Statement from the Conference

“What Lies Beyond Globalisation: Localisation as an Alternative”

 People’s Earth Summit

 Johannesburg, 24^th August, 2002.

To the Delegates and Government Leaders attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

In coming together to face the challenges of globalisation, we the participants of this event constitute a diverse group of cultural and professional backgrounds, representing organisations from forty-three countries. Despite our diversity of experiences, however, we are united in our belief that the World Summit is failing to provide real alternatives to the current unsustainable pattern of development.

While we reject the current framework for negotiations, we also believe that there are concrete alternatives available that can and should be pursued.  Drawing upon our rich collective knowledge and expertise, we have drawn up a list of policy recommendations and strategic action points that should be urgently considered and supported by government leaders and the United Nations.

Essentially, each of these proposals share as their common theme the idea that we must move away from the current model of globalisation (dominated by the finance sector) and move towards a genuinely internationalist agenda – one that places at its centre the rights of local communities to determine their economic path and protect their cultural and environmental heritage.

We call upon governments and delegates of the WSSD to implement policy measures that support sustainable livelihoods at the local level, including:

POLICY INITIATIVES

1.      Local, National and Global Fiscal Measures:

     §     Support for local parallel currency initiatives to allow communities to set the value of locally traded goods and services, as well as of alternative banking schemes, such as the Hawala system developed in Somalia.

 §          Control and discipline capital flows by the introduction of capital controls at a national level; by taxing speculative foreign currency activity (the Tobin Tax); and by the introduction of an international bankruptcy mechanism. The latter would provide a framework of justice for regulating relations between international creditors and sovereign debtors; would provide a fair, transparent and accountable process for resolving debt crises; and would protect the human rights of the people of debtor nations. 

 §          Control capital flight by assessing the quality of potential investment, so that the profits generated by this investment remains primarily within the local community.

§          Set up a universal global and insurance fund for all people. Such a fund could be resourced primarily from payments by rich countries, linked to payments for the damage caused to poor countries from the effects of climate change.

§          Reform of the global monetary system. This should include the establishment of an independently regulated global monetary system independent of current national currencies to serve as the currency for international trade transactions.

 §          “Site to Sell” rules, requiring companies wishing to sell in overseas markets to physically locate themselves in those countries.

2. Trade Reforms: 

 §          Sanction countries that persist with domestic subsidies that lead to the dumping of artificially cheap goods on overseas (particularly developing country) markets.

§          Reform of trade regimes to protect local products, i.e. by undertaking measures such as tariffs on cheap equivalent imports and appropriate infrastructure to facilitate producers’ preferential access to local markets.

3. Governance and Accountability

 §          Encourage and facilitate greater devolution of decision-making authority and control over resources to local and village councils.

§          Legal framework to ensure community control over local common resources (i.e. water, biodiversity, and marine resources), as well as rejecting the privatisation of these resources and preventing foreign companies from owning a controlling share in any essential public service.

 §          Implement legislation to place greater corporate social responsibility requirements on large companies, including measures such as mandatory social and environmental reporting, directors’ duties to consult stakeholders and clear punitive measures for company’s that fail to act responsibly.

 §          Devise and report on alternative indicators of progress and development, such as the Gross Domestic Happiness measure used by the government of Bhutan.

 4. Other Policy Measures

 §          Promotion of local identity in areas where current education systems and global mass media threatens to wipe out cultural and/or linguistic diversity; i.e. through cultural renewal and local language literacy programmes.

 §          Invest in and set targets for the provision of non-fossil fuel energy sources.

 §          Greater support to producer cooperatives and small & medium size enterprises; including reform of regulatory frameworks and other that currently favour large-scale corporate expansion over small business development.

 LOCAL COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

 5. Local Money Systems

 §           Establish local alternative monetary and exchange & trade systems; including village/ community banking systems, time-banking and parallel local currency systems.

§           Do assessments of local money flows, using tools such as the Plugging the Leaks methodology.

§           Support ‘buy local’ schemes, such as the as the ‘Proudly South African’ initiative.

 §           Develop producer cooperatives oriented around local development priorities and sustainable use of local resources.

 6. Local Resources Management Systems

 §           Assess the feasibility of setting up local eco-village projects.

 §           Set up locally owned and managed recycling centres, particularly in urban areas.

 §           Undertake conversion to diversified and organic farming systems.

 7. Education, Information Dissemination and Advocacy

§          Develop alternative media outlets, such as community-owned radio stations playing local music and focusing on local issues.

§           Transfer skills between community organisations and undertake youth leadership and community organising training.

§           Undertake community information dissemination and awareness-raising on the need to support the local economy and protect community resources; including through artistic and cultural fora.

 §           Undertake education in schools on sustainable economics, and encourage children to learn at least one ‘basic sustainability skill’ such as gardening, sewing or recycling.

§           Organise and mobilise to protest against policies that undermine the position of poor people and the environment, and engage in advocacy with government officials to promote alternatives.