FYI -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Nicola Bullard Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 1999 11:20 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: An Open Letter from the South to the World Bank To all Focus on Trade readers from the South Dear Colleague: The following is an appeal from PAPDA (Platform for Alternative Development in Haiti), Jubilee 2000 South Africa and 45 organizations and activists in Southern countries which oppose IMF and World Bank structural adjustment policies. The appeal calls for defunding the World Bank by reducing government appropriations and by calling for a boycott of World Bank bonds. The Center for Economic Justice, a project of the Preamble Center, is assisting with the circulation of this appeal. We would be grateful if you could help us by forwarding it to your Southern colleagues. Signatures may be returned to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and should include: name, title or occupation, organization [noting whether you are signing on behalf of your organization], and country. Thank you for your assistance. Questions may be directed to [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you would like to serve on the coordinating committee for the campaign in your country, send a note to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Other documents from the campaign are available at www.preamble.org/cej. The letter follows in Spanish, then English, including a list of the current signatories. Robert Naiman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Research Associate, Preamble Center *************************************************************************** CARTA ABIERTA DEL SUR AL BANCO MUNDIAL James Wolfensohn Presidente, Banco Internacional de Reconstrucci�n y Fomento, 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 10433, EE.UU. Estimado Se�or Wolfensohn, Nos dirigimos a Usted como ciudadanos de pa�ses que sufren por la pol�tica del Banco Mundial, por las siguientes razones: *El 65% de los pr�stamos actuales del Banco Mundial son dirigidos al ajuste estructural y sectorial *Las condiciones vinculadas a estos pr�stamos han neutralizado el crecimiento econ�mico, dificultado el desarrollo econ�mico, promovido la dependencia, e incrementado la miseria y pobreza de los pa�ses en v�a de desarrollo. *El ajuste empeora dr�sticamente la situaci�n socio-econ�mica de las mujeres. *El ajuste favorece los �sweatshops�, y la denegaci�n de los derechos laborales a la libre asociaci�n y a un salario decente y justo. *El ajuste destruye la producci�n agr�cola campesina y la autosuficiencia nutritiva de nuestros pa�ses *El ajuste ha acelerado la destrucci�n del medio-ambiente natural. *El ajuste tiene un impacto muy destructivo sobre los sectores m�s vulnerable de nuestras poblaciones. *El ajuste degrada nuestra integridad cultural, redefiniendo nuestra manera de consumir y nuestra relaci�n con la naturaleza. *El ajuste ha incrementado el peso de la deuda externa de los pa�ses que han implementado dichos programas. *Las pol�ticas del Banco Mundial de privatizaci�n han favorecido el incremento de la corrupci�n, la ganancia privada a expensas de la poblaci�n, la mayor concentraci�n de la riqueza y el poder, mayor desempleo, y la disminuci�n del acceso a los servicios p�blicos. *Al condicionar sus pr�stamos a un acuerdo de las pol�ticas macroecon�micas del Fondo Monetario Internacional y al contribu�r fondos a los programas de austeridad del FMI, el Banco Mundial es por tanto responsable de las consecuencias de dichas pol�ticas. *Para obtener econom�as, sociedades, y poblaciones sanas y sostenibles, nuestros pa�ses deben desarrollar sus pol�ticas econ�micas con un enfoque en los pobres y en los trabajadores que representan la mayor�a de nuestras poblaciones, y *La soberan�a nacional en materia econ�mica es un prerequisito para estas pol�ticas econ�micas. Como la mayor�a de los fondos del Banco Mundial provienen del mercado privado de capitales, llamamos a todos los que apoyan los derechos humanos y el desarrollo sostenible que boicoteen la compra de bonos del Banco Mundial, y alentamos a que todas instituciones p�blicas hagan lo mismo. Adem�s, llamamos a todos los gobiernos de los pa�ses miembros del Banco Mundial que cesen nueva financiaci�n al Banco Mundial hasta que todo pr�stamo con condiciones de ajuste estructural y sectorial haya desaparecido, y el Banco Mundial haya cancelado la deuda que le es debida por los pa�ses del Tercer Mundo. *************************************************************************** AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE SOUTH TO THE WORLD BANK James Wolfensohn President, World Bank Group 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20433 U.S.A. Dear Mr. Wolfensohn, As citizens of countries suffering from World Bank policies, we are writing to you because: *65% of World Bank lending today is for sectoral and