It
was a great experience to watch the
powerful upsurge of the civil society
and the excitement, enthusiasm, determination
and hopes of several thousands of
people at the World Social Forum.
The loud chants of young and the old
alike, the huge banners displayed
by the activists, the jangling of
anklets of the dancing ‘Adivasis’
(tribals) attired in colourful dresses,
Dalits (‘the untouchables’
of India), peasants, workers, migrants
and the development institutions,
the anti-globalisation forces, former
child slaves, the disabled, victims
of child abuse and gender atrocities
and many more from all over the world
provided ample evidence of Mumbai
brimming with strong emotions.
All
wanted to make their strong presence
felt by shouting slogans, distributing
pamphlets and setting up their stalls
and exhibitions to attract people.
Hundreds of workshops on all kinds
of social issues that one can possibly
think of were organised.
A
better world for people to live in
While walking inside the sprawling
grounds of the World Social Forum,
the angst against injustice - social
and economic, caused due to age-old
practices and on-going globalisation,
was palpable. The participants, comprising
mostly of youth, had on their faces
a frenetic urge to find solutions
and alternatives. I feel that besides
being optimistic for the future, we
must carefully acknowledge such demands
and urges for alternative answers.
All kinds of questions have been raised
in the past, which is a positive sign.
But they demand answers too.
Interestingly,
the poor people and those living in
the remotest villages as well as activists
and their organisations have proved
that there are solutions to every
problem. It’s clear. It’s
visible. There is a need to widely
disseminate such stories of hope and
to build a synergy around them. It
is much important to underline the
commonalities of action in answering
the vital question instead of engaging
ourselves in mapping and analysing
the ideological differences. If we
don’t move in that direction
as soon as possible, the enthusiasm
of WSF will soon collapse or it will
just turn into a social pilgrimage
or a mere development jamboree.
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"The
world’s
225 richest
individuals
have a combined
wealth of
over one
trillion
dollars
- equivalent
to the annual
income of
47% of the
world’s
population.
How can
we say the
world is
so poor
that we
cannot protect
and educate
our children
or feed
the hungry
people with
adequate
food and
water?..." |
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 |
While
participating in WSF for six days,
I was trying to assemble bits and
pieces of what has transpired in the
world during that time. And when pieced
together, the picture poses alarming
challenges before us. Over one hundred
and eighty thousand children had died
before reaching their fifth birthday
due to preventable causes and dearth
of basic medicines during the period.
Hundreds of thousands of young ones
have entered into labour market and
servitude and many have left school
by then. One should also know that
every night an estimated 842
million go to their bed hungry. At the same time the world has generated
a wealth of 500 billion dollars. Very
few know that the three richest people
in the world have assets that exceed
the combined gross domestic product
of the 48 least-developed countries.
The world’s 225 richest individuals
have a combined wealth of over one
trillion dollars - equivalent to the
annual income of 47% of the world’s
population. How can we say the world
is so poor that we cannot protect
and educate our children or feed the
hungry people with adequate food and
water?
These
are not just mere data and figures
which I am using from various official
UN bodies but a cruel reflection of
today’s world’s reality
and the present day globalisation
is only adding to it. The most alarming
impact of globalisation is the creation
of a new power troika. There always
have been three key controlling powers
- state, market and knowledge.
Only
until a few decades ago, there were
distances between these three so that
they could counterbalance each other.
However they were mutually complementing
and supplementing in other areas too.
Now the situation has completely changed.
It’s hard to discern the distance
between them. The process of liberalisation,
globalisation and privatisation has
merged with them. The blue chip technology
has played a critical role in the
fusion of market, state and knowledge
powers. The tendency can be compared
with India’s infamous caste
system where society was broadly divided
into four categories. Initially this
was a kind of classification based
on their vocational interests and
capabilities and thereby interchangeable.
Later on it became more rigid and
was determined by birth.
The
master of knowledge – Brahmins,
state – Khastriyas and trade
– Vaishyas had outcasted a vast
majority – Shudras making them
untouchables. There was a period when
the Brahmins, Khastriyas and Vaishyas
were independent of each other so
at least a counterbalance was maintained.
There were some chances for the Shudras
or either of the other classes to
enter into any of these power groups.
Later the dynamics changed, the three
powers combined and the outcast remained
in the periphery to offer services
and produce wealth for them.
To
give a more concrete example of the
present power troika, the frontline
industries like space, nuclear, genetic,
information technology are nothing
but a manifestation of the most sophisticated
knowledge power combined with state
and wealth. Where is the dividing
line between them? We all know that
the global corporate is completely
in connivance with the state power.
