ISSN 1655-5295 ISSN 1655-5295

Education for Development Magazine is published by

Education for Development IBON International GLOBALIZATION ISSUES ▼ IBON Center Vol. 7, No. 4 JULY-AUGUST 2008 24 CSO roadmap to Accra 114 Timog Avenue, Quezon City Reileen Joy Dulay 1103 Philippines Secretariat, Reality of Aid E-mail Address: [email protected] COVER Tel. Nos. +632 927 7060 to 62 Local 202 26 Towards a more broad-based Fax +632 927 6981 view of ownership Felix Zimmermann OECD Development Centre Antonio Tujan, Jr. 28 CLIMATE CHANGE ▼ International Director CSOs condemn G8’s distorted International Department climate ‘vision’ Asia Pacifi c Research Network Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron Head, International Department THIRD WORLD ▼ 30 People’s struggle for justice and existence against Gandak Dam Water and Energy Users’ Federation, Layout Artist 3 Resist privatisation, Nepal Florenio Bambao reclaim public Cover Artist The Philippine labor situation Florenio Bambao 33 Ecumenical Institute for Labor services Education and Research Jane Kelsey Photo Credits ARENA-New Zealand Wendy House COMMENTARY ▼ ogwen/flickr.com NEWS ▼ rycordell/flickr.com 7 37 Seaworthy verdesam/flickr.com Dr. Giovanni Tapang Anthony Morland / IRIN 10 SPECIAL FEATURES ▼ AGHAM Tiggy Ridley / IRIN “Free trade”, neoliberal im- Jaspreet Kindra / IRIN LETTERS ▼ Jerry Wen / flickr.com migration and the globalization Rev_Bri / flickr.com of guestworker programs 39 PAN AP to the Philippine Thomas Sennet / World Bank Aziz Choudry government: Protect your Donnaphoto/flickr.com GATT Watchdog & bilaterals.org people! Institute a TOTAL ban Allison Acosta / flickr.com Manoocher Deghati / IRIN on Endosulfan! Asia Pacific Research Network 19 On the global economic and Dey Alexander / flickr.com financial crisis: Roots and Eric Draper / White House prospects Muji Tra / flickr.com Sonny Africa Ratan Bhandari / WAFED IBON Foundation, Inc. Daniel Y Go IRRI Images ArkibongBayan ionline Philippines News

IBON International holds the rights to the contents of this publication. The publication may be cited in part as long as IBON International is properly acknowledged as the source and IBON International is furnished copies of the final work where the quotation or citation appears. COVER STORY

PHOTO: ANTHONY MORLAND / IRIN

RESIST PRIVATIZATION, RECLAIM PUBLIC SERVICES

Jane Kelsey ARENA-New Zealand

ransferring power from the state to enterprises and resources through asset sales. That private capital and creating profi table has since been overtaken by a complex combination new markets in public services, of competitive deregulation, user-charges, targeted including for the essentials of life, subsidies, contracting out, concessions, public private are driving imperatives of neoliberal partnerships, private fi nance initiatives, multi- globalization. The term ‘privatization’ stakeholder partnerships and much more. Tdescribes this broad ideological and political agenda. Privatization policies and practices are the primary Privatization policies have been accompanied by tools that have enabled transnational corporations and other neoliberal prescriptions, such as fi scal austerity, private elites to plunder the public domain for private deregulation and competition, liberalization of gain, while the costs and losses are socialized and/or foreign investment and limits on capital fl ows, pro- nationalized. market regulation of natural resources, labour market deregulation. This integrated package creates the The onslaught of privatization has continued now conditions for transnational corporations to dominate for more than two decades. The early Washington these markets, maximize their profi ts and minimize Consensus template focused on the privatization of their obligations.

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 3 COVER STORY At the same time the target of The Asia Pacifi c Research Network privatization has broadened from public services and assets to the (APRN) believes that privatization institutions and processes of government itself. As markets needs to be stopped and public services have expanded, the state’s reclaimed - not because the public primary responsibility has been redefi ned as enabling private sector has always met people’s needs, capital to expand and profi t. Neoliberal defi nitions of ‘good but because privatization is fuelled by governance’ take policy choices transnational corporate greed that does and responsibilities away from governments and depoliticize not pretend to put people ahead of both the content of policies and the way they are made. This profi ts and is rationalized by an ideology process transfers political power that shows contempt for the carnage to technocrats, statutory bodies, private fi rms, local governments that it leaves in its wake. and NGOs, most of whom lack democratic mandates or public donors and trade agreements. Despite this hegemonic accountability. The fundamental The underlying aim had shifted straitjacket, when market social, economic and development from the restructuring of national activities become unprofi table rights of the people are eviscerated economies to achieving uniform and corporations exit the state is and their enduring realities of rules that would smooth the path expected to step back in, absorb inequality, poverty, powerless and for international capital in an era the costs of recovery and re- exploitation become invisible. of ‘globalisation’. privatize. There are also a growing number of examples where the Some governments in Asia The post-Washington Consensus social and environmental impacts and the Pacifi c, such as India, promoted the new phase of privatization have created Australia, Japan, and New of privatization under the such volatile political conditions Zealand, adopted this neoliberal euphemism of public-private and that the state has been forced prescription voluntarily for multi-stakeholder ‘partnerships’, to re-regulate or even resume ideological and political reasons. Policy Reduction Strategies and control. However, a sustained In most countries, however, ‘good governance’. The General counter-hegemony to neoliberal the privatization agenda has Agreement on Trade in Services globalization has yet to emerge. been dictated. From the mid- (GATS) and a rapidly expanding 1980s the IMF, World Bank, raft of WTO-plus services and The Asia Pacifi c Research Asian Development Bank and investment agreements sought Network (APRN), a regional others imposed the Washington to lock and advance these network of 50 alternative research Consensus style of privatisation rules and fetter the ability of institutions working closely with as an integral part of structural governments to respond to grassroots organizations and adjustment programmes, backed genuine democratic pressures and social movements, believes that by loan conditionalities. remedy crippling market failures. privatization needs to be stopped Millennium Development and public services reclaimed By the mid-1990s that simplistic Goal 8 designated all these - not because the public sector has model of privatisation was deeply instruments as the pathway for always met people’s needs, but discredited. It was replaced by development and delivering because privatization is fuelled a more sophisticated layering of people the fundamentals of life: by transnational corporate greed obligations that were justifi ed in safe drinking water, health care, that does not pretend to put people the name of ‘coherence’ across the education and freedom from ahead of profi ts and is rationalized international fi nancial institutions, poverty. by an ideology that shows 4 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT COVER STORY contempt for the carnage that it the complexities of privatization the same time, the catchcry of leaves in its wake. across the broad spectrum of the ‘enabling’ state reduces the the public domain, including state to an agent of capital and The negative impacts are felt governance itself, the APRN aims requires them to operate through in every aspect of daily life to establish a new level of analysis ‘partnerships’ that transfer power across Asia and the Pacifi c, most of its impacts and generate a and ensure profi ts to transnational severely for the rural and urban dynamic debate resistance and corporations. poor, women and the elderly. It alternatives through the lens of has also wrought havoc in rich ‘people’s services’. Most of the current research countries, with growing inequality, and resistance strategies on feminisation of poverty and For reasons outlined above, privatization tends to focus disenfranchisement. the starting point is to treat the instead on sectors, such as privatization of the public domain education, health care, water, APRN has chosen the topic as a hegemonic strategy that telecommunications, electricity, of privatization for the annual denies alternatives, and constantly pensions, public transport, etc. conference in 2008 out of reinvents itself through new All those sectors are crucial to concern that current research and language and techniques as the people’s survival and quality debate has begun to stagnate. previous version is discredited. of life. But communities do not The conference programme The hegemony of ideology, experience public services and deliberately eschews the standard institutions and instruments that privatization in this fractured way. approach that analyses discrete drive the privatization model A more profound analysis needs sectors and contrasts state and currently hides behind the to integrate the social, economic, market models. By confronting commitment to ‘coherence’. At cultural and environmental dimensions of privatization to understand what it means for people’s daily lives.

The sectoral approach also favours social services and infrastructure, and often ignores the equally crucial assault on economic services and the privatization of governance. Many critiques and campaigns have exposed and opposed the failed market model of social services and utilities - private providers of health care, ‘education dumping’ through foreign franchises, private concessions over power and telecommunications utilities, and more.

Much less attention is paid to how privatization of economic services undermines people’s livelihoods and food systems through the sale of public land and natural resources, legalizing PHOTO: TIGGY RIDLEY / IRIN the corporate control of seed EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 5 COVER STORY

banks and R&D, dismantling state marketing boards, the replacement of public lending with private microcredit and commercialization of water for agriculture.

Equally little attention is paid to the privatization of public authority and accountability through public private partnerships and private fi nance PHOTO: JASPREET KINDRA / IRIN initiatives, ‘free designed a state apparatus to serve democratic accountability, and trade’ agreements in services the interests of external powers there are signifi cant differences and investment, and debt and cultivated local elites with a even between them. The Chinese conditionalities that require vested interest in its maintenance. government has invited private a neoliberal version of ‘good That legal and administrative players to operate in a rigidly governance’. Perhaps the more machinery largely remained in regulated public domain, but is blatant form is found in India place after formal decolonization, subject to GATS obligations. The through the creation of Special despite the nationalist objectives state in small and remote Pacifi c Economic Zones and the of many liberation struggles. The Islands face intrinsic problems precedent-setting model of private economic interests of foreign and of geography, scale, government sector governance adopted in domestic capital remained largely capacity and skilled workers, and Bangalore, India. intact and property rights were high dependency on public sector largely protected at the expense of employment. Richer countries of APRN hopes to challenge the the poor. Rights to public services the region, like Japan, Australia simplistic market/state dichotomy and the defense of the pubic and New Zealand, are also caught for three reasons. First, the nature domain have been hard fought for within the neoliberal paradigm, of the state itself has been adjusted and are constantly under threat. but can avoid the wholesale as public responsibilities are Neoliberalism refl ects the latest devastation faced in poorer transferred to corporations and phase of this struggle. countries. In Indonesia, the state the private sector is imported into has historically been hijacked the heartland of government. The Third, the state has traditionally by a combination of corrupt and capture of state functions and played very different roles in unaccountable governments and the machinery of government delivering public services around private sector cronies for the by the market are integral to the region. India has a long history benefi t of local elites; opposition neoliberalism. The nature of of public services and struggles to privatization is often driven the state under neoliberalism is to entrench entitlements in law. by the desire to protect rentier therefore problematic and requires The nature of the state in former capitalism, rather than the rights of rigorous interrogation. command economies, such as the people. Vietnam and Mongolia, and the Second, the nature of the state impacts of structural adjustment (Ms. Kelsey is currently the has always been problematic and the post-Washington Vice-chairperson of the Board for the oppressed and exploited. Consensus raise very different of Convenors of the Asia Pacifi c Imperialism and colonization concerns about capacity and Research Network) 6 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT NEWS NEWS To ensure poor’s economic rights: SC initiative needs to go beyond judicial review

esearch group IBON There also seems to be no Law, EPIRA etc., even as it is Foundation welcomes concrete measures to apply the equally responsible for upholding the initiative of the human rights approach to poverty constitutional guidelines. RSupreme Court to reduction. For instance, the improve the poor’s access to country has no offi cial procedure IBON strongly recommends that justice through its nationwide that will assess economic the judiciary establish a legal summit. However, it said that policies according to an explicit framework wherein existing laws, the country’s economic policies economic, social and cultural rules, procedures and practices have the most far-reaching rights framework. It also does can be modifi ed to conform with harmful impact that should not have specifi c mechanisms the ICESCR and the Philippine be addressed beyond judicial by which policymakers can be Constitution. Based on this, the review. held accountable for the effects SC should conduct a formal of trade, investment and fi scal review to check if the country’s For one, existing judicial remedies policies on human rights. Even the foreign trade and investment are extremely limited in addressing CHR does not have a monitoring policies are consistent with its the far-reaching economy-wide of how economic, social and human rights obligations, and violations of human rights. This cultural rights are affected by implement measures that will put is aside from how nominally the macroeconomic policies, which these economic policies to public Commission on Human Rights have the broadest infl uence on scrutiny. (CHR) recognizes economic, realizing these rights. social and cultural rights matters Lasty, measures should be placed as part of its mandate to monitor As a result, the judiciary generally to ensure that the country’s government’s compliance with gives in to the Executive and main economic planners, trade international obligations, such Legislature on major economic negotiators, and lawmakers are as the International Covenant on policy decisions that are deemed fully aware of their obligations and Economic, Social and Cultural unconstitutional, such as the commitments under the Covenant Rights (ICESCR). Mining Act, Oil Deregulation in crafting socioeconomic policies.

