

Kinda Mohamadieh – local number 974-625 1980

For information on GCAP and blogs www.whiteband.org

For information on the civil society forum http://www.ffdngo.org/

The Terrible Attack in India - Message from H' Sec. Gen

08/57 27 November 2008

“Partnering for a More Equitable and Sustainable Future” is theme of CHOGM 2009
Summit to be held in Port of Spain 27-29 November 2009
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Honourable Patrick Manning, and Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, today announced the theme for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2009 - “Partnering for a More Equitable and Sustainable Future.”
The summit will be hosted in Port of Spain on 27-29 November 2009.
Prime Minister Manning said: “The Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago look forward to welcoming the Commonwealth family to our shores. Preparations are well advanced for a successful meeting.”
“This important meeting of world leaders will come at a time when important questions about the globalisation process are being raised. In the face of the instability and uncertainty generated by the latest global developments, it is our duty as leaders to come up with bold and innovative solutions and to restore confidence in the multilateral process,” Mr Manning said.
“CHOGM 2009 will place partnership at the centre of the process of change, while emphasising the inter-connected relationship between the need to strive for equity and the imperative of a human and natural environment that is sustainable,” Mr Manning added.
Commenting on the theme, Secretary-General Sharma said: “The Commonwealth is an example of global partnership at work and the Commonwealth must also be in the vanguard of inclusive and fair globalisation. The critical challenges before the world are collectives ones, as are the solutions. In its work, the modern Commonwealth has been an exemplar of the unity of the global community. The collective agenda – whether pertaining to global governance, democracy, prosperity or environment – has to be approached equitably to be sustainable.”

“The Commonwealth is an association that brings together governments and peoples, nations individually and collectively, and values and actions. CHOGM in 2009 will be about partnership, global engagement and coherence, lifting the intrinsic strength of the Commonwealth to a new level.”
Mr Sharma said CHOGM 2009 would bring Trinidad and Tobago as a nation and the Caribbean into prominence. He said preparations for the event were firmly on track.
The theme seeks to underscore the importance of multilateral approaches to resolving global challenges. Its underlying message is that only through genuine partnership can the world achieve sustainable and equitable human development.
The call for partnership is also a signal for governments, the private sector and civil society in the Commonwealth to work together for a more secure and prosperous future for all.
At their 2007 summit in Kampala, Uganda, Commonwealth Heads of Government reaffirmed their decision to meet in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.

The CHOGM is the highest consultative and policy-making mechanism of the Commonwealth. It is convened every two years to review political and economic developments that impact on the organisation and to conduct a strategic overview of the Commonwealth's work in support of the interests of member countries and in a global perspective.
For media enquiries:The Monthly Muktidooth,Dacca,Bangladesh.

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08/56 27 November 2008
Secretary-General’s Statement on Mumbai attack
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma, today expressed his outrage at the terror attacks in Mumbai.
“The Commonwealth strongly condemns such despicable and barbaric attacks on innocent people,” he said. “The values the Commonwealth holds most dear – of democracy, the rule of law, openness, tolerance, respect and understanding – will not be shaken by such actions.”
“I convey my deepest sympathy and strongest solidarity to the Government and people of India at this time.”
Source:Commonwealth Secretariat