Twenty years of the ever-inspiring Focus on the Global South
Date: 10 August 2015
This is not an ordinary day in the office. Today I am travelling to Manila, in the Philippines, to join one of our allies, Focus on the Global South, as it celebrates 20 years of activism.
Focus on the Global South was established in 1995 and has consistently presented critical perspectives on globalisation, governance and development, grounded in its commitment to social, economic, ecological and gender justice, peoples’ democracy and plurality. At the same time, it has used its resources and skills to support peoples’ struggles and to help create and build spaces where peoples’ voices can be heard.
This week Focus is bringing together one hundred people, to “foster collective debate about critical issues, renew unities and solidarities, forge new partnerships, plan together for a better world, and celebrate 20 years of Focus’ activism for peace and justice”. I am lucky enough to be one of them.
Global Justice Now has worked in solidarity with Focus from the beginning, when we came together to critique and campaign to change the imbalance of power in the world trade system. Focus was established the same year as the World Trade Organisation. Walden Bello, a founder and former director, was a key voice on the subjugation of the global south in trade talks during the 1999 protests in Seattle, when the Battle in Seattle brought international trade into the public eye. The knowledge and engagement of Focus’ staff in trade issues, has been a constant source of guidance and insight for Global Justice Now over the years. Most recently, Joseph Purgganan came to our Take Back Our World conference to put campaigning to stop TTIP in context and explain the trade deals people in the global south are most actively campaigning to change and stop.
But Focus’ expertise goes well beyond trade. Like Global Justice Now, Focus is part of a global struggle to reclaim public water; it is a vociferous advocate of agroecology (a farming system to shift the control of the land, seeds, markets and labour out of the hands of big business and back into the hands of small-scale farmers); and it is monitoring the upcoming climate talks in December in Paris, but working with others to organise for a more progressive alternative than the climate talks can deliver. On this in particular, we share the views of their former director, Pablo Solon, “The idea that we can change everything and save the world at the last minute is exciting in movies but it does not work in real life”.
One of my main roles at Global Justice Now is to check we have the right analysis and balance in our campaigning and policy work. A quick check of Focus’ website and I know we have it about right. If Focus identify trade, investment, land, climate and deglobalisation as the key priorities for the south, then we know are right to do so as well.
Focus has put together an extraordinary programme for the coming days. I am especially looking forward to hearing from and getting to know activists from across Asia who will be sharing their expertise on current struggles, including Henry Saragih from the People’s Health Movement and Lidy Nacpil, of the Asian People’ Movement on Debt and Development.
We know that despite tremendous economic growth, Asia is experiencing persisting inequalities, social, economic and political injustices and environmental destruction. In Focus’ own words,
Leaving Europe behind as a hub of dollar billionaires, this New Asia is a region of tremendous wealth and has seen the rise of mega cities, special economic zones for manufacturing and hi-tech industries, as well as increased investments from transnational corporations. However, deep pockets of poverty and widespread inequality within and between its rural and urban areas have also increased and intensified, with the economic boom largely having been built on intense exploitation of its human and natural resources by states and corporations.
I want to bring this understanding back to our campaigning in the UK so we can articulate what trade and climate justice, energy democracy and food sovereignty means in Asia, as well as actively support these struggles.
A major part of the programme is concerned with how we organise ourselves and especially engagement with social movements. This is highly relevant to Global Justice Now, because a key part of our new identity, which we adopted earlier in the year, is to be stronger engagement with social movements and a clearer strategic role in building them. I am keen to hear directly from Asian, international, women’s and indigenous movements to see what we can learn and transfer to our work.
Of course, I am also excited to hear Walden Bello speak and meet Shalmali Guttal, Focus’ new Executive Director.
The strength of our organisation in the UK depends on the relationships we have with groups and activists around the world, especially in the global south. It is from them that we understand which are the important issues and interventions we should be taking action to promote or stop in the UK.
Thank you Focus on the Global South for the invitation to join you to celebrate your anniversary. Here’s to many more years of solidarity and action to build a just, equitable and peaceful world.