Ironically this intricacy of knowledge
advancement unfurls the fear of an
inexplicable era of confrontation.
It is really frightening because soon
the conventional wars, be it nuclear
or biological will be replaced by
space, digital and blue chip wars.
This can lead to an unlimited set
of problems and is far more advanced
and lethal than we can possibly imagine.
The
fusion is actually widening the gap
between the rich and the poor and
thereby leading to more complications
in the process. We should not forget
that over a billion earn less than
one dollar a day and the daily earnings
of more than half of the world’s
6 billion population is less than
2 dollars! But who becomes the
worst sufferers?—the children
of the poor people and countries,
particularly girls, who are reduced
to mere animals, subhumans and sometimes
even non-entities!
Looking
at not only the problematic areas
but the openings and solutions through
ongoing people’s movements and
civil society efforts in different
fields, I think we have five ways
to break this menacing power troika
to make a better world for people
to live in.
They are:
(i)
Knowledge for all as the fundamental
human right
(ii) World’s income for all
-more share for the poor
(iii) Global trade for all with fairness
(iv) Nature-friendly development for
all
(v) Peace for all as everyone’s
right.
In addition, gender equity and child
rights are critical crosscutting aspects
in all the above issues.
Knowledge
for all as the fundamental human right
When
we talk of knowledge, it also includes
the most advanced and sophisticated
information that could only be achieved
through proper and good quality education.
Education is the key to empowerment
in the present era of knowledge economy.
The famous futurologist Alvin Tofler
in his “Powershift”, some
three decades ago predicted that a
new era of knowledge-capitalism would
originate due to the emergence of
Blue Chip technologies replacing the
manufactories. His was a far more
pragmatic prediction. Many have forecasted
before him that democratisation would
empower everyone through a new era
of equality, fraternity and liberty.
Their prophecies never came true and
still are a fantasy and today we see
that Tofler’s prognosis has
materialised into reality.
It’s
not a mere coincidence that the poorest
of the poor who don’t get adequate
food to eat and those who are illiterate
are more or less the same. To be
more specific, 842 million people
who don’t get adequate food
to eat are almost equivalent to the
number of people who are illiterate,
estimated to be 860 million. Almost
two-third of the world’s illiterate
masses is women and girls. We have
a vicious cycle of hunger, poverty
and illiteracy.
There
has always been a tendency of the
power clique to keep a vast majority
uneducated so as to maintain powerlessness
and poverty. This power troika which
is controlled by a select few determines
the fate of the rest of the world.
Even if the poor are imparted full
education, a double standard is used.
I have often said that there are four
types of teachings – let me
elaborate with an example. The first
is to say ‘yes’ to the
chair; the second is regarding how
to make a chair; the third is on how
to keep the chair firmly on your shoulders
and the fourth is to sit on the chair
and rule. To put it plainly, the first
remains uneducated, the second receives
poor quality education to know and
believe in the decisions of powerful
people, the third are the ones who
belong to service class like teachers,
clerks etc. to protect the interests
of the powerful ones and the fourth
receives best quality education right
from the beginning and eventually
gets to rule.
About
113 million children have never seen
the door of a school and 60% of them
are girls. This reflects a discernible
correlation between gender discrimination
and illiteracy. These issues are always
perpetuating each other. We, at the
Global March Against Child Labour
and Global Campaign for Education
have been advocating for free and
compulsory quality education for all
children as their fundamental human
right and as a top priority. There
should be education for all, of all
and by all or in other words there
must be a complete decentralisation,
democratisation and universalisation
of education. It is education and
education alone, which has potential
to change the tide in favour of the
oppressed. It has potential to illuminate
the world by ushering in an era of
justice, fair play, level playing
field by removing darkness engulfing
the 'vast-universe' of 'little people'.
The
good news is that the NGOs, teachers
and trade unions and the religious
bodies, development institutions have
come closer at the time of UN’s
official meet on education i.e. Dakar
Forum on Education in 2000 to challenge
the slow pace in achieving education
goals. In its years of efforts the
Global Campaign for Education has
built enormous pressure on the governments
and UN agencies to bring education
and subsequent funding for it on the
top of the agenda. It has also generated
tremendous awareness among the masses
both in developing and developed world
through regular Global Action Weeks
and ongoing campaigns to make them
realise that education is the key
to justice and equality. It has also
been playing an important role in
pushing for the Fast Track Initiative
to mobilise additional resources to
fill in the financing gaps, and to
monitor country by country progress.