CSOs meet on ‘Development Effectiveness’ agenda

ore than 80 the North and South develop, The meeting led to the formation of representatives agree on and promote a Global Facilitation Group (GFG) of 67 civil society common principles regarding from different national, regional and Morganizations (CSO) the effectiveness of CSOs as international platforms that will map representing national, regional development actors and to out a work plan that will culminate and international platforms came engage in political discussions in the Fourth High Level Forum together for a 2-day “Exploratory on relevance and feasibility of on Aid Effectiveness in Beijing in Meeting on CSO Effectiveness” peer/compliance mechanisms. 2010. Some of the organizations in last June 29-30, 2008 in Paris, the GFG are ACFID, AFRODAD, France with the objective of The Paris meeting is the outcome ALOP, Arab NGO Network on establishing a process that is of earlier multi-stakeholder Development, Asia Pacifi c Forum defi ned, led and managed by consultations that called for a on Women, Law and Development CSOs, on their own principles of strengthening of the role and (APWLD), CIVICUS, CONCORD, development effectiveness. voice of CSOs based on an and IBON, among others. The understanding of the various GFG is set to meet on August 30th The initiative sought to set relationships of CSOs to their in Accra, Ghana where around 400 in motion processes and constituencies, to donors and representatives from CSOs are mechanisms by which civil governments, and to each other expected to participate in the HLF3 society organizations both in on a North-South basis. and the CSO Parallel Forum.

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 7 NEWS Despite claims of under-recoveries Big three rake in billions in global oil profi ts

hile the Big Three because the transnational oil and to defl ate public anger against oil fi rms in the fi r ms’ local subsidiaries are merely them. Philippines claim booking their profi ts abroad Wlosses due to through the deceitful practice of Those mega-profi ts earned by under-recoveries, their mother transfer pricing to defl ect criticisms exploiting unchecked monopoly companies abroad continue to of their massive windfall profi ts. control and covered up through report record billions in profi ts, unscrupulous practices, even as according to independent-think At any rate, the Big Three oil ordinary Filipinos reel from the tank IBON Foundation. fi r ms are clearly still making harsh impact of escalating fuel billions of pesos in profi ts, and prices, highlight the urgent need Royal Dutch Shell, the mother thus any claim of so-called under- for government regulation and company of Pilipinas Shell, posted recoveries does not mean that control over the local oil sector a net income of $27.6 billion in they are taking any losses. to help ensure transparency in 2007, making it the second most pricing. profi table company in the world The monopoly oil transnational next to oil giant Exxon Mobil. fi r ms abroad normally already IBON Foundation, Inc. is an independent During the same year, Pilipinas development institution established in infl ate the price of their oil to get 1978 that provides research, education, Shell recorded profi ts of P4.12 their super-profi ts. This overpricing publications, information work and billion. has even been extremely bloated advocacy support on socioeconomic since last year by increasing issues. On the other hand, Chevron, speculation in world oil PHOTO: JERRY WEN/FLICKR.COM mother unit of Chevron Philippines markets. “Transfer pricing”, (formerly Caltex), reported however, refers to oil fi rms’ net incomes of $18.7 billion in practice of further padding the 2007, 9% higher than in 2006 price of oil they sell to their and enough to rank it the eighth subsidiaries to shift recording most profi table company in the of profi ts from subsidiaries to world. Its local unit in the country mother corporations. The net reported P2.75 billion in profi ts in result of this transfer pricing 2007. is that the seemingly lower profi ts of the subsidiaries, Petron, which is co-owned by because of higher costs of oil government and by Saudi Aramco, imports, are actually off-set recorded profi ts of P5.94 billion by higher profi ts of the mother in 2007. Its net income has been companies. progressively increasing in the last three years, posting P5.76 billion Oil transnational fi rms are able in 2006 and P3.42 billion in 2005. to engage in transfer pricing Aramco, unlike Shell and Chevron, because of their vast control is an unlisted company that is not of the different stages of oil obliged to report its fi nancials, but production and distribution. In its profi ts in 2007 are likely about the Philippines, around 90% $15 billion. of oil in the market passes through the Big Three. They Domestic profi ts do not even use lower reported domestic genuinely refl ect the oil profi ts to disguise the massive monopolies’ overall profi ts global profi ts they are making

8 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT NEWS Global alliance of migrant workers founded

he International Migrants Alliance (IMA), the fi rst ever Tglobal formation of migrants, immigrants and other displaced peoples, held its founding assembly last June 15-16, 2008 in Hong Kong, SAR. The IMA was conceptualized due to the perceived need of creating a formation in the world that can represent people living and working in countries other than their home ones and create a common platform for them.’

One hundred and Participants and Secretariat of the IMA founding assembly PHOTO: KIKOMANHK/FLICKR.COM sixty seven delegates representing 118 organizations from 25 countries participated in convenors, “there are around 200 Mr. Ufuk Berdan of ATIK-Europe the 2-day assembly convened million migrant workers present as Vice-chairperson, Ms. Connie by Atik-Europe, the Association in almost every country in the Bragas-Regalado of Migrante- of Indonesian Migrant Workers world. They came mostly from Philippines as Secretary-general, (ATKI) in Hong Kong, Migrante, countries beset with economic Ms. Teresa Gutierrez of the May the May 1st Coalition for and political problems and they 1st Coalition for Immigrant and Immigrant Rights, the Asia work in countries that are relatively Worker Rights in the USA as Pacifi c Mission for Migrants, well-developed. Despite the Deputy secretary-general, and Ms. TENAGANITA, and PhilForum different countries of origin or Tess Tesalona of the Immigrant USA. sectors where they can be found, Workers Center in Canada as the common concerns on their Treasurer. The establishment of the IMA situation in the host countries as marked a historic chapter in well as with issues related to why An important task of the founding the movement of migrants they are forced to migrate exist.” assembly will be to create the and immigrants for rights and migrants’ own space in the welfare and for comprehensive A 17-person International upcoming Global Forum on social change. According to the Coordinating Body Migration and Development (ICB) was formed (GFMD) this October 2008 in to ensure the Manila, Philippines. The GFMD is representation of a multilateral meeting of states to the different global discuss how migration policies can regions. The ICB contribute to the advancement of then elected the economies. This year’s GFMD will following members study the Philippines’ government- of its Executive facilitated outmigration policies, Committee: Ms. particularly the Labor Export Eni Lestari of the Program (LEP), as a template for Asian Migrants other labor-exporting countries. Coordinating Body- The last GFMD was held in HK as Chairperson, Brussels in 2007.

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 9 SPECIAL FEATURES

Day laborers wait to be picked up by employers in Herndon, Va, USA PHOTO: REV_BRI/FLICKR.COM

“Free trade”, I dedicate this talk to the memory of Ka Bel - Crispin neoliberal Beltran - a friend and comrade who passed away immigration & in the Philippines last month. His humanity, hunger and the globalization commitment to social justice, of guestworker and lifelong, principled and militant opposition to programs imperialism are already sorely missed by so many who had Aziz Choudry GATT Watchdog & bilaterals.org the privilege to know him.

(Paper presented during the International Migrants Alliance Founding Assembly held on 15 June 2008 in Hong Kong, SAR.)

10 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FEATURES

or Canadian of guestworker programs, migrant Agreement (NAFTA) would lead academic/activist workers, and free trade, mainly in Mexico to export goods, and not David McNally, reference to the Asia-Pacifi c. people to the US, yet so-called “[t]he plight of illegal immigration to the US has migrant workers For all of the talk of post- risen [4]. from the Third colonialism in some circles, in FWorld exposes a dirty secret about 2008, Third World countries are In looking at how free trade capitalist globalization: while treated as little more than colonies and investment agreements can constraints on the movement of of transnational corporations and do affect migrant workers, capital are being eased, restrictions (TNCs) and powerful governments it is important to frame our on the movement of labour are for natural resource extraction: understanding of them as being systematically tightened. notably minerals, energy, comprehensive instruments It’s not that global business does biodiversity, and even people, of imperialism, and avoid not want immigrant labour to either as labour commodities for compartmentalizing or reducing the West [sic]. It simply wants export themselves, or producing the discussion to technical trade this labour on its own terms: for export in free trade/special policy analysis talk which clouds frightened, oppressed, vulnerable. economic zones (FTZs/SEZs), and a more critical “big picture” The fundamental truth about industrial agriculture. This system analysis. globalization - that it represents of capitalist relations is backed by freedom for capital and unfreedom war, the militarization of borders, We are witnessing the for labour - is especially clear confl ict- and poverty-fuelled entrenchment of immigration where global migrants are forced migration, and in turn, the apartheid. A global (often concerned.” [1] criminalization of many migrants Western-) educated elite is and immigrants. Justin Akers relatively mobile, but of those The Declaration of Philadelphia, Chacón calls this phenomenon who are able to leave their home now an annex to the International “neoliberal immigration” - countries at all, the overwhelming Labour Organization (ILO) “displacement accompanied by majority of migrants are constitution, unequivocally disenfranchisement and often temporary, non-status, exploitable, states: “Labour is not a internal segregation in host and often underground/“illegal”. commodity” [2]. The ILO is countries” [3]. Neoliberal policies Immigration requirements have hardly a radical organization, force people from their farms, tended to become more elitist, nor is this statement a radical jobs, families and communities refugee systems leave fewer proposition. Yet today, workers, and into exploitation and precarity avenues for appeal, and for especially migrant workers, as migrant workers in other many, permanent residence is are routinely commodifi ed, countries. Deindustrialization harder to attain. Meanwhile, in through domestic, regional and and the downsizing and both migrant-worker sending international instruments, policies privatization of essential services and receiving countries, a more and agreements. These include the - accompanied by increasing user general trend of state withdrawal expansion of temporary migrant fees - are other “push factors”, for responsibility for provision worker programs, and disputes forcing growing numbers to of social services impacts local over the interpretation of labour seeking work abroad. Health and migrant workers alike. mobility provisions in free trade and education professionals in Worldwide, the neoliberal and investment agreements such shattered public sectors are forced offensive has also eroded trades as the World Trade Organization to migrate in search of work. Free jobs, attacked unionism, imposed (WTO) General Agreement on trade, its advocates (like the US policies of labour deregulation, Trade in Services (GATS), and Administration) promise, will fl e xibilization, casualization, bilateral and regional free trade supposedly lead to a reduction of expanded subcontracting chains, and investment agreements immigration because countries and the relocation of industry (FTAs) outside of the WTO. In will become more prosperous. to cheaper production sites. In this presentation, I will talk about Washington proclaimed that some cases, these changes have the links between the resurgence the North American Free Trade EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 11 SPECIAL FEATURES fuelled exclusionary or Third World governments mantra” [8]. The growing racist practices within dependence on remittances unions towards new are being blamed for from migrant workers immigrants, instead of puts many countries at solidarity and support for blocking progress at the the mercy of vagaries of struggles for workplace WTO on services which are anti-immigrant sentiment justice and within wider and immigration (and society. Immigration in the interest of Northern other) policies of other status is used as a tool by countries. Locked into governments and business governments and TNCs. Yet a neoliberal model, elites to undermine Northern governments are not countries that have grown alliancebuilding dependent on exporting among workers, while making any commitments in workers often have immigrants still make shrinking policy space to convenient scapegoats for areas of interest to the Third pursue other options for politicians the world over. World like labour mobility, and economic development. Simultaneously, there is a Growth of remittances has widespread reluctance and continue to pressure Southern outpaced that of private denial in many countries countries to make better offers capital fl ows and offi cial to admit the extent to development assistance which their economies on service sectors... (ODA) during the last depend on migrant labour. 15 yrs [9]. A 2007 UN hours, and perhaps be more International Fund for In temporary migrant worker willing to accept this situation Agricultural Development (IFAD)/ schemes, migrant workers are because of the relatively short Interamerican Development Bank commodities, pure and simple, duration of their employment (IDB) report showed that migrant temporary labour units to be abroad, and are subject to abuse remittances were over US $ 300 recruited, utilized and sent away from employers. The labour billion in 2006 [10], well over again as employers require, of international migrants is twice what ODA contributed. Of tied to a specifi c employer, and systematically devalued. Skilled course, migration is certainly not therefore often stuck with worse migrants frequently leave their only a South-North phenomenon, conditions with little recourse to countries only to fi nd their but occurs among countries in improve them. In this context, qualifi cations and experience are the South, Indonesian workers discrimination and exploitation not valued in the new country, in Malaysia, South Asians in because of race, immigration and so are locked into low-skilled Gulf, Filipina caregivers in Syria, status, class, and gender play jobs [5]. Lebanon, and dozens of other out together. Women migrant countries, and Zimbabwean and workers are particularly impacted, Migrant workers and remittances Mozambican workers in South comprising the majority in are a key area of interest to the Africa, as last month’s anti- sectors with the least protections, World Bank [6], the European migrant worker violence tragically lowest wages and most Commission, and the International reminds us [11]. demeaning conditions. Typically, Organization for Migration guestworkers are not allowed to (IOM) [7] and other international GATS, “Mode 4”, and migrant join unions, so have no collective agencies, which increasingly workers bargaining power. Sometimes they promote the concept of migrant are not paid on time or maybe not workers’ family remittances to I) GATS - A deal made in heaven paid at all, may endure unsafe and keep their native countries from for TNCs, and hell for the unhealthy working conditions, collapsing. Remittances are people and receive wages far below the what Devesh Kapur, in a 2004 average paid to local workers UNCTAD/G-24 discussion paper According to David Hartridge, for equivalent work, toiling long calls “the new development former Director of the WTO’s 12 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FEATURES

