AEPF Media Statement From Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

July 25, 2019

AEPF Media Statement From Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

July 25, 2019

An Interface between Asian and European Parliamentarians from seven countries and civil society representatives from about 20 countries was held in Petaling Jaya on the 24th July.

The issue under discussion were the reasons as to why people are losing faith in democracy and why Governments are failing to deliver their promises to people and especially to young people.

It was shown that even though about 53% of people globally live under authoritarian regimes, democracy remains the best option for people if it is participatory in nature. However, democracy in many countries of Asia and Europe is being weakened. Several governments in collaboration with big corporations are using authoritarian methods to control institutions and curb people’s rights.

The MPs and civil society members stated, they are committed to deepening and reclaiming people centred democracy. Participatory democracies have the capacity to provide sustainable development, provide welfare and lift people out of poverty. However there was consensus in the discussions that with neoliberal globalisation the dominance of oligarchs, trans-national corporations, military industrial complexes and foreign capital has increased. These have disproportionate influence on social, economic, political and cultural policies. This trend is detrimental to democratic processes.

All MPs and civil society activists argued that all our societies are diverse and plural in nature. But, religious fundamentalism marked by chauvinist identity politics, exclusive nationalism and selective violence is being used to curb all relevant forms of dissent and target rights.

Many experts showed that there are ongoing, crimes against humanity which are being normalised. There is a criminalisation of migrants and solidarity with victims of oppression is targeted. (For example the genocide of the Rohingya community in Myanmar and siege on refugees in the Mediterranean).

MPs were particularly concerned that people have lost trust in their democracies as they believe that democracy has not delivered basic needs. People, especially the young people are therefore turning to right wing movements. Decades of neo-liberal globalisation have increased inequality and about 1.5 billion people are malnourished while basic needs (education, health social security are unmet. There is continuous devastation of the global environment, including climate change and loss of bio diversity. This anxiety is leading to a rise in hate speech against the ‘other’.

The Parliamentarians and civil society movements that were present said they are committed to reclaim democracy for people and some recommendations were made for Asian and European governments.

It was affirmed that Governments at all levels must become more transparent and accountable to people, while new forms of decentralisation of power and authority be institutionalised.

All those present are committed to enhance struggles against neoliberalism and corporate power. This is because the rise of big finance capital goes against welfare of people and social justice. It leads to different types of corrupt power.

The MPs and AEPF gave unequivocal support to universal and quality social protection and call for an end to commercialisation in social sectors like education, health, water and energy. The MPs as well as AEPF activists and others, spoke about the critical importance of ‘solidarity economies’. For example, community and collective control over local resources, public public partnerships, re-municipalisation, etc.

It was felt that young people have lost faith in the system. The MPs and activists said that young people should be encouraged to participate in progressive movements and in issues they hold dear. The participants in this interface were particularly concerned by the monopoly and use of social media by authoritarian forces, that are challenging social relations and democracy. They gave a call for greater norms to prevent hate speech and fake news etc.

The MPs decided to take initiatives to support a binding treaty on corporations in the UN.

There was an urgent call to Governments to sign, ratify and implement the (1990) Convention on migrants and their families and withdraw threats against so called refugees, many of whom are citizens.

Charles Santiago stated: “Many of our fellow Parliamentarians have been jailed because of political vendetta. We call for a release of all political prisoners”, the MPs of all seven countries emphasised this.

The MPs interface with civil society concluded by making a recommendation that Parliamentarians and public policy makers engage with civil society in a continuous and accountable way. They argued that governments have the responsibility to make democracy accessible by enabling people to be at the centre of policy making and implementation.

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Re-imagining Democracy and Peoples’ Agency in a Time of Populist Authoritarianism and Neoliberalism

July 22, 2019

Re-imagining Democracy and Peoples’ Agency in a Time of Populist Authoritarianism and Neoliberalism

July 22, 2019

The Asia Europe Peoples Forum, supported by a number of civil society organizations from Asia and Europe, will be hosting a Conference on one of the most challenging issues of our times, “Re-imagining Democracy and Peoples’ Agency in a Time of Populist Authoritarianism and Neoliberalism”, on July 25th to 26th, 2019.

