Peoples Global Action Indian meeting
19th March, New Delhi
Mammoth Rally 17th March, New Delhi

On 18th and 19th March the Indian Government will discuss on its position and strategy on agriculture policies (including the reduction of import tariffs) and the Agreement on Agriculture of WTO.

KRRS and BKU, as convenors of the National Indian Farmer's Movements Coordination call all Indian social movements and organizations to participate in the mammoth mobilization on 17th March 2005 in Kisan Ghat in New Delhi to fight against the WTO and the destructive capitalist agriculture policies of the government. (See below the call)

In this framework BKU, as PGA convenor of South Asia together with other Indian social movements is calling for an Indian PGA meeting on 19th March in Delhi.

This meeting is not intended to discuss and analyse the different issues, but to concretise strategies and plan of actions at Indian level, as well as starting in India the process of the organization of the IV International People's Global Action, to be held next September (see call bellow)

TARGET OF THE MEETING:

PARTICIPANTS AND TRANSLATION:

We call to participate in this meeting to all Indian people's movements that agree with the hallmarks of PGA (see below).

We make a special call to be aware on gender inequality and oppression and kindly propose to the organizations to send women delegates to the meeting.

As decided in the regional conference in Dhaka, representative as NGOs could participate only as observers and only after agreement by consensus of the organizations attending the meeting.

Political parties delegates are not allowed in the meeting.

Regarding translation, we cannot provide with translation to all languages, so we please ask the organizations include in the delegation their own translators. The meeting will be mainly English and Hindi.

It is important that the organizations inform us in advance of its participation, so we can provide with appropriate accommodation and food as well as necessary documents to prepare the meeting.

It is also important that organizations send us their description: name, contact address, history of its foundation, objectives, struggles and campaigns. In this way we could create a profile and exchange this information among all the organizations.

AGENDA 19th March 2005:

8: 30 Breakfast
9:30 Welcome by Yudhvir Sing (BKU) and Chukki Nanjundaswamy (KRRS)
9:40 Short presentation of PGA and the agenda.
9:45 Short introduction of all the organizations present (2 min per organization)
10:15 Short Report of Dhaka Conference, decisions and campaigns.
10:25 Short Report of the participation of South Asian Convenor in European Regional Conference in Belgrade, July 2004
10:30 Division in working groups on sustainable campaigns to define concrete actions and strategic plan: 1. On violence against women and Reproductive Rights. 2. Food sovereignty and land reform. 3. Against privatisation on common wealth (water, energy, land...). 4. Against state militarism and paramilitarism. 5. Construction of our own models of life: village republic, seeds banks, peasant economy, indigenous self-determination... 6. Mining. 7. Defence and recognition of self-determination and land sovereignty of all people.
11:30 Tea Break
11:50 Reports of the working groups: (2 min per workshops)
12:05 Responsibilities and commitments. Communication and coordination strategies.
12:30 Proposals on common national campaigns. Responsibilities and commitments.
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Update on preparations and discussions regarding IV International PGA Conference.
14:05 Proposals for the conference: caravans, rallies, local actions, local press conference...
14:30 Distribution of responsibilities: bulletins and documentation, translations, Indian participants coordination...
15:00 Tea break
15:20 Chosen Indian Coordinator
15:45 Evaluation rally 17th March
16:00 Campaign against WTO. Plan of action before and during WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong
16:15 Division in working groups by sectors: Indigenous, farmers, unions...Concretise proposals and responsibilities and commitments.
17:00 Recapitulating all decisions and conclusions. Deciding in next national and states coordination meetings.
17:30 Tea. End of the meeting

ACOMMODATION AND FOOD

Local organizers, BKU North India, will provide accommodation and food.

CONTACT ADDRESSES:

Contact Person: Yudhvir Sing (BKU Delhi)
Mobil Telephone contacts in Delhi: 9811428568; (Yudhvir Sing) 9868146405
Email address contact (Trasgu, KRRS): dianhuburlonatgmx.net

Address in Delhi:
Vishwa Yuvak Kendra
Chanakyapuri
Opposite to Chanakyapuri Police Station

APPLICATION FORM:

  • Name of the organization:
  • Contact details of the organization:
--- Telephone
---- Fax
---- E-mail
--- Postal address
---- .....
  • Number and name of delegates:
  • Description of the organization
-- When it was founded
-- Social framework when founded
-- Objectives of the organization
-- Organizational Structure
-- Number of members
-- Events, campaigns, actions...organized
-- ..........