PHOTO: THOMAS SENNET/WORLD BANK Services Division, “without the operating in its market or impose there is no defi nition of what enormous pressure generated by requirements for local content. “temporary” means. Its annex the American fi n ancial services Just as workers are treated as mere on the movement of natural sector, particularly companies like commodities in these agreements, persons deals with negotiations American Express and Citicorp, so too are fundamental services. on individuals’ rights to stay there would have been no services New Zealand academic Jane temporarily in a country for agreement” [12]. The European Kelsey characterizes GATS as the purpose of providing a Commission stated: “GATS is an ideological transformation service. GATS mode 4 extends not just something that exists of services from fundamentally to foreigners who are service between Governments. It is fi rst social relations embedded in suppliers in the host, home or a and foremost an instrument for the communities to commercialized third member country, in respect benefi t of business” [13]. GATS is commodities traded within an of the supply of a specifi c service, more about investment than trade. international marketplace [14]. employed in a foreign company Under GATS, governments agree Unsurprisingly, the GATS established abroad, or which to open the economy to foreign approach to labour mobility is is supplying services under a suppliers of certain services. very much driven by the interests contract without permanent Services have been described as of TNCs and investors, and not presence in that country. It also anything that you cannot drop those of workers in the global includes independent or self- on your foot, including banks, south. employed service providers, who schools, energy, healthcare, get paid directly by customers. water, rubbish collection, II) Mode 4- facilitating corporate libraries, railways, airlines, TV operations: a false panacea for GATS does not apply to work and radio. In those services, migrant labour justice outside of service sectors nor foreign suppliers must be given to people seeking permanent at least as favourable treatment GATS includes clauses on the employment or permanent as it gives to local suppliers. temporary movement of ‘natural residence. There are differing Governments cannot set limits on persons’ to facilitate trade and interpretations among WTO the numbers of service suppliers investment in services, although member countries about the

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 13 SPECIAL FEATURES

relationship between Mode 4 and are restrictive, and subject to GATS commitments on the South, other modes of supply. Broadly, various limitations regarding and making it clear that they Northern governments insist immigration rules and economic will not improve their offers on that Mode 4 is supportive of the needs tests. Where it exists, the Mode 4. India wants separation other modes. So Mode 4 supports right of labour mobility does of mode 4 from Mode 3, arguing mode 1 (cross-border supply of not necessarily entail the right that only Northern TNCs can services); mode 2 (consumption to practice a profession, due to afford commercial presence (mode abroad); and mode 3 (commercial national regulations for licensing 3). As a draft WTO negotiating presence or foreign direct and recognition of qualifi cations. text on services, released in late investment). For example, for May shows, there remains little mode 1, an IT consultant travels III) Tensions over Mode 4 and movement on this issue: no abroad to install software supplied liberalizing the movement of member country has tabled new internationally by his company; labour offers on services at the WTO for mode 2, a travel agency sends since late 2005 [16]. a guide abroad along with a party Some Southern governments see of tourists, and for mode 3, TNCs GATS Mode 4 as a way to help India has put forward the idea post executives to staff offi ces facilitate increased mobility of of a GATS visa [17] to facilitate overseas. temporary workers from labour- the temporary entry of Indian abundant countries to labour- professionals under mode 4. The World Bank estimates that scarce ones, earning them more The Least Developed Countries over 40% of Mode 4 commitments foreign exchange, while others (LDC) group at the WTO, led by are for intra-corporate transfers, see in these moves the potential Bangladesh, has unsuccessfully and another 50% cover executives, for a global guestworker program pushed developed countries to managers and specialists and that should be opposed. Southern liberalize their markets for semi- business visitors [15]. Some governments, like India, push skilled categories of service governments argue that there for an interpretation which sees providers of the LDCs under is no a priori exclusion of any Mode 4 as covering independent mode 4 of GATS, going beyond occupation or skill level from suppliers of services, and not high-skilled categories. [18] GATS coverage, and in that just supportive to other modes, Some commentators argue sense, all categories of natural an interpretation which favours that governments lobbying persons could be negotiated under TNCs and their interests. Northern for a broader interpretation of mode 4. Mode 4 commitments governments are pushing stringent GATS Mode 4 would need to

Strawberry pickers in California PHOTO: DONNAPHOTO/FLICKR.COM

14 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FEATURES demonstrate their intention and GATS and services liberalization means of enforcing the temporary nature of the Mode 4 movement under FTAs are fundamentally about before the developed countries agree to liberalize this area [19]. advancing and locking in privatization, deregulation, and unrestricted foreign Some NGOs also see GATS mode 4 as a potentially favourable investment and contracting-out that instrument to regulate and liberalise the movement of workers around the world have been migrant labour. [20] They seek to resisting on many fronts. allay perceived fears of developed country governments regarding the parity undermines the competitive of Northern governments and adoption of a liberal interpretation advantage of their migrant TNCs. Yet Northern governments of mode 4 such as opposition to workers who will work for lower are not making any commitments the permanent immigration of wages. Yet temporary foreign in areas of interest to the Third workers who might enter under service workers would still have World like labour mobility, and such an agreement, concerns about to pay the same living expenses as continue to pressure Southern rising unemployment and related local workers. Proposals to expand countries to make better offers domestic opposition to foreign Mode 4 commitments to explicitly on service sectors (especially workers, and argue for practical cover semi-skilled and unskilled fi n ance, telecommunications, ways to overcome these obstacles. workers must be seen in context energy, distribution, environment) of expansion of temporary foreign as a prerequisite for any new The International Confederation of worker/guestworker programs in concessions on agriculture, for Free Trade Unions (ICFTU, now North. They are no solution to example. ITUC [21]) and Public Services injustices created by neoliberal International (PSI) [22] expressed programs, they work to undermine FTAs [24] alarm at a request from China and domestic labour rights, by creating India to take the stipulations of and expanding a subclass of With the slow pace of wage parity that those countries workers on special temporary WTO negotiations and the which have made Mode 4 visas, only here, impacting understanding that lower-key commitments have specifi ed in service sector jobs in ways that one-on-one talks can often get their offers out of the negotiations. hitherto have mainly affected faster, deeper results, while “Not only is it bad enough that the manufacturing. [23] dividing up emerging alliances WTO, which has no expertise in among Third World governments migration issues, has undertaken Tensions over the coverage against Northern positions at to conduct such discussions....It and liberalization of labour the WTO, attention turned to sends the wrong signal to all those mobility under GATS cannot bilateral free trade and investment who think exploitation of workers be separated from analysis of agreements (FTAs). In general, is a competitive advantage in the horse-trading, armtwisting and governments have preferred quest for profi ts”, argued Guy bullying that takes place in bilateral labour agreements Ryder, General Secretary of the relation to other aspects of trade (BLAs), usually sectoral, giving ICFTU. and investment agreements, them more fl exibility control and aid conditionalities, for and regulatory discretion over Under dispute mechanisms of free example, as well as longstanding multilateral agreements [25]. trade and investment agreements, debates over linkages between Now, a number of bilateral free wage parity between temporary labour standards and free trade trade and investment agreements migrant service workers and commitments. Third World have also become processes locals may even be challenged as governments are being blamed for through which some governments a protectionist measure. Sending blocking progress at the WTO on seek to include agreements on countries could charge that wage services which are in the interest labour mobility. EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 15 SPECIAL FEATURES

IBON has drawn attention to the under Mode 4, governments Chile allow temporary entry reality behind the much-heralded have often not negotiated mutual of business professionals from labour mobility provisions of recognition agreements (MRA) other parties to facilitate trade the still-to-be-ratifi ed Japan- for recognizing qualifi cations in services, but US approaches Philippines Economic Partnership to allow skilled professionals to each trade deal individually to Agreement (JPEPA) [26]. The take up jobs. The labour mobility determine if a temporary entry agreement allows for the entry and provisions in the India-Singapore chapter will benefi t US trade in temporary stay of Filipinos who Comprehensive Economic services [31]. supply health services as nurses or Cooperation Agreement (CECA) certifi ed caregivers for one to three are largely similar to GATS, Under the Thailand-Australia years (which may be extended). with 127 subsectors of skilled Free Trade Agreement, Australia But these professionals must be occupations granted temporary made GATS-plus commitments by profi cient in both spoken and entry [28], but only professionals granting temporary entry to Thai written Japanese and be qualifi ed in auditing, architecture, medical professional chefs and masseurs, under Japanese law - prerequisites doctors, dentistry and nursing especially to provide services such which severely limit their entry can practice subject to MRA as cooking training and training in into the Japanese labour market. between to the two countries. traditional Thai massage through Very few nurses and caregivers The agreement says that mutual training institutes agreed to hold will be able to overcome such recognition is granted in service consultations on establishing a barriers. After 6 months of sectors subject to the licensing standard of recognition of Thai language training, applicants can requirements of accounting and qualifi cations for acceptance already have on-the-job training auditing, architecture, medicine, of qualifi ed Thai massage for up to 3-4 years while they dentistry and nursing within 12 therapists. [32] try to pass the relevant national months from the date of entry into exams. Until they pass, they will force of the agreement. This is yet In sum, while there has been only be paid as non-licensed to be resolved. some limited sector-specifi c workers, trainees, candidates, or liberalization of temporary as nurse’s aides and caregiver’s Singapore has been most proactive movement of labour in FTA assistants. This may reduce in Asia-Pacifi c in liberalizing services provisions, the restrictive healthcare costs in Japan, but at movement of natural persons and cautious approach has the expense of Filipino health through bilateral FTAs, varying in prevailed. Interestingly, the professionals. Similarly, under the specifi city of scope and length EU-Algeria FTA (Euro-Med Japan’s EPA with Indonesia, 600 of stay. But basically, these still Association agreement) has experienced caregivers and 400 mainly cover business visitors, articles on permission for entry registered nurses from Indonesia investors and intra-corporate of intra-corporate transferees are to be admitted on 3-4 year transferees, citizens and residents under GATS, but also articles visas [27]. of partner governments who which explicitly commit to represent a service supplier. In cooperation in preventing and The European Union (EU) and the Japan - Singapore Agreement controlling illegal immigration the Australia-New Zealand there is no chapter on movement and readmission. [33] Closer Economic Relationship of natural persons, but provision Trade Agreement (CER) are for facilitation of movement of Good enough to work, good broadest in terms of labour investors for business purposes enough to stay mobility, including access to in Chapter 7 on investment [29]. labour markets of member ASEAN Investment Framework Where some liberalization of countries without work permits, Agreement [30] commits to freer labour movement has been written full national treatment for service movement of skilled labor and into agreements like GATS providers, and mutual recognition professionals. Mode 4 and similar provisions in of technical qualifi cations. FTAs, it is highly restrictive, and Where FTAs have made some US FTAs such as the ones framed in the interests of TNCs ‘GATS-plus’ commitments concluded with Singapore and and overseas investors who are 16 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FEATURES the true benefi ciaries and authors unrestricted foreign investment values and framework of these of these deals. Generally, FTAs and contracting-out that workers instruments. Rather than fi ghting have tended to deepen, accelerate around the world have been to expand terms and provisions and broaden liberalization and resisting on many fronts. Just in these trade and investment deregulation, but in this area, they as many movements have agreements, we must support have thus far had very limited rejected the idea of giving global struggles of immigrant workers effect. We cannot place any hope capitalism a happy face by for regularization, justice and or faith in these instruments incorporating so-called “social” dignity. Support migrant worker to advance workers’ rights to and “green” clauses linking free organizations like Migrante [34], migrate. There remains a danger trade to labour and environmental the New York Taxi Workers that such agreements could in standards, so too we must assert Alliance [35], immigrant workers the future become institutional that neoliberal globalization is centres [36], and encourage frameworks covering temporary fundamentally exploitative of established trade unions to support migrant labour fl ows. Political workers, and insist that such immigrant workers’ struggles. As sensitivities about immigration agreements have no legitimacy a 2004 Canadian Labour Congress have to contend with ageing to deal with the lives of migrant discussion document [37] argues, populations and shrinking workers. To expect to harness or this struggle “is critical in holding domestic labour (and taxpayer) transform them into instruments the line against declining wages pools in many Northern countries, that will somehow advance and working conditions for the putting new pressures to bring in migrant workers’ struggles is like entire labour movement. [Migrant new workers. expecting a tiger to become a workers] are at the edge of the vegetarian. Injustices perpetuated economic divide and must be Struggles for dignity and justice in the WTO and FTAs are not protected and involved in our and a living wage for migrant unintentional imbalances to collective struggle in order for workers cannot be left to be fought be resolved by polite NGO real change to occur. A worker is a in arenas which commodify lobbying, but underpin the very worker is a worker.” them, like GATS and FTAs, by governments which are themselves frequently antagonistic to people’s struggles domestically and internationally by their embrace of neoliberal and imperialist policies. Global capitalism fragments labour and the lives of working people everywhere. Across the board, WTO and FTAs serve the interests of TNCs and other political and economic elites, not the people. GATS and services liberalization under FTAs are fundamentally about advancing and locking in privatization, deregulation, and Indian guest workers protesting sub-human working and living conditions. PHOTO: ALLISON ACOSTA/FLICKR.COM EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 17 SPECIAL FEATURES