This conference will be attended by 50 delegates, including parliamentarians from seven countries, civil society activists, independent experts and public figures from several Asian and European countries.

On 24th July, there will be a strategic interface between Asian and European Parliamentarians and AEPF, where parliamentarians will share experiences of their region, their strategic tactics, parliamentary processes and ways of working in the very difficult situations that mark current times.

Download The Program
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Global Charter for Universal Social Protection Rights by all, for all

July 08, 2019

Global Charter for Universal Social Protection Rights by all, for all

Social Protection is an inalienable part of Social Justice. Social Protection is the way to ensure equity and social and economic rights. The Global Social Protection Charter shows the way forward.

The initiative to draft a Global Charter for Social Protection Rights emerged at the AEPF (Asia-Europe People’s Forum) at Ulaan Baator, Mongolia, in July 2016. The aim is to use these texts – a full text and its synthesis – for a campaign to strengthen the already existing initiatives of the ILO’s Social Protection Floor and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Read the full Global Charter for social protection rights on: http://globalsocialprotectioncharter.eu

Download the Charter

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AEPF Peace and Security Conference Narrative Report – Kathmandu 2019

May 28, 2019

AEPF Peace and Security Conference Narrative Report - Kathmandu 2019

May 28, 2019

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The “Asia Europe Peoples Forum (AEPF) conference on Universal Social Protection, Labour, Security and Peace” was inaugurated on the 4th of April 2019. The conference held two-day parallel sessions of the ‘Social Justice Cluster’ and ‘Peace and Security Cluster’. The conference addressed concerns including 1) the major political shifts that are a consequence of the inequality and joblessness on account of the neo liberal agenda; 2) Backlash against progressive agendas, against women, minorities; (3) Anxiety about cultural invasion and disruption of traditional values; and (4) Resistances and challenges to fundamentalism and populisms.

Opening Plenary: The chief guest in the opening plenary was Rt. Honorable Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, former Prime Minister of Nepal, chairman of Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Addressing 130 Nepali delegates and 46 foreign delegates, Hon. Dahal shared his experience of political change, democratic transformation and people’s liberation in Nepal.

Narayankaji Shrestha, the spokesperson of NCP and former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal highlighted the Maoist struggle against the monarchy and parliamentary government/system to make a sovereign federal secular country and to create social justice in the state. Guest speaker and Member of European Parliament Hon. Julie Ward, Dr. Rajan Bhattarai, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the PM of Nepal, Ms. Dagmar Walter, Prof. Anuradha Chenoy, Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru, Ms. Nimalka Fernando, Human Right Activist, Sri Lanka, and Hon. Daman Nath Dhungana also addressed the opening session.

Working Sessions: The four working sessions were about peace and security. The delegates discussed extensively on topics like “Populisms, Right Wing Populisms (RWP), Impact on Peace and Security”, “Different Fundamentalism and Institutions”, “Linkages and impacts of RWP and Fundamentalisms: Migration on Peace and Security”, “Future Programmes, Advocacy, Communications and Resolution”.

Closing Session: The closing session was chaired by Dr. Dinesh C. Devkota, Hon. Julie Ward. Ms. Meena Menon, Mr. Milan Dharel, Mr. Ronald Kulke, Dr. Sharad Onta and Mr. Amaar Ali Jan. The declarations from both clusters were read out and the conference was officially closed following the speeches by the chairs.