This brings promising hope and the
need to be strengthened further as
the worldwide movement.
World’s
income for all - more share for poor
In the above few paragraphs I have
shared some facts which clearly demonstrate
that the polity, economy and culture
of poverty is something which is maintained
by the rich for their immediate benefit
and long term interest. The promises
made by the world leaders and the
international community over the past
few years have proven hollow. Take
the example of Millennium Development
Goals— how enriching were the
promises made during the UN Social
Summit in Copenhagen in 1990 and in
Geneva in 1995, combined with Washington,
Doha, Monterrey and so on. In one
of the goals, poverty has been singled
out as the paramount enemy to humankind
and it was pledged to halve it by
2015. Several measures to achieve
this have been suggested and agreed
upon.
One
of them was to earmark at least 0.7%
of rich countries income to go as
the development aid for poor nations.
But this remains a far-reaching dream.
Excepting five countries, Luxemburg,
Norway and Sweden, Denmark and Netherlands,
none have honoured their own commitment
so far. Friends, let me mention a
few startling facts. Six percent
of the world's population controls
50 percent of the world's income and
wealthy countries contribute only
two out of every one thousand dollars
of their incomes to the countries
in greatest need. One must also
ask as to where this money comes from!
The
average African household today consumes
20 percent less than it did 25 years
ago, one of the several ill-effects
of globalisation. The rich countries
spend only $56 billion in development
assistance in comparison to $300 billion
they spend on their agricultural subsidies
and $600 billion on defence.
We
at GCE are trying to get half of the
eleven billion dollars meant for the
basic education of children. The current
level of support for basic education
amounts to only US$1.5 billion per
year. The amount needed as an external
support to reach gender goals and
universal primary education by 2015,
is estimated at an additional US$5.6
billion per year. As far as world
debt is concerned, it has surpassed
US$33 trillion. And the biggest
irony lies in the fact that the Third
World pays the developed North nine
times more in debt payments than they
receive in aid. Africa alone spends
four times more on repaying the debts
than it spends on health care.
The
Global March Against Child Labour
has been advocating that the children’s
need must come first in the development
financing agenda. We have been spearheading
campaigns to demand at least 0.1%
of rich countries’ income as
the financial assistance to the cause
of children of developing countries.
We are pushing for developed nations
to put their money where the biggest
urgency lies when it comes to helping
children. That small percentage would
mean about $30 billion a year that
could be allotted to their health,
education, well-being and development.
Unfortunately children don’t
have any say in the ‘aid-politics’
and ‘aid-industry’. But
that doesn't mean that they have no
stake in the outcome. Making a world
fit for children is a dream we all
share, but to make this a reality
we need more than just plans or promises.
This will require specific, measurable
and significant commitments of funds.
Here
I want to emphasise that ‘income
for all’ should be a philosophy
and a way of life. Why I am saying
is this because the disparities and
discrimination in consumption patterns
not only exist internationally but
also extends in communities and families.
The state of the poor countries being
deprived from the world’s income
share is no less different from the
state of the women and children, particularly
girls who are forever denied their
due share or say in the family’s
income. Their hardship and household
chores cannot be explained merely
in financial terms and most of the
times their toil remains hidden and
unacknowledged by the society.
Despite
these problems, the good news is that
the understanding, analysis, internalisation,
anger and action against the widening
income gap have been increasing significantly
around the world. It has been manifested
in almost all occasions where the international
community gather to take financial decisions,
be it IMF, the World Bank meetings,
financing for development meetings,
the G8 summits and similar such ones.
The growing anguish of people is the
most visible factor transcending the
political and geographical barriers.
WSF is a clear indication that people
want a larger share for poor in the
world’s income.
Global
trade for all with fairness
The ongoing globalisation
is nothing but a free license to loot.
As we all know the sole motive behind
globalisation forcing privatisation
of production and liberalisation in
regulation and laws is to make ‘easy
profit ’. Poor countries with
raw materials, cheap labour &
land and sometimes corrupt governance
are easily exploited by the modern
state culture of the rich combined
with the speedy information technologies
and digital data management combined
with self-determined market rules
to achieve this motive.