Notes: [13] “Where next? The GATS 2000 [24] See www.bilaterals.org and www. negotiations”, European Commission, Director fi g htingftas.org for resources for movements [1] McNally, David. (2002). Another World General Trade, June 1998. against bilateral free trade and investment Is Possible: Globalization and anti-capitalism. agreements. Winnipeg: Arbeiter Ring, p.137 [14] Jane Kelsey. (2003). Legal Fetishism and the Contradictions of the GATS, Globalisation,. [25] OECD. (2004). Migration for employment: [2] International Labor Organization. Societies and Education, 1(3), 267-80 Bilateral agreements at a crossroads; Human http://www.ilo.org/public/english/comp/civil/ Resources and Social Development Canada. standards/ilodcr.htm. [15] Migration and development: The role of Government of Canada seasonal agricultural the World Bank. [www.un.org/esa/population/ workers program expanded in British [3] Justin Akers Chacón. In Chacón, Justin meetings/thirdcoord2004/P11_WorldBank.pdf. Columbia. Press Release. 20 May 2004. http:// Akers and Mike Davis. (2006). No one is www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/hrsd/news/2004/ illegal: Fighting racism and state violence on [16] Reuters. WTO services talks 040520a.shtml. the US-Mexico border. Chicago: Haymarket ‘needs bilaterals for advance’. 2 Books, p.90 June 2008. http://www.guardian. [26] IBON. JPEPA Highlights Gov’t co.uk/business/feedarticle/7556340. Insensitivity To Nurses. 27 April 2007. [4] NAFTA should have stopped illegal http://info.ibon.org/index.php?option=com_ immigration, right? New York Times. [17] Department of Commerce, Government of content&task=view&id=284&Itemid=1; 18 February 2007. http://www.nytimes. India. India should pursue GATS visa proposal IBON. Eight reasons to reject the JPEPA. 16 com/2007/02/18/weekinreview/18uchitelle. in WTO stakeholder consultation on services. April 2008. http://www.bilaterals.org/article. html; Laura Carlsen, NAFTA, Inequality Press release. 10 August 2005. php3?id_article=11834. and immigration. IRC Americas Program. 6 November 2007. http://americas.irc-online. [18] Statement by Md. Touhid Hossain, [27] HDR Japan. Diet to open door to org/am/4705. Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh at the Second foreign nurses, care workers. 17 April Committee of the UN General Assembly On 2008. http://www.bilaterals.org/article. [5] Harald Bauder. (2003). Brain abuse, or the agenda item 52 (a): International Trade and php3?id_article=11868. devaluation of immigrant labour in Canada. Development, New York, 25 October 2007- Antipode 35 4, pp. 698-717. http://www.un.int/bangladesh/statements/62/ [28] http://commerce.nic.in/ceca/toc.htm; c2_intl_trade_dev.htm. Liberalization of market access in GATS Mode [6] World Bank. News and Broadcast. 4 and its importance for developing countries. Migration and Remittances. [19] S. Amer Ahmed. The third pillar. Forum, ARTNet Policy brief. UNESCAP. September The Daily Star. August 2007. http://www. 2005. www.unescap.org/tid/artnet/pub/ [7] Purple Romero. IOM to further study thedailystar.net/forum/2007/august/third. polbrief4.pdf. link between migration and dev’t. ABS-CBN htm; Quaker United Nations Offi ce - Geneva. News. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage. Understanding GATS Mode 4: Return [29] Japan-Singapore Economic Partnership aspx?StoryId=118361. migration of temporary workers. Briefi ng paper Agreement. http://www.meti.go.jp/english/ August 2007-October 2007, 26, 4. www.quno. information/data/cJ-SFTA4e.pdf. [8] Devesh Kapur. (2004) Remittances: org/geneva/pdf/economic/Discussion/BP- The new development mantra? G- GATS-Mode4.pdf. [30] www.moit.gov.vn/vsi_portlets/UserFiles/ 24 Discussion Paper No. 29 www. Docman/Upload/Agreement%20on%20AIA. unctad.org/Templates/Download. [20] E.g. Quaker United Nations Offi ce doc. asp?docid=4855=1&intItemID=2103. - Geneva. ibid; Joy Kategekwa. Extension of Mode 4 commitments to include unskilled [31] Offi ce of the US Trade Representative. [9] World Bank, 2006, Global Economic workers in the WTO. A win win situation, Chile and Singapore FTAs - Temporary entry of Prospects: Economic Implications of especially for LDCs. South Centre. Presented at professionals. Remittances and Migration (Washington). OECD Development Centre Panel on Migration and Development. WTO Public Forum 2006- [32] Thailand-Australia Free Trade [10] IFAD. Migrant workers worldwide sent What WTO for the XXIst Century? Geneva, Agreement. http://www.dfat.gov. home more than US$300 billion in 2006, new 25-26 September 2006. au/trade/negotiations/aust-thai/. study fi nds. 17 October 2007. http://www.ifad. org/media/press/2007/44.htm. [21] International Trade Union Confederation [33] European Commission. The EU-Algeria Association Agreement. http://ec.europa. [11] BBC News. S Africa to set up migrant [22] ICFTU Press Release. Exploitation not a eu/external_relations/algeria/agreement/index_ camps. 28 May 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/ path to alleviating poverty, trade union body en.htm. hi/africa/7422887.stm. warns at end of services negotiations at WTO. 7 April 2006. [34] http://migrante.tripod.com/. [12] “What the General Agreement on Trade in Services can do”, speech to Opening Markets [23] Basav Sen. Legalizing human traffi cking. [35] http://www.nytwa.org/. For Banking Worldwide: The WTO General Dollars and Sense, May/June 2006. http://www. Agreement on Trade in Services, 6/1/97, dollarsandsense.org/archives/2006/0506sen. [36] http://iwc-cti.ca/. London. html. [37] Verda Cook. (2004). Workers of Colour Within a Global Economy. Canadian Labour Congress. http://canadianlabour.ca/updir/ research.pdf.

18 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT WORLD ECONOMY

A young Bangladeshi girl pauses from brick-making PHOTO: MANOOCHER DEGHATI / IRIN

On the global economic and fi nancial crisis: ROOTS AND PROSPECTS

Sonny Africa IBON Foundation, Inc.

(Paper presented at an international forum on the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ held last June 19, 2008 in Hong Kong, SAR)

he deep problems of the world capitalist economic development or equity for the people under system are in very sharp focus today. the oppressive and exploitative capitalist system. The majority of humanity has long suffered unremitting poverty and The global capitalist system has seen a generalized exploitation. But the people are being growth slowdown in the nearly four decades since pushed into even greater diffi culties by the early 1970s. Even the relatively high fi nance- and theT current episode of intense economic and fi nancial speculation-driven growth of the last few years has crisis which is feared to be the worst since the not been able to reverse this trend, aside from such Great Depression of the 1930s. The current descent hollow growth being unavoidably short-lived and into greater socio-economic turmoil does not just unsustainable. The people are further and further underscores the inevitability of crisis under capitalism away from the false promises of prosperity through – it also exposes how imperialism’s dogged and neoliberal “globalization”. The number of those living vicious efforts to secure profi ts are precisely what on a conservative $2 or less a day has doubled in the create the conditions for ever greater instability. last three decades and stands at 2.8 billion or nearly All this affi rms how there can never be true socio- half the world’s population. A billion people go hungry