Download the full
AEPF Peace and Security Conference Narrative Report – Kathmandu 2019

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AEPF Social Justice Narrative Report – Kathmandu 2019

May 19, 2019

AEPF Social Justice Narrative Report - Kathmandu 2019

May 19, 2019 | Francine Mestrum

Universal Social Protection and Labour:AEPF International Conference by the Thematic Cluster:
Social Justice
Kathmandu 4-6 April 2019

Narrative Report (Draft) written by Ms Francine Mestrum

Participating Organizations: Transform! Europe, Attac France, Global Social Justice, IT for Change, Action Aid, World Solidarity Movement, Home Based Workers Concern Society, Institute for Popular Democracy, AMRC, AIDWA, Dalit Network, NGO Forum on ADB, Working People’s Charter, Institute for Human Development, Asia Network on the Right to Social Protection, StreetNet.

The AEPF Kathmandu conferences were attended by members of parliament from Nepal, key political figures including advisors to the Nepal foreign ministry, policy makers and many civil society activists including labour and women’s groups.

The papers presented and the videos will be put up on social media. The video of the opening speech by Rt.Hon Pushpa Kamal Dahal (‘Prachanda’) key figure of the Nepal revolution was put up on social media platform and viewed more than ten thousand times in first three days itself.

Report

The conference of the Social Justice Cluster was back to back with a conference of AEPF Peace and Justice Cluster, commemorating the foundation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1919, stating in its preamble that ‘lasting peace is not possible without social justice’.

The joint opening session took place in the presence of the Rt Honorable former Prime Minister, Mr Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Both speakers referred to the 10 year long people’s war in Nepal and the successful peace process. Referring to the ILO, they stressed the links between peace and social justice, mentioning that social justice is not utopian. The current government is working on political change and hopes that this conference can help to bring out the proposals and promises of the new government.

Julie Ward, MEP, stressed that indeed we can change the world.

The keynote address was given by Ms Dagmar Walter, ILO representative for South Asia.

Speakers were Anuradha Chenoy from India, Nimalka Fernando from Sri Lanka and Daman Nath Dhangana, former speaker of Parliament of Nepal (see programme). They all stressed the importance of the links between peace and social justice, especially in the case of Nepal with a new government and many migrant workers in the rest of the world.

The conference of the Social Justice Cluster had four sessions.

Session one was meant for stocktaking: what is the situation in Asia and Europe concerning economic and social rights?

Social spending is high in Europe, up to around 30 % of GDP (without education) and around 15 % in Central Europe. This does not mean there is no poverty, precariousness or inequality! The benefits of globalisation largely went to the rich. We also see industry to be dwindling (less than 20 % of the labour force) and agriculture with less than 3 %. Services on the other hand takes up more than 70 % of the labour force, though it is a dual labour market with lots of vulnerable jobs at the lower side. Unemployment remains high, especially in countries of Southern Europe.

As for Asia, after the crisis of 97-98 and after the global crisis of 2008 and the World Bank’s privatisation efforts, a strong demand for social protection was heard. Thailand introduced some exemplary policies, though in most countries and because of budgetary problems, governments adopted Private Public Partnerships. In many cases however, this led to private monopolies with dire social consequences. Due to high urban unemployment and the displacement of landless rural poor people, migration remains very high.

To-day, the climate crisis and the new technological revolution could make an end to ‘Factory Asia’. What is needed is a transition programme with the fiscal space needed for it, so that the neoliberal straitjacket can be abandoned. The region needs a new paradigm for regional and global integration.

Special attention went to the influence of China in the region and the role of new initiatives on labour rights and social protection. There is little unemployment, but social protection policies have been frozen and wage rises have slowed down. With the emergence of a platform economy, labour is informalizing rapidly. Workers have many rights on paper, but in practice there is no freedom of association. We have seen a sharp rise in labour protests and peasants’ protests against land grabbing. There has been a major decline in the labour share of incomes, major income gains go the 10 % richest partof the population. The control over civil society has been strengthened. The Belt and Road Initiative is mainly due to a crisis of over-production and half of overseas investments are not profitable. China wants to become a global leader by 2050 but its combination of neoliberalism and state capitalism is now leading a race to the bottom with a repressive labour regime.