If you look at international
free trade agreements and the pacts
between the national governments and
the transnational corporate carefully,
you will find that they offer various
laws and all sorts of global and national
protection for their intellectual
and property rights. But there is
no guarantee for the indigenous landowners
and workers. A danger which always
persists is ‘channelling out’
of the profits earned instead of reinvesting
them in the same country which augurs
loss for the local economy. The industry
of primary commodities is another
issue of great concern. Goods such
as cocoa, coffee, and sugar are the
ones whose prices rise at a very slow
pace or sometimes even plummet in
the international market. They are
preferred to the manufactured goods
as the bulk imports from developing
countries. The ‘terms of trade’
decline was particularly sharp between
1985 and 1993 when the real prices
of the primary commodities fell by
30%.
This translates into
losses of billions of dollars. Free
trade agreements do little to enhance
the trading positions and commodity
prices of the poor countries. The
net result is that big companies like
General Motors, Mitsubishi, Shell,
Philip Morris and 200 other larger
firms are now controlling one-fourth
of the world’s production. The
internal sharp competition in consumers
prices and induction of the most sophisticated
hardware and software technologies
effected in cutting jobs, wages and
other benefits to their workers.
The fairtrade movements are gaining
ground everywhere. This is indeed
good news and something which was
not seen until few years ago. The
terms- ethical trade, corporate social
responsibility, monitoring and certification
of fair trade products were not common
in our vocabulary then. But now these
issues are surfacing and turning into
a reality. However of $ 3.6 trillion
of all goods exchanged globally, the
fair-trade accounts for only 0.01%.
This requires a more collaborative
endeavour and momentum. The consumers’
and workers’ campaigns around
coffee, cocoa, carpets, apparels and
garments, cottonseed production, sugar,
leather, sporting goods and several
others have emerged as major areas
of concern to ensure core labour and
environmental standards, particularly
the employment of children.
I can still recall those days in the
late 80s when the first anti-child
labour consumers’ campaign on
carpets was launched in Germany and
the rest of the Western world by me
and some of my friends. There was
a lot of apprehension and questions
as to how consumers can play an effective
role in reduction or elimination of
child labour in another part of the
world. But it worked extremely well
and resulted in the first child labour
free social label ‘Rugmark’campaign.
This gives an alternative to child
labourers, manufacturers, dealers
and consumers in terms of education,
fair production and ethical purchases. Apart from this, our own experiences
with sporting goods, firecrackers,
apparel & garments and football
industries also resulted in establishing
some fairtrade practices in the industry.
But the whole trade debate has a larger
context to understand and all the
dimensions can’t be put together
in one speech alone. Few of the trends
must be taken into account.
A lot has to be done
to ensure global fairness in trade.
The workers and consumers must unite
to protect the human life and dignity
as well as ecology. The independent,
global and local monitoring mechanisms
to ensure fairness in trade together
with internal code of conduct to maintain
corporate social responsibility have
to be effectively implemented.
Nature-friendly
development for all
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"The
so called
‘development’
for short
term material
gains has
created
destruction
throughout
the world.
The ancient
forests
and the
people and
civilisation
attached
to them
are facing
serious
crises today.
Between
ten and
twenty percent
of all species
will be
driven to
extinction
in the next
20 to 50
years. We
may choose
to destroy
ourselves.
But who
has given
us the right
to destroy
hundreds
of thousands
of flora
and fauna
of this
planet and
the lives
& livelihoods
and the
spirituality
of indigenous
people around
the world?" |
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Since
time immemorial the greed for materialistic
pleasures and amassing wealth has always
been a human instinct. This kind of
pursuit has led to many problems and
conflicts among human beings. In addition,
the formation of power troika (state,
knowledge and market) in fewer hands
has brought us nearly to the brink of
extinction of humankind and also the
death of ‘Mother Nature’.
The
so called ‘development’
for short term material gains has
created destruction throughout the
world. The ancient forests and the
people and civilisation attached to
them are facing serious crises today.
Between ten and twenty percent of
all species will be driven to extinction
in the next 20 to 50 years. We may
choose to destroy ourselves. But who
has given us the right to destroy
hundreds of thousands of flora and
fauna of this planet and the lives
& livelihoods and the spirituality
of indigenous people around the world?
Who
will answer the future generation
on global warming which causes droughts,
floods and storms and wreaks havoc
on this planet? We are living on the
edge. Our planet is in serious danger
or to be blunter, our lives are at
stake. According to UN studies, the
global temperatures will rise by 1.4-5.8
degrees Celsius (3-12F) by 2100, mainly
because of human emissions of gases
such as carbon dioxide. This spurs
more extreme weather like floods,
heat waves and tornadoes. Every year
there are between two- three million
new cases of non-melanoma and skin
cancers and more than 130,000 new
melanoma skin cancer cases worldwide.