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 19 WORLD ECONOMY

everyday, and two billion do not agricultural production and trade vicious attacks on labor even in even have clean water. has destroyed backward rural the advanced capitalist countries. food systems and depleted food An economic assault pressed The current explosion of crisis supplies aside from worsening the down wages, salaries and benefi ts appears to begin from fi nancial poverty of agricultural producers. across the globe while political excesses in the United States that Subsidized food imports fl ooded assaults pummeled unions and led to domestic troubles which domestic markets at the same other organized workers. Usurious had subsequent repercussions time as producers have found debt burdens were used to on the rest of the world. Yet themselves ever more tied directly extract surpluses from while the sub-prime loan crisis to overpriced inputs from big the neocolonies on a massive in the US housing market is foreign agri-business. The giant scale. They were quickly plunged the most immediate trigger, this transnational oil corporations have into a debt crisis in the early merely refl ects the system-wide used their monopoly control to 1980s which has since been problem with world capitalism, drive prices up which has been opportunistically used to increase i.e. unprecedented reliance on exacerbated by speculation in oil imperialist economic and political paper profi ts and digitally conjured futures markets. Rising energy control over them. capital. There are initial estimates prices drive up food prices even that fi nancial losses could reach further. The limits of these wide-scale up to US$30 trillion worldwide. efforts to support capitalists’ profi ts Imperialist aggression – at the expense of deepening In its effort to maintain its profi ts, misery on a global scale – could monopoly capital forced greater The intensifi cation of the global not but assert themselves. trade and investment liberalization crisis in the 1970s and the severe The large-scale economic on the neocolonies to exploit their profi t squeeze on the advanced dispossession of the people cheap neocolonial labor, plunder capitalist powers drove them further constricted opportunities their raw materials, and capture to seek deeper in-roads into for investments which in turn their markets. But these have neocolonial markets through further accentuated the glut of been less and less effectual, and their neoliberal globalization fi n ance capital. By the 1990s, so it has relied more and more offensive. The people of the world imperialism increasingly relied on paper profi ts and digitally have since been challenged to on getting its profi ts from purely conjured capital. The fi nancial confront the big powers’ ever more fi n ancial schemes that were crisis manifesting fi rst of all in calculating rapacity and increasing disconnected from any productive the US merely exposes world economic aggression to multiply activity. Parasitic capital took capitalism’s system-wide problem their exploitation. Imperialism has advantage of advances in of an unprecedented reliance on become increasingly aggressive information and communications this largely fi ctitious capital. At the in seeking to relieve its crisis and technology not just to facilitate its root of all this is capitalism’s crisis maintain its superprofi ts. global production networks but of overproduction exacerbated in also to fashion complex fi nancial the last decades by the neoliberal Monopoly capital forced greater instruments for creating profi ts “globalization” offensive. trade and investment liberalization outside of any actual productive on the neocolonies. Backward activity. The people are also now agricultural systems were overrun severely burdened by rapidly and vast numbers of the peasantry Previously unseen levels of increasing food and energy thrown into greater hardship. At profi ts were derived from sheer prices. Neoliberal globalization of the same time there were more speculation. But while seemingly increasing the capital stock, these The greatest share of the world’s huge amounts of capital existed only digitally and were greatly income remains concentrated in the diverging from real economic values. The eventual economic imperialist countries that, as of 2006, impact upon massive fi nancial have only 16 percent of the world’s losses are however very real. Imperialism sought to surmount population but account for three-fourths its crisis with a bewildering array of fi nancial instruments that of global GDP. created unprecedented debt- 20 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT WORLD ECONOMY and speculation-driven illusions of prosperity and growth. Global fi nancial assets include equities, private and government debt securities and bank deposits. These have bloated sixteen-fold from US$12 trillion in 1980 to an estimated US$190 trillion in 2007, over a third of which are in the US. In 2006 the value of global fi nancial assets was equivalent to 350% of global gross domestic product (GDP). Superconductive fi nance capital destabilizes economies of entire regions at a time and PHOTO: MANOOCHER DEGHATI / IRIN there were a record US$8.2 trillion in cross-border All those problems only continued between private profi t and social capital fl ows just in 2006. to mount in the 2000s and are now production, and in the resulting coming to a head. Global markets crisis of overproduction. Among The self-limiting and destructive kept on constricting in the face of the false solutions it is fl oating nature of this conjured economic the imperialist economic offensive. are neo-Keynesian New Deal- dynamic was soon exposed. The relentless “globalization” of type fi scal stimulus, fi nancial The fi nancial crisis that engulfed trade and investment continued lifelines and bail-outs, and in Asia in 1997 and that quickly to destroy productive forces “reforming” the global fi nancial spread around the world, including in neocolonial agriculture and architecture towards greater to the US in 2000, showed up industry: subsistence farming, fi n ancial governance. These the vagaries of fi nancial markets. backward agriculture and incipient will all ultimately fail not just for The adverse effects on the real manufacturing industry. The being limited efforts but more so economy of footloose international working people in the advanced because they pretend that the capital rapidly crossing borders capitalist economies continued to problem is merely about fi nancial were clearly seen. suffer low remuneration for their excesses and resulting inadvertent labors. Debt and speculation were instability. The 1990s also saw the expansion used not just to generate fi nancial of global labor markets for profi ts but also to artifi cially Imperialism’s fi nancial crisis capitalism to exploit. In particular, infl ate demand and counter the opening up of China, the stagnation. But the resulting The situation of the US economy former Soviet Union, Eastern shallow growth in construction, is useful in showing aspects of the Europe and the greater openness real estate, commercial trading problems of the capitalist system of various Southeast and South and fi nance sectors could not for in sharp relief. Real average and Asian economies effectively long compensate the pressures minimum wages were steadily doubled the number of people for narrowing global markets. Despite increasing since the 1940s and exploitation. Imperialism tapped the supposedly rapid growth in 1950s. These however became these hundreds of millions both the last few years there remain basically stagnant since the onset through setting up investment shrinking opportunities for of intensifi ed crisis in the early enclaves overseas as well as by genuinely productive investment. 1970s. This has caused the share directly bringing in migrant labor of wages and salaries in national or taking advantage of displaced Global capitalism is fundamentally incomes to fall since 1970 and by refugees. Social services and limited in how it deals with the 2006 already reached the smallest public utilities were turned into crisis because this is rooted in share of income on record. The opportunities for profi t. the system’s basic contradiction share of corporate profi ts on the EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 21 WORLD ECONOMY

other hand has correspondingly unsustainable US$51.1 trillion in conspicuously accompanying the been rising and by 2006 was at its 2007 which is equivalent to nearly rising competition between the highest since 1950. four times US GDP of US$13.8 imperialist powers. trillion. Public debt breaks down There was a seemingly rapid into federal (US$9.2 trillion) and In the 1990s, the bulk of adverse accumulation of capital since the state debt (US$2.2 trillion) while effects occurred when fi nancial 1980s and particularly since the private debt is composed of crisis erupted that dragged down 1990s. US fi nancial assets were fi n ancial sector debt (US$15.8 real economies. Today, however, equivalent to less than four times trillion), business sector debt the fi nancial excesses have even GDP in 1980 but by 2007 had (US$10.1 trillion) and household greatly expanded into speculation soared to over nine times GDP. sector debt (US$13.8 trillion). in commodities which has resulted In the late 1990s the share of in ever more direct effects on the fi n ancial profi ts in total corporate The depth of the problem has people through grossly higher oil profi ts conspicuously increased already invited comparisons and food prices. Among others this from less than 20% to over 40 with the US recession in 1927 has driven oil industry profi ts to percent. And yet the fi nancial that eventually led to the stock record highs with US$155 billion services sector accounts for only market crash in 1929 which in profi ts in 2002, three-fourths of 5% of US private sector jobs. marked the start of the Great which are of the top fi ve oil fi rms. Depression. On the ground, tens The speculation in food markets But since these were largely of millions of Americans are facing has also greatly aggravated the merely paper capital it is crushing personal debts and destruction of neocolonial food inevitable, albeit unpredictable, uncertain futures. The number systems. for the fi nancial bubbles to burst of Americans who are jobless – hence the bubble-driven fi nance, or otherwise seeking more work Continuing challenges construction, real estate and has been rising particularly since retailing boom now going bust. the start of the year and now The people face great challenges Combined household, corporate number some 15 million. There in the struggle against the and public debts have risen to is also a resurgence in military oppression and exploitation an unprecedented and clearly production and rising militarism, intrinsic to capitalism and that are deepening further. Imperialism’s international mechanisms for the domination of world trade, investment and economic life continue to set global rules and distort national economies. They establish exploitative economic relations between advanced capitalist powers and neocolonies. The international fi nance institutions of the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other regional banks are thoroughly discredited but remain infl uential. Even if the talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) remain stalled, it remains imperialism’s most potentially expansive mechanism for pushing its plundering agenda. And PHOTO: ASIA PACIFIC RESEARCH NETWORK particularly important in the 22 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT WORLD ECONOMY last few years are the bilateral and the imperialist countries that, as to the overall struggle for national regional free trade agreements of 2006, have only 16 percent of liberation, democracy and (FTAs) that the US, European the world’s population but account social liberation. This includes Union (EU) and Japan are using for three-fourths of global GDP. the commitment of the people to tighten their domination of Starkly, the world’s 500 richest of the exploited countries and individual countries and regions. individuals had a net worth of nations to confront imperialist From just a few dozen FTAs in US$2.6 trillion in 2005 which is systems of plunder, exploitation the early 1990s there are now equivalent to the annual national and oppression, and to assert some 340 in various stages of income of the world’s 48 poorest sovereignty and independence. talks as of mid-2007. And as it is countries or the world’s poorest All grossly unequal imperialist the US has for instance already 416 million people. trade and investment deals and seized and opened up economies policies must be outright rejected. through sheer military coercion Meanwhile the majority of humanity Alternative international relations and aggression. is chronically deprived with of cooperation and solidarity generation upon generation going between peoples will instead begin In the neocolonies these through lifetimes of hunger and to be built. The efforts to build burdensome socioeconomic destitution. The world’s working more progressive and democratic policies are done with the people have less and less options economies will be all the more compliance of increasingly for decent living, they are losing effective the more peoples there subservient governments. They jobs and livelihoods, and their are working together on a regional craft the domestic economic incomes are collapsing on a and global scale. regimes most favorable for massive scale. Some 1.5 billion imperialism and its need for people do not have or are otherwise Neocolonial domestic economies profi table opportunities and outlets lacking jobs in 2007 – the 190 must be built where our countries’ for its capital. They maneuver million unemployed and 1.3 billion natural resources and our peoples’ to deliver labor and natural so-called “working poor”. Farmers, labors serve the needs of the resources to imperialism at the workers, indigenous communities, masses most of all. This means cheapest possible price. And they especially women and children, a socio-economic program wield state force to stifl e peoples’ are driven into deeper misery. It is serving, and thus, wholeheartedly resistance and to try and make the urgent for the people to achieve supported by the people. This masses docile and submissive. socio-economic development, shall redistribute wealth to social equity and justice. peasants and workers and other In the end the world remains basic sectors, beginning with true divided into rich and poor, and into The people’s struggle agrarian reform development exploiter and exploited. On the that breaks feudal backwardness one hand are the strengthening Hundreds of millions of the in the world’s vast countryside. of global monopolies and their people across the imperialist There must also be genuine increasing economic domination countries and in the neocolonies national industrialization. The and ruthlessness. Forty-six of the have risen up to expose and people’s basic and vital needs for world’s 50 biggest transnational resist imperialism’s economic education, health and housing corporations are from the US, EU aggression. The ranks of the must be assured. and Japan. Similarly, nine-tenths oppressed working people that of global foreign direct investment are mobilizing have broadened A humane, equitable and just outfl ows totaling US$1.2 trillion and prevented imperialism path that does not exploit other in 2006 were from the advanced and neocolonial governments peoples and economies and that capitalist countries. Investment from easily pushing through is ecologically sound is being payments and the servicing of with their plundering agenda. charted. The people will be neocolonial external debt – which This strengthens the ability of decisively in control of their lives, reached US$3.4 trillion in 2007 – the people to face the great as well as at the center of building resulted in a massive net fi nancial challenges in the struggle against just and peaceful societies. The transfer from the neocolonies of the oppression and exploitation need to continue building and US$670 billion just in 2006. intrinsic to capitalism. strengthening democratic mass movements is as urgent and vital The greatest share of the world’s The peoples’ struggle for socio- as ever as well as underpins our income remains concentrated in economic development is integral movements for national liberation.

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 23 GLOBALIZATION ISSUES CSO roadmap to Accra

Reileen Joy Dulay Secretariat, Reality of Aid

momentous event is set to take In the consultations held, CSOs expounded on their place in August this year in position that while they generally welcome the Accra, Ghana for civil society Paris Declaration, they fi nd this to be quite weak organisations (CSOs) engaging on in realizing aid effectiveness. They said that that the issues of CSO effectiveness democratic ownership, rights-based development, and aid effectiveness. Following national development and gender equality should be Athe 2001 OECD initiative for a High Level Forum given focus and importance in order to achieve aid (HLF) on aid effectiveness and the 2nd HLF effectiveness. They are also unanimous in expressing that paved the way for the drafting of the Paris that CSOs should be acknowledged as development Declaration (PD) in 2005, the Third High Level and governance actors and as a social representation Forum (HLF3) is being convened with the objective of the different sectors of society. of monitoring the implementation of the PD. And for the fi rst time ever, a CSO Parallel Forum on Aid CSOs were also consulted on the policy paper Effectiveness will be organized parallel to the Third prepared by the ISG for the HLF 3. This policy paper High Level Forum (HLF3). was drafted to provide further discussion with CSOs on aid effectiveness agenda. From the consultations, The CSO process towards Accra the ISG consolidated the points raised by the CSOs and released the CSO position paper “Better Aid: The CSO parallel process hopes to infl uence the A Civil Society Position Paper for the 2008 Accra offi cial process towards HLF 3 by bringing up the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness” which may issues and concerns of CSOs with regard to aid be downloaded from the Better Aid website (www. effectiveness and development effectiveness. betteraid.org). To date, 380 CSOs already signed the CSO position paper and more CSOs are still The International CSO Steering Group (ISG) which expressing their interest to sign the said position paper. is composed of such networks as Alliance 2015, Association of Women in Development (AWID), The ISG and the Advisory Group on CSOs and Canadian Council for International Cooperation Aid Effectiveness (AG) have been engaging with (CCIC), CIVICUS, CONCORD, European Network the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness which is on Debt and Development (EURODAD), IBIS, based at the OECD DAC to discuss CSOs concerns IBON, Reality of Aid Network, Social Watch and and proposals that have been expressed during the Third World Network, among others, led the process consultations led by ISG and also during the multi- and worked to build the capacity of Southern CSOs stakeholders consultations initiated by the AG. These on the aid effectiveness agenda in order for them to will become signifi cant inputs in the Accra Agenda be able to critically and effectively articulate their for Action (AAA), which will be presented during the concerns and engage with other stakeholders in the HLF 3. aid architecture. CSOs on the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) The CSO parallel process sought to reach out to local, national and international CSOs and NGOs. In the draft outcomes for the Accra HLF, the Accra Consultations were held beginning 2007 to surface Agenda for Action (AAA) embodies high aspirations the issues and concerns of CSOs not only on aid for substantive reforms in the aid architecture and aid effectiveness but also on the aid regime. effectiveness agenda. However, CSOs contend that

