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Church Delegates at the World Social Forum
See Hope amidst Global Strife
Porto Alegre, Brazil
23-28 January 2003
Contents
Between January 23 and 29th, eighteen delegates from KAIROS/Canadian
Ecumenical Justice Initiatives will attend the World Social Forum,
a massive global gathering of individuals and organizations, all
united in the belief that "another world is possible".
KAIROS is a two year old Canadian ecumenical partnership promoting
environmental and social justice in Canada. This is the second time
the organization has sent a delegation to the Forum which is held
annually in Porto Alegre, Brazil and has become known as "The
"People's Summit". KAIROS delegates, representing every
region of Canada, include lay members of church congregations, ministers,
priests, nuns and students.
"KAIROS is about building movements of hope across Canada.
And the World Social Forum represents a strong beacon of hope in
the midst of growing global strife, injustice and environmental
degradation, " says Jane Orion Smith, KAIROS' chair and a member
of the delegation to Porto Alegre.
During the five-day gathering, voices from Canada's churches will
join a wide range of other voices sharing ideas about solutions
on issues including trade agreements, health care, education, international
debt, and indigenous rights. Delegates will share made-in-Canada
solutions with activists from other countries, learn as much as
they can about social justice and environmental struggles in other
countries, and then bring that knowledge back to Canada.
The World Social Forum was first proposed in 2000 by a coalition
of Brazilian civil society organizations and the Workers Party,
which governs Porto Alegre and the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The
idea for an international forum where political activists could
share ideas and strategies triggered strong international support
from the churches. At last year's Forum, for example, KAIROS co-sponsored
the "International Peoples' Tribunal on Debt," which found
the debts of the Global South to be "illegitimate, unjust,
and ethically, legally and politically unsustainable," and
resulted in a renewed international call for debt cancellation.
Porto Alegre provides an ideal backdrop for the gathering because
its political and financial systems challenge trends towards concentration
of power in the hands of the few. Through neighborhood councils
and a 'participatory budget' process, residents vote directly on
issues that affect them, and public services for the poor have been
increased.
With every year, the impact of the World Social Forum grows. Last
year it attracted 60,000 individuals and more than 3,500 non-government
organizations, a rich mosaic of civil society organizations representing
indigenous groups, labor unions, municipalities, women's groups,
environmentalists, parliamentarians, theologians, and farmers. In
over a thousand conferences, workshops and seminars, activists committed
to building solutions traded ideas, established networks, found
common ground and discussed strategies for the future.
As an extension of the Forum event itself, other mechanisms have
also been created to unite and guide the burgeoning international
movement: a 14 point Charter of Principles as well as a series of
regional fora held in different continents in the weeks leading
up to the main event.
This year's gathering in Brazil, with over 100,000 delegates expected,
promises further progress. Once again it will coincide with the
World Economic Forum, to be attended by the world' corporate leaders
in Davos, Switzerland. This year, amidst international corporate
scandals and growing concerns about "democratic deficits"
in many OECD countries, organizers for the corporate event are discussing
ways to renew public confidence and trust in political and economic
systems.
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Action Needed to Balance Public with Corporate
Interests
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KAIROS contends the only way to reestablish public trust is for
world leaders to start taking concrete steps to address the growing
domination of corporate interests that are sweeping aside the interests
of society's most weak and vulnerable.
For example, efforts to stop the Kyoto protocol to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions could, if successful, create a new class of refugees:
those fleeing the environmental devastation (such as drought or
flooding) caused by climate change. And as corporate profits increase,
the gap between rich and poor grows. In 1980, median income in the
richest 10 percent of countries was 77 times greater than in the
poorest 10 percent; by 1999, that gap had grown to 122 times. There
is an unambiguous trend towards growing income inequality: the richest
ten percent of the world's population (excluding China) had on average
90 times as much income as the poorest ten percent in 1980, 136
times in 1990, and 154 times in 1999. Today 51 of the largest 100
economies in the world are corporations. Here in Canada, 21% more
children live in poverty today than did 13 years ago when parliamentarians
pledged to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000.
As its delegation heads to Porto Alegre, KAIROS is calling on the
Canadian government and the country's corporate leaders to adopt
a series of concrete steps to begin progress towards reversing these
dangerous trends. Among the action steps KAIROS has prioritized
is a petition campaign urging the Canadian government to stop negotiations
of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), an agreement which
civil society groups throughout the Americas believe will result
in rising poverty, environmental degradation and human rights abuse
throughout the 34 countries to which it applies.
In particular, the FTAA potentially poses a severe threat to public
health, Canada's medicare system and citizen access to affordable
medicines.