The cause of many of these skin cancers
is due to the ultraviolet radiation
from the sun.
If
we go by figures there are many yet
the problem remains the same- our
‘Mother Nature’ will soon
perish if we deplete our resources
at this rate. Desertification and
land degradation threaten nearly one-quarter
of the land surface of the globe.
Over 250 million people are directly
affected by desertification and one
billion people are at risk. One sixth
(1.1 billion) of the world’s
population is without access to safe
water supply and two-fifths (2.4 billion)
lack adequate sanitation. According
to UN reports, 31 countries are facing
water stress and scarcity. By the
year 2025, as much as the two-thirds
of the world’s population will
be living in conditions of serious
water shortage and one-third will
be living in conditions of absolute
water scarcity. Rupture of nature
deprives millions of people their
livelihood resources. Once again children
become the worst victims of this destruction
and displacement. What’s more,
they are also adversely affected and
die as a result of unhealthy environmental
conditions. It is believed that around
two million children under five die
every year from acute respiratory
infections aggravated by environmental
hazards such as air pollution. The
second most common cause of child
deaths is diarrhoea due to children
consuming pathogens or toxins or contaminated
water or food. As a result 1.3 million
deaths occur every year.
However
amidst the doldrums we have good news
to share as well. The mass movements,
academic discussions and even the
government initiatives in a number
of countries to stop ecological degradation
are gaining momentum in identifying
the above major global concerns. The
campaigns are new but one should not
forget that across the world, the
people in ancient times used to live
in complete harmony with the nature.
They had kept the air clean, water
full, lands fertile and space undisturbed
as we see in today’s satellite
and digital age. It is also good that
the new social movements have started
learning from our ancient treasure-trove
of knowledge and experience.
The
anti-deforestation movements in Asia,
Africa and Latin America by the ‘Adivasis’
or the tribal people, the anti-big
dam and anti-displacement mass movements
around the world, the success of campaigns
to ban landmines, animal protections,
the Greenpeace movements and so on,
are not symbolic but they have brought
significant impact on national and
global policies. They are also giving
pro-people development paradigms as
alternatives. This process has to
be documented, publicised and made
more popular among the common people
so that these movements could be broadened
and strengthened. It gives us hope
and brings promise for a better tomorrow.
Peace
for all as everyone’s right
The unfortunate and shameful day of
September 11, 2001 has provoked altogether
new understanding and debates on global
terrorism, war and for peace. This
also gives rise to a very basic question,
“Who will define ‘Peace’?”
Is it one country or a group of countries
which feels that ‘Peace’
is their platter of cake and that
they have the liberty to dictate terms
and conditions and impose them on
the rest of the world? Or is peace
the fundamental right of every individual
born on this planet earth? I am afraid
that the 'war industry' or in the
other words ‘war economy’
should not hide behind the new definition
of ‘Peace’ in the wake
of the fight against global terrorism.
This is essentially ‘peace economy’
emerging for the benefit of a few
nations.
The
terrorist groups are not surviving
and flourishing and driven by religious
extremist teachings alone. Their strength
comes from the most hi-tech and expensive
weapons they carry, training given
to them at an early age and the monetary
temptations involved. Let me tell
you- more than 500 million small
arms and light weapons are in circulation
around the world. It’s hard
to even estimate the cost!
There
are approximately 30,000 nuclear warheads
in the world today. Some 5,000 nuclear
weapons are on hair-trigger alert,
ready to be launched on a few minutes
notice. Landmines maim or kill approximately
26,000 civilians every year, including
8000-10,000 children. It is estimated
that there are between 60-70 million
landmines in the ground in at least
70 countries. Who produces these arms?
Who gives them money, training and
technological support? All these questions
have to be answered to buy permanent
peace! There have been over 250 major
wars in the world since World War
II, in which 23 million people have
been killed, tens of millions made
homeless, and countless millions injured
and bereaved. We should also keep
in mind since 1945, 3 out of 4 people
who were killed in ongoing 35 major
conflicts around the world, were women
and children. Out of total killed,
90 percent were civilians.
Our
children are the worst hit in wars.
Thousands of them in the world have
been killed, separated from their
families, orphaned, and physically,
emotionally, and psychologically scarred
by such violence, often deliberately
targeted at them. Deprived of health
they are forced to take up labour
as an option. Instead of being given
books and toys in their tiny hands,
over 300,000 children hold guns and
bombs. And to make things worse they
are not listed as development priority.