In session two the conference looked at the productive transformation of the economy and the future of work.

An industrial sector is necessary, also from the perspective of state power since, along with trade policies, they determine the sovereignty each country and people has. As for the digital revolution, there are two major trends: (1) planetary boundaries, which go beyond simple CO2 emissions. (2) Privatised Keynesianism is finished.

The digital revolution concerns the merger of the internet and manufacturing systems. Its goals are:

  1. Higher workers exploitation – since Europe has strict rules, many companies move to China, controlling workers in three dimensions (with wristbands monitoring your movements)
  2. Control of each single produced good along the value chain: chipping each item to connect it to workers
  3. Autonomous production, with artificial intelligence (AI). Hence, strikes would be neutralized. What would the labour movement then do?

All this leads to further pressure on extractivism in the Global South + rising energy demands + longer value chains with more transport. In one word: enhanced concentration of productive assets in the Centre (Germany vs Italy). In the III. World: premature deindustrialisation, See for example, the garment sector and AI.

In the IT sector, we witness a platformisation of the economy. Amazon is a good example, since it didn’t start as selling of books, but as a tool to replace retailers, creating the market, not occupying a single marketplace. It created a monopoly, which is the end game, creating shareholder value. As its first strategy, it is involved in multiple, unrelated businesses, like making movies, fashion, selling books etc. Each part of the business strengthens another section. It gathers information which it can use to sell its own goods. As a second strategy, with Alexa, it becomes omnipresent.

All this negatively impacts on jobs. Other businesses shut down, and also hawkers in India express concerns whether they will be pushed out of business. This also happens in the tourism sector, for example, with TripAdvisor.

What is the role of civil society? We can’t continue as before. How to hold transnational digital corporations accountable? New labour standards have to be updated, as well as labour laws. We need to stop the free flow of data and protect. People can claim their data as theirs, like New Zeeland farmers saying they “own” their data, which is a new perspective.

What is the role of civil society? We can’t continue as before. How to hold transnational digital corporations accountable? New labour standards have to be updated, as well as labour laws. We need to stop the free flow of data and protect. People can claim their data as theirs, like New Zeeland farmers saying they “own” their data, which is a new perspective.

Three practical things to do:

  1. Lobby politicians to stay out of any form of e-commerce in trade negotiations
  2. Do mass education
  3. Dedicate budgets for alternative platforms, either from public sector or cooperatives

Reflecting on the future of work, a good idea can be to think of liberating work to heal the world and develop a politics for living labour.

Living labour is the big strength of the left. They bring death, we have to bring life. There is a polarization of jobs, with increasing informalization and precarious types of work. The routinization of labour implies lean production, standardization and control, as well as “bullshit” jobs doing useless things while being well-paid or invisible work. From the left, we present parallel resistances: against inequality (like Indignados, Occupy, gilets jaunes…), against the ecological demise, against the degradation of work.

Could we find a common cause between the parallel resistance movements? Themes like living wage, decent work, or living labour? What is work and how to define it? Work should be to disobey, when workers are confronted with an unpredictable world. These unforeseen aspects are what dead labour cannot deal with. It requires commitment, creativity etc. The social power of living labour is necessary for profit, not controllable by capital and vital for workers. It is empowered by our aspiration for autonomy and our aspiration to defend life. What could these politics of living labour contain: What matters for us in work? As workers, but also as citizens, humans, inhabitants of earth? For our health, for democracy, for nature?

If we manage to position these questions at the center, we could build a natural convergence of these struggles, based on common interests. This would lead to liberating work in defence of life.

For instance, the movement of youth for climate is a major opportunity for workers and unions to create a new common agenda around living labour.

