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The recent march across the Millennium Bridge, from Gateshead Civic Centre
to Newcastle Grays Monument, highlights the social and economic reality under
which most of the world's population lives.
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World Bank figures for 1999 show that $128 million is transferred daily
from the 62 most impoverished countries to wealthy countries. For every
dollar received in grant aid, they repay $13 on old debts.
This is the North-South global divide - Europe, Japan and the US vs.
Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Inequality created by the divide has displaced 50 million refugees world-wide
and lies behind war and famine, ill health, high infant mortality and
early adult death.
The global South provides cheap labour - either at home or as migrants.
Migrants become second class citizens, servicing the needs of the global
North's ageing population.
Inequality divides and rules!
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Inequality and Fascism
The global South subsidises the global North - governments in Europe, the US
and Japan have a record of ruthlessness in maintaining economic self interest
despite massive support for economic justice from ordinary people.
Indebtedness and unfair trade strips out developing country's assets. The average
lifespan in Africa is 48 and falling. AIDS has struck down millions world-wide
though the global North's drug companies have refused to lower the price of
medication.
European's far-right thrives in a climate of economic selfishness and hostility.
They thrive by entrenching negative attitudes to race and nationality. They
promote local short term economic interests and divide and rule.
As a contribution to the struggle against world poverty and the struggle against
fascism, here in outline are some of the most pressing economic issues accompanied
by links to campaigns and resources. (Links to offsite resources will open
in a separate browser window.)
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Fair Trade
Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade
that aims for sustainable development in partnership with excluded and
disadvantaged producers.
Lobby Parliament - Wednesday 19th June, 2002: Trade
Justice
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Servicing the Third World Debt - how the poor are financing the rich
The Global North - South Divide
The Jubilee 2000 "Stop the Debt" campaign brought to the worlds attention
the cost of indebtedness to poor countries that belong to the global "South."
Trillions of dollars are owed by these countries to the global North (Europe,
the US and Japan).
US political and economic interests dominate world trade agreements, though
Europe and Japan also share large responsibility for penurising the world's
poor. Here are the facts about the US:
- the US has built up a massive external debt of $2.2 trillion - almost equal
to the combined debts of all developing countries ($2.5 trillion which includes
India, China and Brazil)
- the US pays only $20bn per annum to service this debt, while poor countries
are crippled by more than $300bn in debt service payments
- in effect, the developing world is financing the US's massive accumulated
deficits by capital flight and by the forced holding of dollar reserves
- poor countries are forced to borrow from the US at rates as high as 18%
whilst lending to the US at rates as low as 3% (as insurance against speculation
and financial instability)
"280 million Americans bingeing on Toyota Land Cruisers, Sony video players
and Cartier watches - are doing so by raiding the piggy bank savings of 5 billion
people in developing countries. Its time the rich financed the poor, instead
of filching from them." Jubilee
Research
G8 Summit
The world's eight largest industrialised countries meet on 26th June 2002.
The leaders of Canada, Germany, Russia, Japan, Italy, USA, UK, France will be
meeting to discuss and agree action on global issues. Their decisions can affect
the lives and future prospects of millions of poor people around the world.
Show G8 the Red Card
"Play by the Rules" and ban the global trade in arms is the message
from Amnesty International to the G8 summit. The trade in arms is a human rights
abuse and by contributing to this, the G8 countries are undermining the prospects
for social and economic development across the world. Amnesty International
Campaign: Show G8 the Red Card
G8 - make Africa a priority!
Sub-Saharan Africa is rich in human and natural resources, yet nearly half
of its people live in poverty.
- 300 million Africans live on less than US$1 a day
- Life expectancy is 48 years and falling
- More than 28 million men, women and children are believed to have been infected
with HIV/AIDS
- 20 per cent of the region's population are affected by civil or interstate
conflict.
Yet spending on health is reckoned to be a fraction of the amount spent on
the arms trade. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes to escape
the fighting and armed forces inflict gross human rights abuses on the civilian
population. Amnesty International: Making
Africa a Priority
World AIDS
40 million adults and 2.7 million children were living with HIV at the end
of 2001. This is more than 50% higher than the figures projected in 1991 on
the basis of the data then available. From: AVERT
- Global statistical Information and tables 2000
Africa and AIDS
"Of the 3 million AIDS deaths world-wide in 2000, almost 2.5 million were
in Africa. Life-prolonging drugs have cut AIDS deaths in rich countries, but
neither these treatments nor other resources to combat HIV/ AIDS are available
to the vast majority of people in Africa. The spread of the pandemic and the
world's failure to respond reveal a system of global apartheid in which the
right to health is largely determined by race, gender, class and geography."
- from: Africa
Action - Special Report 2001 - see also: AVERT
HIV and AIDS in Africa
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