Anti-Globalization
Anti-Globalization
VOICE is campaigning actively against a corporate globalization which seeks to promote a free market economy and trade liberalization. Transnational Corporations (TNCs), the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and their allies are putting pressure on developing countries to open their markets to foreign products and capital. They are exerting a dominating influence on the people through unjust and undemocratic practices which negatively affect their lives and livelihoods.
Through small-scale research studies, publication of anti-globalization materials, and meetings with other concerned civil society organizations (CSOs), student groups, NGOs, and media, we are striving to increase critical awareness among the community to take a stand against unjust policy impositions and the neo-liberal hegemony.
This campaign was initiated in 2003 with a view to greater mobilization for raising critical awareness and people's voice against corporate globalization, against policy impositions and conditionalities of IFIs as well as building a new perspective involving civil and political actors of the society.
Campaign against World Bank Immunity :
Privatization in power sector may lead to more public debts and poverty
An opinion sharing meeting held at press club in the capital on Sunday organized by different network of rights group criticized government policy that have created space of investment for the private sector, foreign companies in power sector. They mentioned that in view of other Asian country experiences it may create more public debts and increase disparity in society. The meeting was jointly organized by Action Aid, EquityBD, Jubilee South, SUPRO, MFTD, Unnayan Onneshan and VOICE.
Lidy Nacpil of Jubilee South narrated her experience from Philippines, and Sayed Aminul Haque of EquityBD gave analysis on Bangladesh situation in this regard. The meeting was moderated by Rashed Al Titumir of Unnayan Onneshan, while Md. Shamsuddoha of EquityBD, Faruque Ahmed from MFTD and Farjana Akther of VOICE spoke on the occasion.
Call for Observation: May 4, 2010, Asian Day of Action Against Privatization of Essential Services
PRESS RELEASE
[Dhaka, May 3, 2010] VOICE, rights-based research and advocacy organization based in Dhaka called for solidarity to observe the Asian Day of Action against Privatization of Essential Services. The Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) and the Campaign Network on the Right to Essential Services and Natural Resources (RTRS) declared May 4 as the Asian Day of Action Against Privatization of Essential Services while VOICE being its members called for strengthening civil society voices against blanket privatization of essential services including heath and education. The day of action coincides with the 43rd Annual Governors Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Taskent, Uzbekistan. The observation of the day aims at standing against the ADB’s role in privatizing water, power, and other essential services in the region.
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE urges all sects of society to resist and oppose the imposition and financing of privatization of water and power and other essential services. He said that due to privatization process in Bangladesh, people have already been affected and the poor became the worst sufferers. He further added to stop financing private sector monopolization of
water, power, health and education sectors in Bangladesh.
Transparency, accountability in aid disbursement demanded
Some 21 civil society organizations staged a protest rally on Tuesday to denounce the role of the development partners and their allied ‘elite class’ and bureaucrats in development process, saying they were responsible for misusing foreign aid.
They [the development partners in Bangladesh, the ‘elite class’ and the bureaucrats] have made the country increasingly indebted since liberation, the protesters from rights based organizations told the rally.
Bangladesh government on Monday began a two-day dialogue in Dhaka with multilateral lenders and donor countries seeking approval of the poverty reduction strategy, a lender-driven development document.
Parallel to the ongoing BDF meeting, the rights organizations — Arpan, AMKS, Eso, Bangladesh Krishak Federation, CSRL, EquityBD, Kishani Sohva, Lead Trust, On line knowledge centre, Protikrit, Karmajibi Nari, La via campesina, MFTD, Prantik, Purbasha, RCSV, Swadhin Bangla Garments Sramik Federation, Solidarity Workshop, Sirajganj Flood Forum, Uddipan, Voice, and World Development Movement, UK—organised the rally in front of National Press Club in the city.
The organizers demanded sovereign, democratic and responsible financing to ensure that the benefits of aid and loans reach the poor through a transparent and accountable manner.
'Donors' support destructive for Bangladesh'
Speakers at a press conference yesterday said loans and grants of the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international financial institutions are destructive for Bangladesh as the donor agencies take away more kickbacks than what they have provided as aid or loans.
Only 25 percent of the foreign aid and loans provided to the country go to the target group while the rest of them are attained for the auxiliary and support services, they added.
