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Plenary Session on Democracy and Human Rights (Cluster 3) |
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Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
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Wednesday 6 September 2006, 9h - 11h in Congress Hall, 2 ½ Floor
Coordinators: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakan (Finland); The Family Federation of Finland; Institute for Popular Democracy (Philippines); Centre Lebret-Irfed (France)
Purpose: Reconceive a people’s vision of democracy versus the neo-liberal project as a basis of solidarity across Asia and Europe.
Rationale: Democracy and human rights issues are major concerns for the Asia-Europe People’s Forum. The conditions for the exercise of democracy and realization of human rights in the world today are worsening and continue to lose ground. The challenges of globalization are increasingly putting pressure on human rights. The centres of political decision-making are edging away from the citizens and the role of political choices has lessened to the benefit of market values. If democracy is meant to reduce social inequalities and give the possibility for citizens to make political choices, this is far from what is happening today. The problems of democratic deficit in governance, human privation, political oppression and atrocity are widespread and indeed morally intolerable. One cannot talk about real democracy without putting into question the current neo-liberal, global, economic and political framework.
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Plenary Session on Economic Security and Social Rights (Cluster 2) |
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Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
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Tuesday 5 September 2006, 9h - 11h
Plenary speakers: Surin Pitsuwan (Member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation, Thailand), Susan George (Chair of the Planning Board, Transnational Institute, France) and Thomas Wallgren (Network Institute for Global Democratization, Finland)
Since the last Asia-Europe People’s Forum (Hanoi 2004) we have witnessed contradictory developments in Asia as well as in Europe: on the one side the continuation of “market opening measures and financial economic considerations predominating over social ones” (Report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation), the ongoing process of liberalisation and privatisation, leading to a global restructuring of labour markets with decreasing wages, increasing informal labour and social security, the further withdrawal of the state from providing social services to all people with negative consequences for millions of people. On the other side we are witnessing growing resistance against the current form of globalisation through social movements, NGOs and trade unions all over the world. At the same time we can observe some developments which stay in sharp contrast to the official multilateral credo:
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Plenary Session on Peace and Security (Cluster 1): Europe and Asia - peace building or increasing mi |
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Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
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Monday 4 September 2006, 9.30h - 11.30h, Congress Hall, 2 ½ floor
Plenary speakers: Heidi Hautala (Finland), Achin Vanaik (India), Ramon Fernandez Duran (Spain) Chair: Laura Lodenius (Finland)
The constitution of the European Union didn’t get people’s support behind it and its future is still open. The suggestion included several aspects which would have had an impact on the structures of handling EU:s Foreign and Security policy, and the defence policy. Even though the constitution is not in place many issues from that table have been put forward in a rapid timetable.
The developing of The European Defence Agency, the urge to compete on the arms trade and arms development market with US and Asian countries and the outspoken goal that the EU member states “should increase their military spending”. Also developing of the new military crisis management tools is moving forward in very fast timetable, which many have seen as steps towards a common defence and army.
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