Looking more particularly to the Dalit people in Nepal, it is noted that the new Constitution of Nepal provides a lot more rights for Dalits. Still, many problems remain. Dalits are underrepresented in politics, with no Dalits occupying major posts inside political parties or commissions, nor in parliamentarian bodies and administrative bodies or the judiciary. 44% of Terai Dalits are landless and 15% of Hill Dalits. The traditional skills discriminate Dalits. In the social and cultural sector, data shows that Dalit literacy rate is only 33%, compared to the national average of 54%. Even though there is democracy and formal human rights, these problems still prevail.

How can digital democracy serve and include Dalits, provide positive discrimination? Their movement sees three solutions: strengthening organisations of Dalits, promote grassroots education and promote mutual understanding among Dalits, because many differences exist among Dalits.

Session three turned to the sector of re-production and its value creation.

Reproduction is seen as the entire cycle of activity generating and re-generating the human for the market and the social world. Re-production takes place in post-patriarchal times. It is the blind spot of the economic and political tradition of western modernity. It is on this blind spot that the conquest of capitalism, that is inequality, exploitation and injustice reconstitutes itself.

We need then to re-think the economic, the cultural, the natural-material, the social, the juridical and the political. They are interwoven inside a comprehensive and complex valorisation process for which responsibility must be taken.

Reproduction, then, must be seen as a paradigm.

In Nepal the status of women has markedly been improved, though many problems remain. The status of women varies according to caste, but the constitution enhances women’s rights.

As for Vietnam, many problems remain for migrant women, whether they work in the formal or the informal sector. Very often they are not aware of their rights and have no access to social protection. More work has to be done in the policy system and the statistics.

In session four we looked at the Global Charter for Social Protection Rights.

Social protection today means something different from what it was in the past. What it means today is a social protection that is compatible with neoliberal policies and even with austerity. It is a minimal protection for survival and reproduction. What it means is: deregulation of labour markets, privatisation of public services, the enclosure of all ‘commons’, including our common human, economic, social and environmental rights. What it means is, in short: social protection at the service of markets and of growth. It is neoliberalism with a human face.

The social protection we want is different. It is not the social protection of the past, because times have changed, because societies and economies have changed, but it is based on the same valid principles of the past, mainly human rights and solidarity.

Our social protection consists of insurances and assistance, of labour rights and public services.

In this charter, we see social protection as a commons, as something that belongs to us, to us all, as something we have to decide on.

Our social protection is really universal, it is by all and for all, without any exceptions. This means it is not only for the poor, it is also for the rich and the rich should be obliged to contribute. It is emancipatory and transformative. It is based on human rights and solidarity.

The situation in India is characterised by high growth but also by deprivation

Nearly 93 per cent of the workforce is informally employed. This rising informalization means that the percentage of workers without any formal contract had risen even in the public sector and public limited companies.

The percentage of wage/salaried workers outside agriculture with social security had declined between 1999-00 and 2011-12.

There is low social security coverage. Formal social security measures cover only about 7 per cent of the workforce. According to the NCEUS, only about six per cent of workers in the un-organised sector had any social security / social assistance to cope with contingent risks (2006).

The high levels of deprivation/vulnerability and the low (and declining) coverage of social security provide a strong rationale for adequate and effective social protection, along with other measures to improve the quality of employment.

Unequal coverage across sex and social groups. Much remains to be done to have a rights based social protection.

In the closing session, the declaration from social justice cluster was read out. It forwarded the following urge for meaningful social protection leading to social justice.

1. Re-define labour and to ‘free’ it from capital, since the logics of accumulation and profit maximisation are not compatible with the transition towards a more sustainable way of life,

2. Generate a new economic thinking based on the priority of reproduction, a crucial issue in order to connect different struggles and movements,

3. Counter emergence of rentier class by democratisation of economic life, a condition of social justice,

4. Establish and promote regional and global learning centres for education and generation of new knowledge needed to enrich our social movements based on empirical evidences,

5. Establish and strengthen campaigns and networks among the people of the regions, engage in the political and social dialogue, based on strong trade unions, on discussion on how to create the changes we need and want, for greater solidarity for united struggles, movements, people to people cooperation and coordination,