The speakers said this at the press conference organised by VOICE, a rights-based research group, and Aid Accountability Group, a civil society alliance, at the National Press Club in the city.
They called on the government to reject destructive aid and formulate an independent economic policy instead of PRSP and to make all loan agreements public ensuring transparency and accountability.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=126405
Rights group urges govt to reject conditional lending
VOICE, a rights research organisation, on Sunday called upon the government to reject ‘destructive foreign aid’ that has crippled national policymaking by robbing it of ‘sovereignty and independence’.
The rights leaders, at a press conference ahead of the meeting of the Bangladesh Development Forum, insisted that the government should announce when it will stop receiving conditional external assistance and begin to prepare the national budget with domestic resources only.
They added that only 25 per cent of foreign aid and loans reached the target group while the rest went to auxiliary and support services including the fees of foreign consultants.
‘The people of Bangladesh are becoming more and more indebted due to the loans given by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and thus have become more vulnerable to foreign manipulation,’ Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, told reporters at the National Press Club.
International Campaign on Climate Refugees’ Rights (ICCR)
We call for a new legal framework for climate refugees to realize their social, political, cultural and economic rights. Many developing countries of the global south are facing serious catastrophe due to climate change. Hundreds and thousands of people from these developing nations have already been displaced and millions more will be displaced if appropriate measures are not taken today. The current rate of climate change is rapidly increasing due to the onslaught of global warming caused by excessive carbon emissions, and more frequent and extreme draught, flooding, cyclones and sea level rise are the life-threatening results.
Writing history's Longest Suicide Note: A guest post from Red Constantino
Friday, October 23. 2009
Writing history’s longest suicide note
The UN office in Ratchadamnoen Ave., Bangkok, where the intersessional global climate negotiations was recently held with glacial speed. 
The morning after.
When the plane finally touched asphalt I could call home.
Kamuning in the heart and also beneath my feet.
Content canine Emil is sleeping on my left, at peace with the slow day in the corner where he fought and defeated the ugly things that once attempted to impose their space in our house.
In front of us, the bougainvillea planted years ago in the street.
The plant is stretching out, with multiple trunks stemming from a single base, thorned stems shooting upwards, towards the sun, merging with the crown of the old chesa.
From above, the woody vine cascades with a different shade of green and shy bracts of magenta flowers, enjoying, on occasion, the company of the deep-yellow fruit of the evergreen tree spelled tiessa or called canistel elsewhere.
A breeze strums the air and momentarily parts the leaves, allowing connection briefly with the sky.
From Bangkok (UN climate talks): Asian Peoples’ Solidarity for Climate Justice
The Asian Peoples' Solidarity for Climate Justice was formed to prepare the civil society program in parallel with the United Nations climatetalks, 28 September to 9 October 2009, Bangkok.
On the 29th of September, there was a press conference organized by The Asian peoples's solidarity for climate justice where Farjana Akter from VOICE read out the statement which is below:
We, the Asian Peoples’ Solidarity for Climate Justice, are gathered here in Bangkok, Thailand to take our stand in the face of an unprecedented conflict.
It is a conflict over resources, a conflict driven by unfettered profiteering and the slavery of consumption, it is a conflict brought about the domination and ascendancy of private interest over public good.
Among the direst consequences of this conflict is global warming and the planetary impacts that are just beginning to unfold as we speak, such as rising seas, mass forced migration due to massive drought and the increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events. The impacts also include rapid economic meltdown and the destruction of jobs and livelihoods, because the environmental ills the world is facing today are inextricably wedded to the global economic and financial system.
Climate and peoples’ livelihood
Despite strong pressure from communities and NGOs, the ADB continues to support destructive carbon-intensive development projects such as coal-fired power stations, large dams and private sector-biased highways, thereby accelerating the adverse impacts of increasing global temperatures. Farjana Akter of VOICE, an active Forum member, talks about the consequences of such reckless programs and direct impact of climate change in Bangladesh.
Most of the rural people of Bangladesh think that the changing climate, as well as the frequent natural disasters, happened by God's hand. These are natural disasters. They also think that because of our sins God gives us these troubles. These simple and vulnerable people are quite far removed from global politics and injustice order. They do not know that they are victims of climate change.