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Expanding the Mind, Widening Horizons
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Contributed by Joy Warner, KAIROS representative for the Great
Lakes-St. Lawrence |
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| Joy Warner with Lilia Solano from
the Asamblea Permanente por La Paz — a Colombian civil
society network supported by KAIROS. |
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| Nicaragua - Sandino Lives! (Click on image for larger version) |
This morning I attended a very interesting workshop on how to use the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights — a covenant signed by 145 countries including Canada. We discussed the role the Covenant can play in challenging unjust trade rules and in shaming and naming governments who do not live up to their obligations. Canadian anti-poverty activists, in particular the Toronto based organization Low Income Families Together, were highlighted for their initiative in using the Covenant to hold our government accountable for its treatment of low income people. In the afternoon a related workshop addressed reforming international institutions like the United Nations. The panel consisted of eight well-known speakers including Nobel Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquival and feminist economist Hazel Henderson.
Beyond the workshops and scheduled events, there are many interesting conversations to be had with fellow participants. I had lunch with an Argentinean woman who thought Bush was the president of Canada. My horrified reaction soon straightened that out! Later, over my first Capirinha, the national drink of Brazil, I met two women who work on peace-building: one from Azerbaijan and one from Moldova. I also chatted with fellow Canadians from the Toronto Social Forum who were at the WSF last year. They feel that this year's forum is a celebration of Lula's victory in Brazil and is perhaps a little less diverse than last year.
All and all I am having an amazing, mind expanding time and send
you all greetings of solidarity from sunny Porto Alegre.
Joy
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