6. Fight against climate warming, the crossing of the planetary boundaries and we struggle in favour of the Global North paying its climate debts to the developing world. We must build bridges to the climate justice movement as climate destruction will be the most important political factor for the future, therefore, we must link our arguments with this movement. The climate debt most probably can be said to be the biggest social injustice to emerge in the future, and the term “climate debt” builds a bridge there to an ongoing struggle, and

7. Realise and materialise the global charter for social protection rights.

The conference participants believed that any move towards social justice is social protection, to be understood in an emancipatory and transformative way.

The Conference adopted the Kathmandu Declaration.

There was a rich exchange of information, convergence of agendas, mobilisation for the AEPF Peoples Agenda.

Download the AEPF Social Justice Narrative Report – Kathmandu 2019

This conference was produced by the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Asia Europe People’s Forum and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

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Right Wing Populisms, Fundamentalisms: Critical Thinking and Actions Nepal Declaration

April 22, 2019

Right Wing Populisms, Fundamentalisms: Critical Thinking and Actions Nepal Declaration

April 22, 2019

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Asia Europe Peoples Forum (AEPF)
Peace and Security Thematic Circle,
International Conference
Kathmandu, Nepal, April 4-6, 2019

Peace and security cluster of AEPF, met in Kathmandu on 4-6th April, 2019. The discussions analyzed how the rise of right wing populisms (RWP) is making a more insecure and less peaceful world, through the use of chauvinistic identity politics to get political support and mobilize people. In an increasing number of countries, governments are using authoritarian and fascistic methods to consolidate and expand their power. It’s especially worrying that right wing forces work by criminalization of migrants, suppressing social movements, denying gender equality and rejecting multilateralism.

The tactic of the RWP is to displace and reject the progressive and alternative discourse that arose in response to people’s demands after the 2008 global crisis that questions the former hegemonic neo-liberal globalization. AEPF expresses concerns about fundamentalisms, often linked to distorted ideas of religion which are then extended to violent extremism including attacks on civilians. We do not believe that any kind of extremist movement and violent actions can be a solution to any problem in the world.

We’ve identified military spending, arms proliferation, financing of arms companies and the military industrial complex as key actors that influence governments to make its business more profitable. The choice of militarization as a strategy for national security is a political decision to militarise security, to securitize every aspect of life that can be susceptible of being militarized.

Peace and security is not the patrimony of the military industry and conservative ideologies. There is a need for creating a progressive discourse about peace and security, critical of militarization. Another security is possible and necessary.

RWP use the following issues to mobilise people: They want to re-organise society and separate those they consider impure and outsiders. These can be migrants, LGBT, dissenters, women, drug dependents, religious minorities, Dalits, indigenous communities and civil society actors. They focus on Islamaphobia. All these are seen as threats and national risks.

The beneficiaries of RWP are state actors, oligarchs, ruling and military elites, who benefit from neo-liberalism. RWP use the narrative of corruption and aspirations, and that given structures are not working, so re-framing social justice. They want to create and rest on new inequality and conflict.

The Peace and Security Cluster puts forward a framework for a politics of peace and security to contest RWP:

There is a need to shift from a state fused national security concept and discourse to rights based human security based on ensuring the freedom from fear (civil and political rights) and freedom from want (social and economic rights)

We call for an immediate end to the genocide, repression and forced displacement of the Rohingya community in Myanmar. All states should support a safe, voluntary and dignified return of the Rohigya. As also a just resettlement of these forcefully displaced communities.

It is important to unite as many internal factions in each country to counter RWP. There is a need to incorporate different tendencies and movements at different levels to re-capture autonomous institutions.

It is critical to attract young activists to these platforms. And especially young women and men from excluded communities and activist.