"KAIROS and other organizations attending the World Social
forum are searching for solutions amidst a failed status quo. The
changes we seek are achievable and possible. What's required is
political will," said Smith.
On return to Canada the KAIROS delegates will be participate in
a series of regional forums designed to spread the impact of the
World Social Forum to communities across the country. More information
on the vents will be posted when available.
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KAIROS Regional Activists:
- Heather Hamlin Gravells is an Anglican priest ministering
in rural Prince Edward Island representing the KAIROS Atlantic
Region. She brings to the World Social Forum a strong interest
in environmental issues and concerns regarding poverty and economic
justice.
- Claude Lacaille is a Catholic priest and member of the
Société des Missions Etrangères (Foreign
Mission Society). He currently ministers in a residence for elderly
and disabled people in Trois Rivieres, Quebec. He brings to the
World Social Forum forty years of experience in popular readings
of the Bible, human rights efforts and social justice work in
both Canada and Latin America. He is representing the KAIROS'
francophone partner: The Réseau Oecuménique Justice
et Paix.
- Joy Warner is coordinator of the Spiritan Office for
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation as well as the Great Lakes St
Lawrence associate regional coordinator for KAIROS. She hopes
to explore themes of peace and nonviolence, anti-consumerism and
simple living, and popular education at the World Social Forum.
- Chandra Phelps is a student of Economics and International
Development at the University of Winnipeg. She will represent
the Cambrian-Aggasiz region of KAIROS (Manitoba and North-western
Ontario). Six months spent in West Africa with One World Global
Education opened her eyes to issues of gender, poverty, oppression.
She hopes to deepen her insights at the World Social Forum. She
attends a Mennonite church.
- Lana Schramm is the Prairies-North regional coordinator
for KAIROS (Alberta and Saskatchewan). She brings to the World
Social Forum her enthusiasm for community based justice initiatives
and her experience as founder of a fair trade store in Grande
Prairie, Alberta.
- Sandi Evans is the BC/Yukon regional coordinator for
KAIROS. A United Church member, she brings to the World Social
Forum significant work on human rights in Latin America through
the BC Christian Taskforce.
Representatives from KAIROS Member organizations:
- Joan Atkinson and Sue Wilson are Sisters of St. Joseph
of London, Ontario. They work together in their congregation's
Systemic Justice office on issues of child poverty and affordable
housing. They are also members of the Animation, Communication
and Education program committee of KAIROS. Sue and Joan bring
to the World Social Forum a specific interest in exploring the
interactions between spirituality and justice work.
- Marion Bryan is a Masters student in Art Therapy at
Concordia University in Montreal and represents the Primate's
World Relief and Development Fund. She brings to the World Social
Forum her experience of a Canada World Youth exchange to Egypt
and an interest in exploring the connections between art therapy
and international justice work.
- Fay Edmonds is a Grey Sister from Pembroke, Ontario.
An experienced educator/facilitator and former member of her community's
leadership team, she is also an active volunteer for KAIROS.
- Irene Fraser will go to Porto Alegre representing the
Eco-Justice Committee of the Anglican Church of Canada. Based
in Saskatchewan, Irene works on criminal justice and Aboriginal
rights issues.
- Sue Winn is the Chair of the Eco-Justice Committee of
the Anglican Church. She is based in Montreal and brings particular
interest and experience in ecological justice issues.
- Bert Pitzel is the Social Justice Coordinator for the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina. He is active in ecumenical
work in KAIROS Prairies-North region.
Southern Partner Representatives:
- Lilia Solano works with the Asamblea Permanente por
La Paz -a Colombian civil society network supported by KAIROS.
She is also involved in a key project with CLAI-the Latin American
Council of Churches. A partner of KAIROS, her travel costs are
being covered by the United Church of Canada.
- Sampath Ariyesena is the National Coordinator of Youth
for Better World, a network of the Movement for Land and Agricultural
Reform of Sri Lanka. MONLAR is a partner of the Primate's World
Relief and Development Fund who are sponsoring his trip.
KAIROS Board and Staff Representatives :
- Jane Orion Smith is currently serving with the Canadian
Friends Service Committee, the peace and justice arm of the Quakers
in Canada. She is also a KAIROS Board member and current chair.
Jane Orion brings to the World Social Forum interests in peace
issues, global economic justice and movement building.
- Jennifer Henry is the Team Leader for Animation, Communications
and Education at KAIROS.
- Rusa Jeremic is the Researcher/Educator for Global Economic
Justice-Latin America at KAIROS.
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