structural adjustment loans; *The conditions attached to these loans have crippled economic growth, hindered economic development, promoted dependency, and increased misery and poverty in developing countries; *Structural Adjustment is vastly increasing the socio-economic burden on women; *Structural Adjustment leads to the promotion of sweatshops, and the denial of workers' rights to organize and to earn a decent living; *Structural Adjustment is destroying peasant-led agricultural production and the abilities of our countries to feed themselves; *Structural Adjustment has accelerated destruction of the natural environment; *Structural Adjustment has a very destructive impact on the most vulnerable sectors of the population; *Structural Adjustment is degrading our cultural integrity, by changing our models of consumption and our relationship with nature; *Structural Adjustment has significantly added to the external debt burden of countries implementing such programs; *Privatization under World Bank policies has led to increased corruption, private gain at the expense of the public, further concentration of wealth and power, greater unemployment and decreased access to public services; *The World Bank in practice supports the macroeconomic policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund by making agreement with the IMF a condition of Bank lending, and by contributing money to IMF austerity packages, and is therefore responsible for the consequences of those policies; *For sound and healthy economies, societies, and citizenry, economic policy in our countries must be formed in the interest of the poor and working people who compose the majority of the population; and *National economic sovereignty is a prerequisite for the adoption of such policies. Since the majority of the Bank's funds are raised in the private capital market, we call on all supporters of human rights and sustainable economic development to boycott the purchase of World Bank bonds, and encourage all public institutions to do so. Moreover, we call on governments of all member nations of the World Bank, to cease further funding to the World Bank until all such structural and sectoral structural adjustment lending has ended and the World Bank has cancelled all debts owed to it by Third World countries. Camille Chalmers, PAPDA, Haiti Dennis Brutus, Jubilee 2000 Afrika Marina Dos Santos, MST, Brasil Carlos Pacheco, Center for International Study, Nicaragua Mariclaire Acosta, CMDPDH, Mexico Carmencita Abad, Global Exchange,Philippines Miguel Alemas,CONFRAS, El Salvador Priscilla Aliysno, Sisters of Notre Dame, Nigeria F. Averdreno, FACS, Nicaragua Jean B. Bakole, COASAD, R.D. Congo Bertha Caceres Flores, COPIN, Honduras Rita Clark, Nicaragua-US Friendship Office, Nicaragua Edgar Cortez, CDHMAPJ, Mexico V.E. Edoku, Uganda Debt Network, Uganda Nelson Edoku, SAARE, El Salvador Luis Gonzalez, MCD & UNAM, Mexico Loila Guadanozn, Integral/Cautro, Nicaragua Haroy CleoJean, Collectif syndical, Haiti Rieoberto Henriquez, COACES, El Salvador Onecimo Hidalgo, CIEPAC, Mexico Jean-Baptiste Chavannes, MPP/MPNICP, Haiti Marina Patricia Jimenez, Center of Human Rights Wambui Kimaltri, Kenya Human Rights Commission, Kenya Gnaka Gervais Lagoke, Jubilee 2000- Cote d'Iviore, Cote d'Iviore Ernesto Ledesma, Global Exchange, Mexico Frances Lo, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Philippines Alejandro Monsiv�is, A to Z, Mexico Hisako Motoyama, Friends of the Earth-Japan, Japan Mwiza Munthali, Malawi Hilda Navarrete, The Voice of the Voiceless, Mexico Odnor Ongiven, NGO Council, Kenya Dalia Oso�o, Mesa de Mujres Rurales, El Salvador Mercedes Osuna, Enlace Civil, Mexico Patricio Pazmino, CDES, Ecuador Esperanza Rascon, Institute of Culture, Mexico Pelia Rivas, Chile Igersic O'odham in Mexico, Mexico Antonio Rivero, Comit� de Incidenos, El Salvador Cornleio Rivero-Contro, CCAJ, Nicaragua Sofia Robles, Pueblo Mixe Services, Mexico F. Sald�n, Agricultural Forum, El Salvador Cecilia Sanchez, National Center for Social Communication, Mexico Virgina Sanchez, Seeds for Self-Relilance Seydina Senghor, Jubilee 2000- Senegal, Senegal Jorge Luis Sierra, PRD, Mexico Zoraida Sora, Mujer y Communidad-SPC, Nicaragua Eddie Sterling, Limije-Lavi, Haiti Herendira Telez, General Council-UNAM, Mexico Dier Tong, Irish-Sudanese Solidarity, Sudan/Ireland Paulina Vega, Atenci�n Jur�dica, Mexico ------------------------------- Robert Naiman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Preamble Center 1737 21st NW Washington, DC 20009 phone: 202-265-3263 x277 fax: 202-265-3647 http://www.preamble.org/ ------------------------------- Focus on the Global South (FOCUS) c/o CUSRI, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok 10330 THAILAND Tel: 662 218 7363/7364/7365/7383 Fax: 662 255 9976 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web Page http://www.focusweb.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