The role of progressive education and information both from internal sources nationally, regionally and internationally is critical. Training and developing youth against RW mobilisation is integral to this process. There is an urgent need to foster a next generation youth advocates and campaigners for peace. We need informal spaces of education which can disseminate ideas of peace and tolerance by countering the exclusive and hate filled discourse of the far right.

Develop understanding, provide arguments, comparison between countries as resources against RWP. We need to map the connections between RWPs/and their discourse internationally.

We need to show the connections and root causes and reasons for migrations and in order to fight phobias. We cannot just frame migrants and others in a moral framework of human rights but also re-frame issues in material conditions, with internationalist perspectives, use of international law.

We have to continue building solidarities of South-South as well as North-South. And build links with progressive movements internationally. The representation in multilateral institutions must be improved as these remain exclusive.

There is a need to showcase best practices, specific strategies and pro- people programmes and build international guidelines for these.

It was felt that forces of the Left and liberals had abandoned the sphere of culture and religion, while the RW have framed themselves as upholders and interpreters of religion and culture. It is proposed that the Left liberals go beyond buzzwords like secularism and multiculturalism and include with these especially, the lived experiences and issues. Of how lives of people can be bettered and associated with local cultures, traditions and folklore. The everyday issues of people’s lives, from water, employment, equality and class struggles that RWP cannot deliver, should be part of the mass actions of people’s groups.

We condemn and critique the extremist and fundamentalists movements who reject human values of the ‘other’. We need to accept multi cultural thinking, migrants and refugees. In Europe the fundamentalist movement mainly consists of far right wing but in Asia religious extremist movements are the dominant form of RW movements.

We must recognise the role of mass media especially social media platforms to whip up xenophobia and legitimise racists discourse. We call for digital literacy programs to counter hate speech and promote an internet for the common good.

There are concrete policies that we need to critique like: Blasphemy Laws; discriminatory citizenship laws; criminalisation of migrants, and those who support migrants, dissenters. And the attempt to de-humanise them; government policies that support and are silent on vigilante violence.

We call on the Governments of Pakistan and India to start to continuous dialogue mechanism and process to resolve all bilateral issues and to support a energized South Asia.

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Kathmandu Declaration

April 22, 2019

Kathmandu Declaration

April 22, 2019

International Conference on Universal Social Protection and Labour
Organised by :
Asia Europe People’s Forum, Social Justice Cluster and Nepal Partners
Kathmandu, 4-6 April 2019

We, the participants of the International Conference on Universal Social Protection and Labour held in Kathmandu from 04 to 06 April 2019 to review and reflect on the current situations prevalent in our societies and develop strategies for the future course reaffirmed our vision, mission to establish society ensuring social protection, social justice, security and peace.

Realizing that socio-political circumstances and the level of wealth accumulation and development in Europe and Asia are very different, as well between as within our respective sub-regions,

Understanding the fact that it is one ‘capitalist logic at work, free trade agreements, neoliberalism and austerity’ worsened by right-wing populism and declining democratic principles, with similar consequences in both regions,

Recognizing that despite that Asia being the most dynamic region in the world with two decades long strong economic growth, rising productivity and high employment ratios, deep rooted structural challenges remain, still, half a billion workers live in abject poverty, a billion are faced with vulnerable conditions of employment, two of every three workers are stuck in the informal sector and weekly hours worked are the world’s highest,

Acknowledging the rising protests as response to growing nationalism, slowing of economic growth, high unemployment, rising inequality and fear of robotization, rising non-standard employment and declining job quality, decoupling wages from productivity due to the pushback of trade unions and collective bargaining, deregulation of labour markets and liberalisation of capital markets,

Realizing the challenges of the digital revolution which will fundamentally alter labour markets, threat to livelihood by the digital economy because of the platformisation of the whole economy, merger of manufacturing and the internet (industry 4.0) at the national level and growing attacks on trade unions,

Acknowledging that without social justice and peace humanity can’t stay inside the planetary boundaries and the world will turn into a hothouse, without a truly sustainable and earth friendly metabolism of our societies there can’t be peace and social justice,