PGA Hallmarks

  1. A very clear rejection of capitalism, imperialism and feudalism; all trade agreements, institutions and governments that promote destructive globalisation;
  2. We reject all forms and systems of domination and discrimination including, but not limited to, patriarchy, racism and religious fundamentalism of all creeds. We embrace the full dignity of all human beings.
  3. A confrontational attitude, since we do not think that lobbying can have a major impact in such biased and undemocratic organizations, in which transactional capital is the only real policy-maker;
  4. A call to direct action and civil disobedience, support for social movements' struggles, advocating forms of resistance which maximize respect for life and oppressed peoples' rights, as well as the construction of local alternatives to global capitalism;
  5. An organizational philosophy based on decentralization and autonomy

PGA Organisational Principles:

  1. The PGA is an instrument for co-ordination, not an organisation. Its main objectives are:
    1. Inspiring the greatest possible number of persons and organisations to act against corporate domination through civil disobedience and people-oriented constructive actions.
    2. Offering an instrument for co-ordination and mutual support at global level for those resisting corporate rule and the capitalist development paradigm.
    3. Giving more international projection to the struggles against economic liberalisation and global capitalism, as well as to the struggles of indigenous people and original cultures.

     
  2. The organisational philosophy of the PGA is based on decentralisation and autonomy. Hence, central structures are minimal. Following the same idea, each region's participating organisations and movements will decide how to organize locally. Nevertheless, there needs to be a point of contact and coordination for each of these regions, decided at regional level and known to all the participating organisations and movements of the network.
     
  3. The PGA has no membership.
     
  4. The PGA does not have and will not have a juridical personality. It will not be legalised or registered in any country. No organisation or person represents the PGA, nor does the PGA represent any organisation or person.
     
  5. There will be conferences of the PGA when judged necessary by the participating organisations and movements. The functions of these conferences will be:
    1. Updating the manifesto (if necessary)
    2. Advancing in the process of co-ordination at global level of the resistance against "free" trade
    3. Co-ordinating decentralised actions according to the global days of action and the sustained campaigns of the PGA.

    There will be an equal participation of women and men in the international and regional conferences. The gender issue will be discussed at all of the PGA conferences, both at the international and regional levels.
     
  6. The conferences of the PGA will be convened by a committee conformed by representative organisations and movements of each region, including the points of contact named for each of these regions. The composition of this committee must show a regional balance, and a balance regarding the areas of work of the organisations and movements that conform it. The local organisers will be part of the committee.
    This committee will fulfil the following tasks:
    1. Coordinating the programme of the conference according to the proposals for themes, actions and issues emerging from the regional conferences
    2. Coordinating the selection of the delegates, in respect with the principle of decentralization and autonomy of each region as well as in accordance with the decisions taken on this matter at the regional conferences
    3. Deciding about the use of resources; especially, deciding which organisations will receive help to pay the travel expenses to attend the conference
    4. Advising the local organisers in technical and organisational questions
    5. Interpreting the manifesto if this would be necessary (the whole part on publications and info to be taken out)

    The committee, just like any other participating organisation or movement, cannot speak in the name of the PGA.
     
    Each conference of the PGA will be coordinated by a committee conformed of different organisations and movements. Also, the points of contact named for each region will change in each regional conference (used to be in each international conference but it is now a problem to leave it like that if we're going to have international conferences only when judged necessary...). The old committee will choose a small group that will act as advisers of the new committee. It will also provide technical support at the regional level. This advisory group will not have decision- making power.
     
  7. In keeping with PGA's philosophy, all communication processes will be diverse, decentralised and coordinated. There will be at least one point of contact in each region to be decided at regional level.
     
    Whilst recognising there are limits to the internet, the PGA website will comprise of PGA documents including conference notes and contact lists. All documents will be translated into as many diverse languages as possible. For all this communication to work effectively, responsibility must be taken at the regional level by as many groups as possible.
     
  8. The PGA will not have any resources. The funds needed to pay the conferences and the information tools will have to be raised in a decentralised way. All the funds raised for the conference will be administered by the committee. The publications will have to be self-financed.
     
  9. The PGA has a rotative secretariat, which changes every year. Each committee, during it's term, will decide where the secretariats will be.
     
  10. The conferences of the PGA will not include the discussion of these organisational principles in the programme. If there is a concrete request, a discussion group on organisational questions will be formed. This discussion group will meet parallel to the programme of the conference, to elaborate concrete modification proposals which shall be voted upon in the plenary.
     