24 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT GLOBALIZATION ISSUES the AAA highly lacks concrete and is exclusive for CSOs only. The highlight their issues and concerns time-bound commitments. whole day program is for CSO on the aid effectiveness agenda. Parallel Roundtable Sessions, In the response on the AAA, which will include presentations CSOs in HLF 3 and beyond CSOs highlighted specifi c issues of issues by CSOs and a strategy that need to be addressed in order session on CSO participation at Eight hundred donors and to come up with substantive the offi cial roundtable sessions. government offi cials will proposals and recommendations participate in the HLF 3 that will to be discussed at the ministerial As with the offi cial roundtable take place from September 3-4, level in HLF 3. sessions, the CSO Parallel Forum 2008. Some eighty (80) CSOs were will also be having three sets of accredited to the offi cial event, and In the document entitled discussions with three roundtables will be pushing for real aid reforms “Response from the CSO ISG to per set. that will contribute to development 2nd Draft AAA”, which may be effectiveness: meaningful found in the Better Aid website A public session will take place on progress on human rights, poverty (www.betteraid.org), the following the second day of the CSO Parallel eradication, gender equality, labour concerns and recommendations on Forum on Aid Effectiveness, standards and environmental the AAA were raised: and will be participated in by sustainability (ISG). The fi nal CSOs, donors and government recommendations and critical • democratic ownership; representatives. Among the observations on the progress of • transparency and highlights of the public session the implementation of the PD, as accountability; are the key messages that will discussed during the CSO Parallel • conditionality; be delivered by the ISG and Forum on Aid Effectiveness will • technical assistance; representatives from CSOs, donors also be put forward by CSOs in the • increasing the value of aid and governments. offi cial forum. – tied aid and procurement; • predictability; The Reality of Aid Report CSOs also set their vision to • fragile states; 2008, focussing on the theme go beyond HLF 3. They will • broadening the debate; and “Aid Effectiveness: Democratic be continuing their call for aid • vision ownership and Human Rights” is effectiveness even after HLF 4 also set to be launched during the in 2011 which will review the Parallel Forum on Aid public session. actual achievements of the PD. Effectiveness Also, as part of their aim to attain The public session will also aid effectiveness, CSO will also The CSO Parallel Forum on Aid include “Village Voices”, a be addressing their own capacity, Effectiveness in Accra will be held space that is meant to create a readiness and effectiveness as on 31st August to 1st September. broad range of engagement with development practitioners. CSO This event will serve as the fi nal donors and governments as CSOs effectiveness will also be given forum where more than 400 CSOs create independently organized attention by CSOs as part of their will congregate to discuss and workshops and forums which aid effectiveness agenda. fi n alize the CSO recommendations for Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 the HLF 3 which will take place from 3-4 Roundtable 1: Roundtable 2: Roundtable 6: Country Ownership Alignment The Role of Civil Society September. Roundtable 3: Roundtable 5: Roundtable 7: The CSO Parallel Harmonization Making Mutual Aid Effectiveness in Fragile Accountability Real States and Confl ict Situations Forum on Aid Effectiveness will Roundtable : 4 Roundtable 8: Roundtable 9: Managing for Results Applying a Sectoral The Changing Aid be divided into two and Development Impact Approach Architecture sessions. The fi r st day

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 25 GLOBALIZATION ISSUES Towards a more broad-based VIEW OF OWNERSHIP

Felix Zimmermann OECD Development Centre

he true value of the Accra High- Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness lies beyond technical discussions Tbetween experts about indicators. Participants will be exploring just what aid effectiveness really means in the wake of the 2005 Paris Declaration.

The fi rst of the Declaration’s fi v e principles is “ownership”. It occurs when partner (i.e. recipient) countries “exercise effective leadership over their development policies” and “coordinate development actions”. The indicator to measure progress is the extent to which countries have “operational development strategies”: code for the poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs) demanded of governments by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

In its latest review of PRSPs, the World Bank fi nds that 8 of the 62 recipient countries surveyed have “largely developed” operational development strategies, while most others have at least “taken action” in putting together such a strategy.

PRSPs help focus policies on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, but can a document drafted with donor

participation – and subsequently PHOTO: DEY ALEXANDER / FLICKR.COM

26 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT GLOBALIZATION ISSUES assessed by donors for its quality often sidestepped by national Policy makers should think about – be truly “owned” by its drafters? governments and donor more legitimate and diverse “Ownership”, in this case, agencies.2 The former do not mechanisms to monitor ownership could just be a euphemism for want interference from alternative under the Paris Declaration. developing countries’ adoption of power bases, while the latter are Currently this function is externally-conceived policies. more comfortable channelling their performed primarily by the World aid through government budgets Bank, which, like all donors with Aid recipients still lack real choices or non-governmental partners a stake in aid programmes, can between policy frameworks. from donor countries. hardly be seen as an independent Of the annual $1.3 billion in arbiter of ownership. aid for development-related Here are four ways in which research, 94 per cent is spent policy makers should broaden 4. Review approaches to on research in OECD countries “ownership”: conditionality themselves.1 Donors, thus, remain dominant in the production of 1. Attack the barriers to local Some donors have begun development knowledge. Then knowledge production experimenting with performance- there is conditionality. Donors based conditions in aid cling to policy conditions to lock More home-grown knowledge agreements. As yet, such in a government’s commitment would provide aid recipients with conditions are untested and to reform. However, experience greater policy choices, more bear risks: natural disasters shows that policy conditions tailored solutions to development or economic crises can put fail to bring about reform, not problems and a stronger performance beyond a country’s least because donors are bargaining position vis-à-vis control. But such risks could be unable to enforce them properly. donors. Support for university factored into aid contracts. In Moreover, linking aid to the research institutes and think any case, donors insisting on adoption of policies clearly tanks is essential and should policy conditions may soon fi nd undermines ownership by stifl ing be increased. Local NGOs, themselves sidelined – many national debate about choices parliaments and the media require developing countries have found and by shifting governmental greater capacities to understand alternative offi cial and private accountability towards donors and engage in technical policy sources of fi nance that come with rather than citizens. dialogue on development fi nance. fewer strings attached.

The relationship between 2. Enforce local legal frameworks Policy makers in Accra can governments and citizens for participation restructure and reshape aid raises a further critical question: policies; they can go further than does country ownership imply Broader ownership requires the Paris Declaration and redefi ne government ownership? countries to guarantee the what we mean by “ownership”. If right to assemble and freedom they are serious about making aid Governments prefer the policy of information, and to repeal effective, they must. process to be centralized in laws that censure investigative national capitals, but recognize journalism. More generally, that aid is more effective when governments should protect the parliaments, local governments constitutional role of parliaments Notes: and civil society actors are and reinforce national institutions engaged in the design of such as auditors and anti- 1 An Initiative to Strengthen Policy policies and monitoring their corruption commissions. Together, Analysis in Developing Countries, The William and Flora Hewlett implementation. This recognition governments and donors should Foundation, February 2006. Available has implications for what we mean communicate more actively at http://www.hewlett.org/Programs/ by “ownership” and extends it about loan agreements and the GlobalAffairs/Thinktanks/. beyond national governments. conditions attached to these. 2 F. Zimmermann & McDonnell, I., “Broader Ownership for Development”, Financing Political reality, however, 3. Improve monitoring Development: Whose Ownership?, means that local actors are still mechanisms for ownership OECD Development Centre, 2008.

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 27 CLIMATE CHANGE CSOs condemn G8’s DISTORTED CLIMATE ‘VISION’

okkaido, Japan, July 9, 2008 - As the 3-day G8 Summit comes to In particular is the G8’S support for the World a close, no real progress is being Bank’s Climate Investment Funds including the made on the climate change agenda Clean Technology Fund and the Strategic Climate as the world’s wealthiest nations Fund which basically seek to scale up public and push for self-serving interests private fi nance to deploy cleaner energy technologies whileH sidestepping real commitments in signifi cantly to developing nations, in addition to supporting curbing their greenhouse gas emissions. adaptation.

“Judging from the Summit’s communiqué on the Syamsul Ardiansyah of the Institute for National environment and climate change released yesterday, and Democratic Studies in Indonesia, member the G8 countries are not ready to commit to fulfi lling organization of APRN, questions the irony, “Why their responsibilities in mitigating climate change. will you allow an institution with a horrible record of While they reconfi rm the signifi cance of the IPCC supporting fuel extraction to manage climate fund?” report and recognize the need for a 50% reduction Ardiansyah, citing fi gures from EndOilAid.org, in global emissions by 2050, no defi nite timeline, adds that WB’s support for fossil fuel extraction has plans and actions are being agreed on,” says Maria increased 93% in 2006 compared to 2005, its lending Theresa Lauron of the Asia Pacifi c Research Network for fossil fuels increased at a rate exceeding that of (APRN), composed of 50 research organizations lending for renewable technologies. from 19 countries in the Asia Pacifi c region. US President George Bush is pushing for clean Worse, Lauron adds that the Summit has been technology and domestic oil production as solutions manipulated by the US, UK, Japan and World to climate change, which critics argue, is a way Bank in pushing for market-based mechanisms and of justifying his administration’s plan to open up solutions long criticized by CSOs, academics and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer even by a number of Southern governments to be Continental Shelf to drilling and oil exploration. The unsustainable. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a site that is home

PHOTO: ERIC DRAPER / WHITE HOUSE

28 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT CLIMATE CHANGE

...the real solution to the climate on Climate Change, which is a Southern initiative to bring forth crisis is a sustainable economic to the climate change negotiating framework, which is the basic demand table the concerns and demands of peoples who are worst-affected of grassroots in the South, as refl ected and yet are the least empowered to in the People’s Protocol on Climate adapt to climate change. Change... Lauron concludes, “The G8 climate vision is a distorted view to a number of protected species. Lauron states, “It is ironic that of the whole climate change issue. In addition, the Bush wanted global food security is one of the The masquerade is over. The large China and India to make the same issues discussed and yet, even and numerous protest actions commitments to curb greenhouse the WB reports that biofuels against the G8 summit from all gas emissions. production has actually forced over the world could only mean global food prices to increase by that the people will not be fooled Aside from clean technologies, a staggering 75%, in addition to into all the greenwashing by the the G8 countries are promoting displacing farmers and indigenous G8 nations. People’s movements market mechanisms such as tax peoples from their lands and are now building their strength incentives, performance-based compromising their health and towards a climate friendly future regulation, emissions-trading livelihoods”. based on the principles of people’s and taxes and consumer labeling. sovereignty, social justice, respect Alarming is also the fact that these Lauron acknowledges the for the environment and common wealthy nations are aggressively importance of technological fi xes but differentiated responsibilities”. advancing the use of biofuels. and funding support as short-term solutions. In the long For more information on the People’s run, the real solution to Protocol on Climate Change the climate crisis is a Campaign, please visit www. sustainable economic peoplesclimateprotocol.aprnet.org framework, which is the basic demand of grassroots in the Contact: Maria Theresa Lauron at South, as refl ected in [email protected] the People’s Protocol Telefax: +6329276981

Demonstration march against the G8 summit in Hokkaido. PHOTO: MUJI TRA / FLICKR.COM

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 29 THIRD WORLD

People’s struggle for justice and existence against Gandak Dam

Water and Energy Users’ Federation, Nepal

ocal people from the Gandak region in provide irrigation facilities to the Indian states of the Terai of southern Nepal and members Bihar and Utter Pradesh for thousands of hectares of of the Narayani Nadee Niyantran agricultural lands. Sangharsa Samiti (Gandak River Control Struggle Committee) - Nawalparasi The Gandak Barrage has garnered much have embarked on an indefi nite strike controversy since its construction in 1964. Built Lthat began from the 24th May 2008. Activists have by the government of India on the border of Nepal proposed 21 Points of demand regarding the Gandak and India, it was fatefully given the go ahead after barrage that they wish the respective Governments the joint contract of the “Gandaki Irrigation and of Nepal and India to consider. The venue of the Power Project Agreement” on 4th December 1959 strike is located in the western Gandak canal of India. in Kathmandu. The agreement stipulated that India In an act of sheer bravery, activists have set up a would construct barrages, irrigation canals and head makeshift camp barely 150 metres away from the regulators for the common benefi ts of water sharing sluice gates of the Gandak Barrage, refusing to shift for their people. It also allowed India to purchase and until their needs have been adequately addressed. occupy land in Nepali territory for the purposes of the This has resulted in the complete immobilization of structures. However, the actual division of water has the two Indian canals; not a single drop of water has been a rather contentious issue, indeed, questions of been released by the Indian Government since the inequity and power struggles have continually marred commencement of the strike. These canals together the life of the Gandak Dam.

