Food Sovereignty

Bangladesh is passing through multi-faceted challenges in the recent past propagated by its economic depression due to deregulation of the state machinery dictated from International Financial Institutions. Commoner's life and livelihood is highly suppressed from inflation, unemployment and unprecedented risks. Triple attack of food, fuel and financial crisis on the global economy is also affecting peoples' daily life as the country is a net food importing LDC and its remittance mostly comes from by exporting garments and frozen foods along with low skilled manpower.  Bangladesh needs increased investment in food, griculture, employment generation along with spending in basic services. But the govt. can not invest more as they have
to pay back more than USD 1500 million for debt servicing per annum to World Bank, IMF, Asian Development Bank and to other bi-lateral donors, which is more than 15% of it's national budget. Besides new loan programs in the name of Multi Donor Trust Fund proposed to be managed by World Bank will trap its citizens to new debt burden. Massive awareness needs to be created to
challenge this undemocratic venture of the Bank.

Thursday 16 October 2008

VOICE is going to organize a discussion meeting on `IFIs are the Major Barriers to Development Effectiveness: Linking Financial Crisis to Food, Debt and Climate Change'.

The objective of the workshop is to critically examine the neo-liberal perspective-- the policies and projects of international financial
institutions (IFIs), and its relation with food, debt and climate crisis. Also the discussion will highlight how the corporate globalization, the IFIs and transnational corporations make the world economic order worsen and create recent global financial crisis which puts negative impact over national economy and affects people's life and livelihood.

Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
Location: CIRDAP Conference Hall , Dhaka

This will involve a wide range of civil society including activists, researchers, academicians, journalists, women groups, farmer's associations,local and national NGOs and members of professional bodies. Eminent economists, experts and representatives of NGOs and CSOs among others will be present as key discussants.

Please contact us for more information! (email: exchange.voice@gmail.com, Mobile: 01712-990078)

VOICE operates 10 REFLECT circles in 10 separate village locations, all located in the Myemensingh area. REFLECT stands for REGENERATIVE FREIRIAN LITERACY through EMPOWERING COMMUNITY TECHNIQUES, an education method developed by Ahmed Swapan Mahmud and VOICE.

VOICE regularly publishes a newsletter, "Counter-Hegemony," on the subjects of IFIs, globalization, social movements, trade, and social and economic justice issues. Its objective is to disseminate information in order to build awareness and solidarity for ensuring rights and economic justice, and aims to raise a voice for constructing a new world, challenging the so called mainstream development discourse and neoliberal economic order. This newsletter challenges and counters hegemonic approaches and promotes people's power and authority on the decision making process and on their own resources.
 
To subscribe, write to exchange.voice@gmail.com or use our contact form to let us know you're interested.
 
We invite you to send news, comments, and suggestions that could enrich our newsletter at the following address: exchange.voice@gmail.com

A Seminar was held today (January 30, 2008) at the Women’s Voluntary Association auditorium in Dhaka titled “Reclaiming People’s Rights to Public Services and Natural Resources,” as part of the programs scheduled for the 2008 Global Economic Justice Forum currently taking place.

Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, moderated the seminar, which began with a presentation on Access to Natural Resources by Rubayat Ahsan, Research fellow, VOICE. Sardar Arif Uddin, Team Leader of Action Aid Bangladesh, Ms. Aude Leroux-Levesque, VOICE Communications Intern, Dr. Piash Karim, Professor of Economics and Sociology at BRAC University, also presented speeches in the seminar.

Dr. Piash Karim protested against the privatization of major industries like jute and water. He warned against the privatization of WASA as it will turn an essential service into a business for profit, just like what happened in many African countries. He said that it is possible to reclaim ownership over the land and forests with a democratic government that is participatory and accountable. The struggle for rights to public services is a global struggle, he said, citing many examples from the past 100 years of similar injustices.

Saturday January 26, 2008

Staff Correspondent - New Age
http://www.newagebd.com/2008/jan/26/nat.html

The Global Economic Justice Forum has urged the people to be united against the harmful global policies imposed on the country.
   The forum suggested that the policies for 'people's globalisation' should be given more emphasis than trade globalisation, which protects corporate interests only.
   It also recommended creation of a new world order which will ensure food for all.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Staff Correspondent - New Age
http://www.newagebd.com/2007/oct/20/front.html

The programmes and projects of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are designed to benefit the corporate houses of the developed countries, speakers at a discussion in the city said on Friday.
   The participants of the discussion on the anti-people policies of the two Bretton Woods institutions, organised by Voice, a non-governmental organisation, suggested more rigorous monitoring of activities of these lending agencies and hinted at the possibility of holding a people’s tribunal.

Sunday, April 9, 2006

Staff Correspondent - New Age
http://www.newagebd.com/2006/apr/09/nat.html

Infringement of government’s responsibilities has to be detected with ensuring legal action to make the government accountable for dealing with ‘monga’ situation in the north, speakers said at a roundtable discussion on Saturday.

Our agriculture sector is facing a devastating threats due to the extreme agression and control of the multinational corporations particularly over food and seed. Already we have lost many of our species and bio-derversity caused by hybrid and extreme use of fertilizer and pesticides. The monopolization of the companies lead to people struggle that shattered their means of life and livelihood said speakers in a discussion organized by Voice in Rashidpur union parishad auditorium on 20 March 2006.
Obaidul Haq, the chairman of the Rashidpur union parishad presided over the meeting while the key note paper titled `Aggression of Multinational Companies and People’s Struggle for Life and Livelihood’ was presented by Rajib Rana Das, associate coordinator of Voice. He said the bad impacts of hybrid and monopoly of the multinational companies that are captured our agriculture sector and the whole way of life. He also mentioned that the gradual monopolization and dominance of the companies influence the national policies that keeps companies interest and go against farmers’ interest. Emphasizing not to use hybrid, fertilizer and pesticides, the key note paper also