  11. The PGA hopes that it will inspire the creation of different platforms (both regional and issue-based) against "free" trade and the different institutions that promote it. There will not be, however, a relationship of pertenence between these platforms and the PGA. The platforms will hence be completely autonomous.
     
    The PGA also aims to initiate discussions at the regional level through various means, emphasizing on the organisation of caravans, as well as the exchange of people, products and experiences between regions. The results of these debates will then be shared at the global level with the whole network.

Indian farmers rally against WTO-March 17-2005-New Delhi

National Coordination of Farmers' Movements including KRRS, BKU and all the member organizations call for mobilization against WTO on March 17th -2005 in Kisan Ghat in New Delhi. .

The worst impacts of free trade regime in the agricultural sector is the universal problem. Dumping of subsidized food and agricultural products will drastically hit the ability of Indian Peasant Community

Farmers' suicides will increase considerably if India goes ahead and agrees to the stipulations of the WTO in the next ministerial meeting scheduled to be held in Hong Kong in December.

Government will remove Quantitative Restrictions(QRs) on most of agricultural produce and open the market completely for the dumping of agricultural produce which they said, are in line with the prevailing economic policies of the government.

The central government move towards this issue fraught with danger as India will be reduced to a dumping ground for agriculture produce of the developed world.

This will ruin Indian farmers' who are already under duress from the new economic policies being followed by the government.

Government seems to be in favor of removing subsidies on fertilizers and abolishing minimum support price for agriculture produce.

"India has imposed 65 percent import duty on agriculture produce in the past and this has been gradually reduced to 35%.

In this situation talks are on to abolish import duty and open the country for agriculture market without securing similar benefits for Indian farmers.

National coordination of farmers' movement together with all the member organizations all over India call for a farmers' rally in New Delhi on March 17th 2005 to pressure the government to keep agriculture and food out of the purview of the WTO. or India should come out of WTO And to intensify the agitation across the country.

National Convenors

-------------------

Ch.Mahendra Singh Tikait
President BKU-India

Mr.Yudhvir Singh
President -BKU-New delhi

Chukki Nanjundaswamy
General Secretary-KRRS-Karnataka

Mr.Ajmer Singh Lakhowal
President BKU-Punjab

Mr.Vijay Jawandhia
Shetkari Sanghatan
Maharashtra

Fourth Conference of People's Global Action (PGA):
Food Sovereignty and Gender
On 17-21 September 2005, Kathmandu, Nepal

Background

The PGA process in Asia has been further strengthened and consolidated due to the conference in Dhaka Bangladesh. It was attended by over 150 activists from grassroots people's movements comprising peasants, women, trade Unions, fisherfolk, indigenous people and youth. The conference saw the beginning of the grass-rooting of the PGA process in Bangladesh, the expansion of the PGA process to SE Asia, with groups from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines participating, and the hopeful convenor-ship of SE Asia being taken up by Thailand's Assembly of the Poor. The conference established a common political platform and concrete campaigns of action for the next two years. There were three concrete calls to action: (i) Global days of action across Asia, against the WTO during its meeting in Hong Kong (September 2005); (ii) a global day of action focusing on violence against women on International Women's Day, 2005; and (iii) an Asian caravan (in 2005/2006).

Following the PGA Conference, the movements in South Asia met together in Bangalore, India and discussed the necessity of holding the Fourth PGA Global Conference, since the last one was in 2001 (in Cochabamba, Bolivia). Since then, movement energies have focused on strengthening the regional PGA process in Asia. The movements recognised that the PGA global conferences have taken place in the past, prior to the WTO meetings. Previously successful PGA initiatives have been held in this region: the second PGA International Conference was convened in 1999 in Bangalore, India; the first PGA South Asian Regional Conference was held in 2000 in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and, as noted, the first PGA Asia conference was successfully organized in Dhaka, Bangladesh last year. We believe that now is the time to commit ourselves to consolidate the PGA Global process. Therefore, the movements propose that the upcoming PGA Global conference take place in Asia since the PGA Asian regional process has developed because of the conference and can host the conference. The final proposals coming from the meeting were:

Place: Kathmandu, Nepal
Host: All Nepal Peasants' Association (ANPA)
Dates: On 17-21 September 2005

Asian organizations agreed with this proposal that ANPA, as Asian convenor, send the proposal to the European list to be put into the agenda and discussed at the European Regional Conference, to be held in Yugoslavia in July. The European Regional Conference also agreed and supported the idea of convening the global conference of PGA is Kathmandu, Nepal to be hosted by ANPA.