30 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT THIRD WORLD

Instead of the promised, much state level intimidation, Nepal lost set out in the schedule annexed lauded benefi ts of increased this “common benefi t”. But with hereto”. irrigation, the canals have rained that, a greater tragedy would befall tragedy upon the locals as many a the rights of her people. Not only According to this agreement, India failed dam story can attest. Every had she forfeited all bargaining is responsible for the complete year during the monsoon, people power and riparian rights, Nepal maintenance and cleaning of in the surrounding catchment had paved the way for indefi nite the barrage, siphon and canal become unwilling victims of Indian hegemony over her national systems. India has not performed inundation and increased fl ooding. water assets by the simple mark this duty seriously for last two On the other hand, when water of a signature, condemning her decades. The evidence speaks is most needed during the dry farmers to annual torrents of clearly with the structures in the season, India refuses to open the nature’s fury. Nepali side lying in a state of sluice gates to the Eastern Nepal disrepair, whether anyone from the Canal, keeping the keys safely Article 9 of the Gandaki Indian side bothered to check is hidden in the state coffers. While Agreement states that: debatable. Disintegrating cement abundant rushing waters fl ow walls crumble into the body of downstream into Bihar and U. P. “His Majesty’s Government of the canals, a grey trickle answers states, the Nepalese tributaries Nepal (now Government of Nepal) to the excuse of fl owing waters; resemble drought stricken scars will continue to have the right debris and general rubbish block on the landscape rather than to withdraw for irrigation of any the siphons while sluice gates rivers. Nepal receives barely 3 other purpose from the river or its and chains weep with rust colored percent of the total water from tributaries in Nepal such supplies tears. Apparently, the temples of this supposed ‘common sharing of water as may be required by modern India are not worthy of agreement’. India, however, gets them from time to time and His the mighty state’s devotion nor the mother load, harnessing 97 Majesty’s Government agrees upkeep. percent of this white gold. Due that they shall not exercise this to an unequal agreement signed right in such manner as is likely, in On the 15th June 2008, local without proper insight, lured by the the opinion of the parties hereto, people organized a huge mass political promises of India and no prejudicially to affect the water gathering at the Gandak Barrage doubt bullied by a fair amount of requirements of the Project as at the point of no man’s land

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 31 THIRD WORLD

where a bridge connects Nepal Niyantran Sangharsa Committee, waters continue to rise regardless. to India. Various national and and Secretary Prem Chandra Whether the health or livelihoods international activists, members Gupta, Mr. Baijnath Chaudhari, of these people will even get a of NGOs, political leaders and local leader of Communist Party mention seems unlikely. affected locals from both countries of Nepal United Marxist and were present to express their Leninist (UML), Ms. Sita Baudel While various news and radio solidarity and support for the and Mr. Chinak Kurmi Communist reporters were present, the major campaigns fi ght for justice. Party of Nepal (Maoist) also media houses are currently too Chairperson of Water & Energy Member of Constituent Assembly, concerned with outdoing each Users’ Federation-Nepal (WAFED) stressed that the government other with outrageous stories of Mr. Ram Chandra Chataut also has to dissolve the Gandak the ongoing political acrobatics addressed the meeting. He Agreement immediately. They to bother about the looming stressed that the unequal Gandak further reiterated that the Gandak water crisis, let alone a bunch of Agreement must be immediately Agreement must be re-negotiated activists in the far reaches of the repealed and if a new treaty has on the basis of equality and justice newly formed Republic. We have to be signed between Nepal and for both countries and their people. witnessed the infl ated reluctance India, equality, human rights of past Nepali governments to and benefi t sharing between To debate the perpetual address national human rights the countries must be the fi rst irresponsibility and lack of abuses. It is only after relentless priorities. He also added that the accountability from the Indian pressure from international Gandak Agreement has already Government seems an exhausted, advocacy networks that has lost its validity with the people if not moot point. Unfortunately, stung the giant bureaucratic most affected and is thus obsolete. neither can the Government machine into action. The issue of Nepal be aroused from its of river basin management is not In addition to Water & Energy self induced, deep slumber. merely of national concern, but Users’ Federation-Nepal (WAFED), Local people representing more involves the global community. In Himalayan & Peninsular Hydro- than 13 Village Development a world where diminishing water Ecological Network (HYPHEN), Committees (VDCs) and activists resources are stacked against an Campaign Service Center- from various water and human ever increasing human population, Nawalparasi, Indreni, Ramgram rights groups have gathered the equitable sharing of trans- Dalit Utthan Samaj and various enmasse to make their demands boundary resources is imperative. other organizations also expressed heard. Three members are on Unless there is national their solidarity to the ongoing a continual hunger strike under and international pressure, Gandak movement and wishes for the fl imsy bamboo and canvas governments will continue to their success. Mr. Ram Kewat, camp, yet nature cares little for ignore the plight of her people. Chairperson of Gandak Nadee political dramas and monsoonal Will Gandak be another case of cowering in the face of Indian hegemony and relegated to the ‘too diffi cult’ box? Or will those top level offi cials fi nally take notice when the people’s anger can no longer be swallowed silently?

WAFED is a member of the Water for the People Network, a broad network of organizations working on water issues in Asia. For more information, please visit www.w4pn.org

32 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT THIRD WORLD

PHOTO: DANIEL Y GO THE PHILIPPINE LABOR SITUATION Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research

s the global economic crisis reaches avoiding crying solutions that could make signifi cant new lows this fi rst half and with worse inroads towards addressing the roots of the problem. to follow in the coming months or Labor and general public unrest fulminates as the even years, the Philippine labor force regime continues to hedge on its social obligations, is being battered by one gut-level while faithfully observing policies it deems required whammy after another. While the to keep it in good terms with foreign and local big effectsA of the surge in prices of petroleum products, business interests, as well as with multilateral funding rice and electricity are indeed being borne by all institutions (MFIs) that grant its perennial request for sectors of society, the country’s 36-million labor force loans. What’s in store for Philippine workers the rest is taking the lion’s share of the beating by virtue of of this year and beyond is foretold by the following its ever-growing abundance in an ever-shrinking objective reading of the local labor situation. economy. Criminally-low wages The highly-unpopular government under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is trying to handle the By its own minimalist computation, the Arroyo situation by instituting populist policies designed to government pegs the family living wage (or daily- take the heat off its governance, while conveniently cost-of-living/DCOL for a family of six) to be P894;

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 33 THIRD WORLD

Table 1. No. of regular and contractual workers in some car and autoparts joblessness statistic of manufacturing companies in CALABARZON 2.9 million was derived using this manipulative Total % of contractual computation, easily Company Regular Contractual workforce to TWF rectifi ed by using the Masuda Phils 100 700 800 87.5 old defi nition, which puts the country’s real Nissin Brake 60 180 240 75 unemployment rate in Laguna Metts 91 96 187 51.33 double-digits and makes Honda Cars 752 60 812 7.3 it the highest in Asia. FCC Phils 184 50 234 21.36 Underemployment, on the other hand, is at 6.6 Soutech DC 10 98 108 90.74 million individuals. Star Motors 100 500 600 83.33 Source: CTUHR and NCPWR-ST Research, 2004 State-sponsored schemes to sop up the country’s on the other hand, the current next round of increases. But since surplus labor have reached nominal minimum wage (including Arroyo’s assumption of power, she new heights, with the Arroyo ECOLAs) is only P382 in the has only approved an accrued government throwing its full weight National Capital Region (NCR), measly basic wage hike of P62 behind such services-oriented translating to a wage gap of P512. and with the rest as incremental solutions as labor-export and This also means that the nominal increases in cost-of-living- business-process outsourcing wage is only 42.7% of the living allowances (COLA), including the (BPO), twin mantras for wage. P15 and P5 NCR increase last “development” under neoliberalism June 14.This has hardly made aggressively promoted by MFIs Real minimum wage is at P243.31 a dent on the wage gap of P260 such as the IMF-WB and the ADB. with 2000 as the baseline year. then existing in 2001 and the P384 While these stop-gap measures While nominal minimum wages increase in the family living wage do give some temporary relief to across regions are higher now on (or DCOL) that has piled up on top a regime beleaguered by social the average by 39% as compared in the last 7 years, leading up to pressures of its own making, they with those in 2001, the year that the current wage defi cit of P512. have only further exposed Filipino Mrs. Arroyo took over as President workers to violations of core labor of the country, real minimum Hiding unemployment, standards here and abroad while wages are now lower by 7% than “globalizing” jobs drawing the economy farther those at the start of her term. away from a much-needed Stymied by worsening comprehensive and strategic In the face of such an landlessness in the countrysides industrialization program. “indecent” disparity, the current and a chronically backward administration still refuses to industrial sector, job generation Last year, the number of legislate a P125 across-the-board under Arroyo’s watch has failed documented overseas Filipinos wage hike as long demanded to keep up with a constantly have reached 8.7 million. Around 5 by militant labor unions under growing labor force, currently at million of these are contract-based the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) 36,450,000, of which 33,536,000 workers, while the remaining 3.7 and the broad alliances of the are offi cially “employed”. The million are permanent residents Wage Increase Solidarity P125 country’s unemployment rate or immigrants. Their remittances, in 1999-2000 and the Unity for P worsened from 9.58% in 1996- amounting to $17 billion in 2007, 125 at present., and on the basis 2000 to 11.4% in 2001-2005. have grown by an annual average of social justice. At the very least, of 16% since 2001 and now doing so would have raised the After arbitrarily redefi ning comprises 10% of the current nominal minimum wage to P507, “unemployed” beginning in April GDP. still in defi cit when compared 2005 to exclude own-account, with the living wage but certainly domestic household and unpaid On the other hand, the BPO providing some immediate family workers, the Arroyo “industry” has burgeoned not only relief and better elbow room for government was able to magically in the NCR but also in outlying minimum wage earners to weather reduce subsequent unemployment regions such as Central Luzon, out the crisis, until the necessary fi g ures by 1.8 million. The current Central Visayas and Southern 34 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT THIRD WORLD

Mindanao. Centered mainly another big hurdle after being capital for wages, with the around contact centers (or “call hired: contractualization. Big monopoly capitalists seeking ever- centers”), BPO has been touted businesses, whether foreign or increasing superprofi ts in the face by the Arroyo government as local, have long mastered the of the current world capitalist crisis a “recession-proof” alternative fi n e art of labor fl exibilization of overproduction. for the upper-scale job market, in employment, assisted no and most certainly a boon for end by a President and a Crippled unions, no unions MNCs abroad eager to save up government that is thoroughly on peripheral operations cost. sold out on the scheme. More than at any other period in Accounting for 2.5% of the gross Based on the 2003 admission its history, institutionalized trade domestic product (GDP) in 2005 of Donald Dee, President of unionism in the Philippines has and employing around 163,000 Employers Confederation of become a sham. The Arroyo workers (70% of whom are in the Philippines (ECOP), 7 out government’s all-out rush to attune call centers), the BPO industry is 10 fi rms in the country practice the local labor market to the optimistically projected to employ contractualization. Some of the demands of the neoliberal agenda some 1 million workers by 2010. worst “contractualizers” among has run roughshod over core labor sector. But this seeming oasis companies are also among standards, seemingly leaving no of employment opportunity is the biggest, such as Eduardo option to workers but to adopt an now under scrutiny from trade “Danding” Cojuangco’s San Miguel independent and militant form of unionists for being extremely Corporation (SMC) conglomerate advocacy. exploitative, anti-union, and (1,100 regulars out of its 26,000 generally hazardous to workers’ total workforce); Henry Sy’s SM While local laws such as the Labor health. On the average, local call Shoemart (1,300 regulars of Code exist that formally guarantee center employees receive only 20,000); and Manny Pangilinan’s the right of workers to unionize, one-fi fth of the salaries of their Philippine Long Distance the fi ner print and state actions counterparts in subcontracting Telephone Company (4,100 themselves say otherwise. Laws countries such as the US and UK. of 10,000). Such widespread that constrain or even prohibit the Majority of these local workers destruction of tenurial security in formation and actions of workers’ also suffer from a host of work- labor has had a profound impact organizations abound, foremost related health problems, most of on Philippine workers’ freedom of which are those that allow which are lethal in the short- or to exercise their trade union and “qualifi ed” contractualization like long-run. other democratic rights. Most of Articles 106-109 of the Labor Workers who do fi nd jobs in the all, massive contactualization Code, the Herrera Law and Philippines fi nd that they face has greatly reduced the variable the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) D.O. 18-02; mandatory 30-day notice in the fi ling of strikes; the Marcos- era strike provision that allows ingress and egress of company goods and scabs; and the indiscriminate issuance of Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) orders by the DOLE that covers even non-strategic or non-vital industries.