And
yet the military expenses keep on
increasing. Friends, to be precise,
Africa has spent nearly 14 billion
dollars , a nearly 20 percent increase
in 10 years, Asia-115 billion dollars,
around 50 percent increase in a decade
and 30 billion dollars in case of
Latin America, 50 percent increase
in 10 years. The question is if we
can afford to spend so much on arms
and weapons, then why is it that we
are falling short of money as far
as the welfare of the poor and children
are concerned. Children are often
used indiscriminately in wars as child
soldiers and thereby become a victim
of lifetime abuse and exploitation.
What right do we have to deprive them
of a healthy childhood and be extravagant
on wars that are only leading to nothing
but more and more destruction and
corruption? How can the world afford
to spend $900 billion as military
expenditure which leads to nothing
but perpetuation of poverty? Isn’t
it a shame that only 3 days of military
expenditure of the world can solve
the illiteracy problems of the world’s
children?
You
cannot separate the upsurge of terrorism
with the war industry, economic and
political interest of rich countries,
vested interests of the political
leadership of poor nations, ignorance
and illiteracy which is further advanced
and exploited by religious fundamentalism
and the global socio-economic disparities.
The combination poses the biggest
threat today. The only way is that
everyone, poor and the rich alike,
North and the South should not only
internalise but also voice and act
for peace as everyone’s fundamental
right and way of living.
Again,
the good news is that the quest for
peace is becoming a worldwide mass
movement. It’s heartening to
see millions of people on the street
against war in the recent past. The
ordinary people who are always peace
loving are compelling their governments
to resolve border conflicts and internal
territorial and ethnic issues. This
present trend is a promising silver
lining amongst the ongoing problems.
We should all assemble around this
optimistic note.
The
Synergy of social movements for a
better future
Friends, I am neither a scholar nor
an expert on the above discussed issues.
My only purpose is to share three
things which are essentially practical
in nature. Firstly, if we go into
a deeper analysis, we find none of
the issues can be addressed and resolved
completely in isolation, be it education,
equality, justice, sustainable development,
child rights and peace in the context
of globalisation. Secondly, I feel
that while focusing on specific campaigns
in the process of mass mobilisation
or political pressure building, it’s
very much possible to associate ourselves
with other issue-based campaigns and
movements as there are several common
grounds and actions. Thirdly, the
emergence of civil society and people’s
movements can definitely combat the
present trends of injustice and inequality
and create a new world based on justice,
equity and peace.
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"I
have been
sharing
the idea
of “coming
together”
on some
common understanding
and actions
to help
build broader
civil society
movements.
I am not
asking the
issue-based
movements
to divert
from their
focused
areas or
make any
kind of
compromises.
As a matter
of fact
the plurality
in ideologies
and approaches
in achieving
their respective
goals is
a beauty
and strength
in itself." |
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|
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I
also believe that the synergy of these
social movements must be built. During
the past few months, I have been sharing
the idea of “coming together”
on some common understanding and actions
to help build broader civil society
movements. I am not asking the issue-based
movements to divert from their focused
areas or make any kind of compromises.
As a matter of fact the plurality in
ideologies and approaches in achieving
their respective goals is a beauty and
strength in itself. But as I said, the
demand of situation to meet the challenge
of globalisation is to find the possible
commonalities and synergy in action.
As I am actively engaged in the fight
against child labour and in favour of
quality education, I realise that while
evolving and implementing various strategies
and approaches, it becomes essential
to interlink with other vital issue
based campaigns. Presently some of them
are very much interwoven and even seem
to affect child labour directly.
Recently, I have shared
my point of view with some key leaders
like Ms. Evelyn, the former Dutch
Minister, the head of the UN programme
on Millennium Development Goals and
its director, Mr. Salil Shetty. I
had also a very fruitful discussion
with Sylvia Borren, Executive Director
of the NOVIB on the possibility of
organising a good brain-storming session
between major international civil
society/ peoples’ movements
like Civicus, Social watch, Global
Campaign for Education, Global March
Against Child Labour, UBUNTU, Jubilee,
as well as movements on gender justice,
environment, banning the landmines
etc.
Most of them had brought
enormous hope in the world and have
been able to make a significant impact
in the global policies. However, they
work independently, sometimes even
parallel to each other. I would also
like to acknowledge that certain efforts
of mutual cooperation and alliances
do exist but a lot more has to be
done. We must jointly address the
demands and urges of the thousands
who were present at the World Social
Forum along with millions of those
who are confronting a plethora of
questions and problems in their countries
and are looking for effective solutions.