Rationale:

During the past 20 years the effects of neoliberal globalisation have been increasingly felt through the global South - through structural adjustment programmes; the privatisation of the public commons; and the increasing involvement of transnational corporations and global institutions such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the World Bank and the IMF in economic decision-making. The result of such processes has been the drastic reduction in government spending on health, education, welfare, and environmental protection; and the unemployment, pauperisation and marginalisation of women, indigenous peoples, peasant farmers, and industrial workers. Income disparities have increased, millions of peasants have struggled against all forms of exploitation, food security of peasants has been severely undermined, and women have suffered from unequal labour, property, and reproductive rights, as well as numerous forms of violence. Over 2.8 billion people struggle to survive on less than US$2 a day; one billion people lack access to safe drinking water; and 825 million people are undernourished. In response to these processes, social movements have emerged around the world articulating popular struggles for cultural, ecological and economic survival and creating alternative economic practices at both the local and national levels.

The proposed global conference in Asia is important for two reasons. First, Asia, with 3.6 billion (over half) of the world's population, has suffered greatly from the effects of neoliberal globalisation, and Asian social movements have begun to develop networks of mutual support - particularly following the PGA Asia conference in Dhaka. The global conference will provide an important opportunity to further deepen the PGA process in Asia and the rest of the world. Second, the conference will be held prior to the WTO Ministerial meeting to be held in Hong Kong, in December 2005. The conference will provide grassroots movements with the opportunity to discuss their collective response to the policies of the WTO, and develop alternative practices to it. Locating the PGA global conference in the same continent as the WTO meeting will send a powerful message of resistance from people's movements to the architects of neoliberal globalisation.

PGA process

People all over the world, resisting the neoliberal globalization process have intensified their mobilizations against the WTO, World Bank, IMF and World Economic Forum in Seattle, USA, (against the WTO, 1999), Prague (against the World Bank and IMF in 2000), Nice (against the EU summit in 2000), Genoa (against the G8 meeting in 2001) and Cancun (against the WTO in 2003). Now we have to really derail the WTO meeting to be held in Hong Kong. For that we have to organize, strengthen ourselves and consolidate our networks throughout the world.

Peoples' Global Action (PGA) provides a common communication and coordination tool for social movements worldwide that struggle against capitalist globalization and all forms of domination. PGA provides a global forum for people's struggles to associate their efforts and share experiences and skills. PGA not an organization. PGA has no members and does not have and will not have a juridical personality. No organization or person represents the PGA, nor does the PGA represent any organization or person. PGA limits itself to facilitating coordination and exchange of information between grassroots movements through conferences and various means of communication.

People's Global Action (PGA), has been against neoliberal globalization since its inception. It has played a significant role worldwide to resist all forms of neoliberal domination. PGA has taken a radical position toward WTO opposing the entire neoliberal project. PGA is the only network that has a clear and non-negotiable stance against the WTO, which it regards as an illegal and undemocratic institution. It believes on 'local' alternatives to the WTO which would be democratically organized by the people. It gives emphasis on the people's equal access to the productive resources. It believes that the forms of physical violence are not only the result of capitalist globalization, but also because of more locally derived social, political and economic structures. People's movements involved in the PGA process do not only reject neoliberal globalization, they also reject all forms of domination while espousing an organizational philosophy based on decentralization and autonomy. The PGA 'philosophy' is enshrined in the following hallmarks (positions of common ground):

PGA Hallmarks

  1. A very clear rejection of capitalism, imperialism and feudalism; all trade agreements, institutions and governments that promote destructive globalisation;
  2. We reject all forms and systems of domination and discrimination including, but not limited to, patriarchy, racism and religious fundamentalism of all creeds. We embrace the full dignity of all human beings.
  3. A confrontational attitude, since we do not think that lobbying can have a major impact in such biased and undemocratic organizations, in which transactional capital is the only real policy-maker;
  4. A call to direct action and civil disobedience, support for social movements' struggles, advocating forms of resistance which maximize respect for life and oppressed peoples' rights, as well as the construction of local alternatives to global capitalism;
  5. An organizational philosophy based on decentralization and autonomy

Sustained campaigns of PGA

  1. Campaign against state militarism and para-militarism:
  2. Campaign for defense and recognition of self-determination and land sovereignty of all people:
  3. Campaign against all privatization:
  4. Campaign on construction of alternative models to the capitalist system, based on education and formation

Who can join the CONFERENCE?

The conference welcomes to all people's movements around the Globe that support and feel comfortable with the PGA hallmarks.

Prem Dangal, PGA Asia Convenor, with the delegates of all the movements in the PGA conference.

pga asia – www.agp.org