Among the anti-union legislation and practices arrayed against Philippine labor, contractualization is especially destructive. Whereas there are no PHOTO: IRRI IMAGES explicit provisions in any

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 35 THIRD WORLD

law against unionizing economic crisis is of contractuals, their projected by analysts concrete circumstances to last even longer than itself becomes the the previous ones; and prohibition. No employer secondly, the labor would consent to them movement’s core of being part of a union’s independent and militant bargaining coverage, since labor are not known for they only have 5-month taking such periodic contracts at the most. crises lying down. For the same reason, no union composed mostly or In the midst of the exclusively of contractual recent alarming slew workers in a fi rm would be of price hikes, militant able to obtain a CBA with and independent labor management or even to organizations quickly uphold one in a practicable formed themselves period of time. Under this into an alliance called situation, contractualization the “Unity for P125”. It is turned into a benign- aims to build a broad looking but immensely mass movement among effective tool by big private sector workers business to block nascent that will leverage not unionism or to bust existing only for an immediate unions. and substantial wage PHOTO: ARKIBONGBAYAN increase but for the Those that persist and succeed a much reduced 5.6%, or 16,861 scrapping of regional wage boards in forming unions immediately unions with a total membership of (RWBs) that are being used by become targets of persecution by 1,893,000 workers. But even this government to regulate wage big capitalists and the state, who is not refl ective of the real picture, fi x ing in favor of big capital. seem to fi nd common ground in since DOLE does not monitor fostering a “no union, no strike” the status of unions on a regular Workers’ organizations are also in environment particularly in the basis and includes even those the thick of multisectoral networks country’s special economic in fi rms that have closed down and alliances that seek to bring zones. To cite a dramatic case, over the past few years. A more down the prices of oil, electricity Gerardo Cristobal, President accurate benchmark would be the and rice. Among the concrete of the EMI-Yazaki Garments number of existing CBAs and their public measures urgently being union in Imus, Cavite was fatally workforce coverage, which now sought are the scrapping of 12% shot last March 10 after having counts 1,573 agreements covering value-added tax on petroleum survived a previous attempt last some 222,000 workers all over the products, repeal of the Oil year. Also a leader of broad- country. These fi gures portray the Deregulation Law, lowering of based labor alliance Solidarity of true state of union-building in the systems-loss charges in power Cavite Workers (SCW), Cristobal country, and is a damning record rates, and subsidized pricing became the 80th in a list of trade of big capitalist-state collusion in rice. More strategic calls, unionists killed for political reasons in the suppression of Philippine however, are also being fl oated to under the Arroyo government. workers’ democratic rights under deal with price spikes in the long None of these killings have been “globalization”. term and address their systemic satisfactorily prosecuted to date. roots, such as nationalization of Renewed bases for struggle and the oil and power industry and Given such hostile conditions, unity genuine agrarian reform. Hit it comes as no surprise that the hard by crisis engendered locally number of genuinely unionized There are two major reasons that and abroad, the Philippine labor workers in the Philippines has make the big business ideal of sector gathers its strength to fi ght sharply declined. While in 1995 “cheap and docile labor” in the not only for its own welfare but 14.6% of the labor force were Philippines a temporal victory at for those of other marginalized still unionized, 2007 data shows most. Firstly, the current global sectors as well. 36 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT COMMENTARY SEAWORTHY

Dr. Giovanni Tapang

he growing frustration of the families over the last decade. A commuter from Manila to of the passengers in the MV Princess the major ports in the Visayas and Mindanao would of the Stars refl ects the long-running have to contend with the rates and services of these problems of our domestic shipping companies. industry. The ship went down near Romblon when Typhoon Frank hit the The tragedy in Romblon highlights three things. First, Tcountry last weekend. even with the so-called “Strong Republic National Highway” program of the government prioritizing While we were taught in elementary school that the the development of roll-on/roll- off facilities and Philippines is made up of 7,100 islands, going to vessels, reliable and affordable sea transportation these islands is diffi cult and expensive for most. Even for commuter and goods has yet to be achieved within the three main island groupings, inter-island throughout the archipelago. commuting carries the stigma from the sea tragedies in the past. Second, there exist multiple overlapping bodies under the Department of Transportation and There are short-haul inter-island ferries that carry Communication that handle shipping and domestic commuters and goods between small islands and sea travel. Ports are the responsibility of Philippine small passenger boats to fi ll in the rest. Yet the major Ports Authority (PPA) while the regulation of the sealanes are controlled by a few big operators. The shipping sector is the responsibility of the Maritime three major ferry operators controlling the services Industry Authority (Marina). Policy for safety from Davao, Mindanao and Cebu, have merged and ship registration is with the PPA although

MV Princess of the Stars capsized PHOTO: IONLINE PHILIPPINES NEWS

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 37 COMMENTARY To make ourselves truly seaworthy, diffi cult. Since these utilities facilitate the growth of the we need to build a strong domestic domestic economy and support the people’s daily activities, it is shipping industry that supports a must for an honest government domestic trade and ensures access, to be the one to build and manage these infrastructures. reliability and affordability for the In a discussion with Capt. Danilo people. “Ka Dan” Vizmanos, a retired Navy captain who fought against enforcement and implementation There is a lack of major martial law, he noted that as an is done by the Philippine Coast shipbuilding facilities that can turn archipelagic country, we should Guard. Dissemination of weather out new vessels. Machinery, ship invest heavily as a country in information, ship monitoring and parts and new vessels are mostly building our shipping industry. even rapid rescue and coordination imported. Even fi nancing ship still needs to be addressed by these acquisition is a problem by the The Navy captain turned militant agencies. domestic shipping industry. With activist, writer and social critic the trend to liberalize further the passed away last Monday. Overlapping functions with regard shipping industry, the backbone Yet his aspirations still ring true: to domestic sea transport make it of our domestic travel will be out we need to upgrade our shipyards hard to pinpoint responsibility in of our hands and tied with the to be able to engage not just in the wake of disasters such as the interests of foreign investors. ship repair but even in engine and Princess of the Stars tragedy. This machine parts production. situation is further compounded by Public utilities are services and the deregulation and liberalization infrastructure that are used by Our sea traffi c monitoring, of the shipping industry. the people to facilitate their daily weather and rescue services activities and enhance economic should be strengthened. Our Third, a vibrant shipping industry production. Among these are capacity to patrol our seas and is ultimately dependent on electric power, water services, defend our national patrimony a strong domestic economy. fuel, telecommunications and should be increased, instead of Raw agricultural products and transportation. In mass transport, allowing foreigners to plunder our commuters are the main cargo of the infrastructure and means resources. vessels within the country. Only a that enable goods and people small number of container vessels to be conveyed from one place To make ourselves truly that carry the Philippines fl ag are to another in an affordable and seaworthy, we need to build a involved in overseas trade. Most timely manner is a public utility. strong domestic shipping industry of our national fl eet — container These include road networks, land, that supports domestic trade and vessels, tankers and general cargo air and sea transport and traffi c ensures access, reliability and — are small in tonnage. Most are control. affordability for the people. more than 25 years of age due to a low rate of retirement and All of these utilities should be replacement of vessels. It is only accessible and affordable to the (Dr. Tapang is the chairperson of with the bulk fl eet that there are people since limiting access to AGHAM, a progressive scientists organization founded in 1999. This article new acquisitions in the past few these services would make, in was fi rst published in the June 26, 2008 years. general, daily activities more Opinion section of the Manila Times.)

38 EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT Send your comments, reactions or suggestions to Education for Development Magazine. LETTERS Email us at [email protected], fax to +632.9276981, or mail to IBON Center, 114 Timog Ave., Quezon City, 1103 Phils. PAN AP to the Philippine government: Protect your people! Institute a TOTAL ban on Endosulfan!

The news of the recent decision by the Philippine government to stop diving and retrieval operations at the site of the sunken M/V Princess of the Stars due to its shipment of pesticides destined for use by Del Monte is an unmitigated double tragedy for the people of the Philippines! Only 57 survivors were rescued, while hundreds more were noted as either dead or missing, and the searches by the retrieval crews were to hopefully fi nd those still trapped in the ferry.

Not only do the families hoping for news of survivors within the wreckage face loss of hope to fi nd answers of their loved ones fate; now the communities in Romblon province and the salvage crew face threats of exposure from one of the world’s most dangerous pesticides, endosulfan.

“It is totally scandalous that Endosulfan, which is banned in the Philippines, is allowed for use by cash-crop industries such as Del Monte and Dole!” argues Sarojeni V. Rengam, Executive Director of the PAN Asia and the Pacifi c. “The Philippine government has failed in its responsibility to protect the people of the Philippines. It should have imposed a total ban on this extremely hazardous pesticide. Why are there exemptions on endosulfan use for these multinational companies? And it is only due to this tragic event that these issues have come to light!”

Endosulfan is as an acutely toxic pesticide that poses signifi cant health problems, it can effect the nervous system, causing hyperexcitation and convulsions, and nervous system mediated effects on respiration and heart. Death results from low levels of exposure. Endosulfan is very toxic: it is harmful in contact with skin; very toxic by inhalation; very toxic if swallowed; it is dangerous for the environment; and very toxic to aquatic organisms, and may cause long term effects in the aquatic environment.

The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority had banned endosulfan, but exemptions were provided to multinational plantation food companies Dole and Del Monte operating in the country. It has been revealed that the 10 metric tons of the pesticide found inside the capsized M/V Princess of the Stars belonged to Del Monte, which runs pineapple plantations in Mindanao.

“In 1994 the Pesticides Technical Advisory Committee made recommendations to ban endosulfan to the Philippines Pesticides Authority. And the exemptions for Dole and Del Monte should only be in place for two years”, stresses Dr Romeo Quijano, Toxicologist with the School of Pharmacology at the University of the Philippines. “But upon this call for a ban, the Pesticides Technical Advisory Committee was not called for another meeting and has been dormant since!” adds Dr Quijano, who is also President of PAN Philippines.

Cases of endosulfan poisonings, resulting in death or severe disability, have been reported principally in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Effects in survivors include congenital deformities, delayed male sexual maturity, female hormonal disorders, congenital mental retardation, cerebral palsy, psychiatric disturbances, epilepsy, cancers, skin, eye, ear, nose and throat problems, impaired memory, and chronic malaise.

Endosulfan has been the subject of a Campaign for a Global Ban by the Pesticide Action Network, the International POPs (Persistent Organo Pollutants) Network and other concerned groups. It has also been banned or restricted in many countries because of human health and environmental impacts.

For More Information contact:

Sarojeni V. Rengam, Executive Director, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacifi c, Penang, Malaysia. PAN AP Tel: +604 657 0271/ +604 656 0381 Mobile: +6012 4789545 Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Jennifer Mourin, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacifi c, Penang, Malaysia. PAN AP Tel: +604 657 0271/ +604 656 0381 Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Dr. Romeo Quijano, President, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Philippines; Professor of Toxicology, University of the Philippines, Manila; and Convener for RESIST Agrochemical TNCs. Mobile: +639228333531 Email: [email protected]

EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 39 ISSN 1655-5295