Global justice activists call for move “beyond charity”
Article published: Thursday, July 19th 2012
Activists from African trade unions and third world debt campaign groups will tomorrow speak at a meeting in Manchester held to debate how we can move past charity and connect with global struggles for justice.
Lidy Nacpil from the Global Jubilee South campaign and Steve Faulkner from the South Africa Municipal Workers Union are keynote speakers at the event, “Beyond Charity: Towards Justice”, which has been organised by British trade unions and major development organisations.
Organisers argue views of international development in Britain are “in danger of being reduced to merely an aid agenda” of being charitable toward the worse-off. Instead, they hope to draw links between austerity policies in Europe and similar “structural adjustment” initiatives inflicted on poorer countries by Western governments.
In a statement campaigners said they want to ask, “How can we connect campaigns for a local library in our high street with the battle against austerity in Greece, the struggle for a fairer society in Zimbabwe, the fight for a more sustainable planet?”
The meeting will be held from 6pm on Friday evening and has been organised by the TUC and the public sector trade union Unison, along with major development groups including the Jubilee Debt Campaign, War on Want and the World Development Movement.
Richard Goulding
Beyond Charity: Towards Justice will be held from 6pm to 8pm, Friday 20 July at Unison North West, Arena Point, 1 Hunts Bank, Manchester city centre M3 1UN
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Comments
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Sorry, I forgot to mention that there will be a cuppa available from 17.30!
Comment by Steph. Pennells on July 19, 2012 at 4:51 pm -
I wasn’t disappointed at giving up my Friday night before going away- Lidy Nacpil was challenging (though sadly Steve Faulkner had been stopped by visa problems). Accompanying speakers were not just space-fillers and the title provided a good point to start thinking from as we approach the coming of what is seen by some as a complacent government-Aid charities stitch up with guaranteed and safe outcomes next year when the veils of secrecy are taken off “Make Poverty History II”.
I don’t share the hostility some have to Aid Charities which they seem to see as a Business- but do agree that we need to move on from a dole mentality.
To see a film clip of what you missed see: https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterWDM?ref=hl
And the tea was welcome!
Comment by Steph. Pennells on August 1, 2012 at 12:46 pm
The comments are closed.