Appreciating the efforts of people in Asia and Europe to make the society with equity, justice, peace and harmony,

Re-enforcing our trust in Global Charter for Social Protection Rights, for all and by all, as a guideline to work on the implementation of all economic and social rights, including public services, as the gateway to environmental rights and requires democracy and popular participation making links to all important progressive social movements,

We urge to,

  1. Re-define labour and to ‘free’ it from capital, since the logics of accumulation and profit maximisation are not compatible with the transition towards a more sustainable way of life,
  2. Generate a new economic thinking based on the priority of reproduction, a crucial issue in order to connect different struggles and movements,
  3. Counter emergence of rentier classes by democratisation of economic life, a condition of social justice,
  4. Establish and promote regional and global learning centres for education and generation of new knowledge needed to enrich our social movements based on empirical evidences,
  5. Establish and strengthen campaigns and networks among the people of the regions, engage in the political and social dialogue, based on strong trade unions, on discussion on how to create the changes we need and want, for greater solidarity for united struggles, movements, people to people cooperation and coordination,
  6. Fight against climate warming, the crossing of the planetary boundaries. We struggle in favour of the Global North paying its climate debts to the developing world. We must build bridges with the climate justice movement as climate destruction will be the most important political factor for the future, therefore, we must link our arguments with this movement. The climate debt can be said to be the biggest social injustice to emerge in the future, and the term “climate debt” builds a bridge to this on going struggle.
  7. Realise and materialise the global charter for social protection rights.

We believe that any move towards social justice is social protection, to be understood in an emancipatory and transformative way.

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AEPF Peace and Security Thematic Circle, Nepal, April 4-6, 2019

March 22, 2019

AEPF Peace and Security Thematic Circle, Nepal, April 4-6, 2019

March 22, 2019 | Dario Azzelini

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Concept Note

Two major challenges confront peoples and peace movements in contemporary times. One: All kinds of right wing populisms (RWP) and fundamentalisms (from religious, identity to market fundamentalisms). Two: The consequent rise of xenophobic nationalisms, centralized power, increased inequality, authoritarian governance. Country after country in Asia and Europe have elected right wing populist leaders, while xenophobic nationalist parties emerge stronger and more influential in the opposition. In most cases these RWPs have an under belly of vigilante groups that target different minorities and ‘others’. (Hungary, Italy, Turkey, South Asia, Philippines, US, Brazil, etc).

These ideologies and practices are based essentially on increasing inequality, opposing multiculturalism and see human rights, workers and civil society organizations as a threat.

They do not believe in climate change and are bent on increasing state power and authority over all institutions. These fundamentalisms and RWPs are a threat to the peace, security and social cohesion. They increase inter-state and intra-state conflicts; promote phobias about migrants or other religions. These damage democratization, universal progressive values and challenge social justice. It is important to understand the variations, and differences between these forces across Asia and Europe, so civil society, peoples and peace movements can effectively challenge them.

Peoples’ movements need to use the collective methodologies and experience to address concerns from these movements. They need to strategize how activism can challenge this dangerous discourse and practice.

Objectives of the Conference:

This conference will address concerns that include:

  • The major political shifts that are a consequence of the inequality and joblessness on account of the neo liberal agenda. In some countries, the consequences are victories of populisms.
  • Backlash against progressive agendas, against women, minorities.
  • Anxiety about cultural invasion and disruption of traditional values.
  • Resistances and challenges to fundamentalism and populisms.

Outputs

  • Enabling strengthened links between movements/networks across Asia and Europe reinforcing the EU CSOs participation and and the participation of a growing number of movements, networks, forums and organisations in different formulating peace and security strategies.
  • Generating ideas to promote the advocacy tasks of AEPF on through effective communications.

The Expected Results include:

AEPF Peace and Security Conference will enable an exchange of ideas and increase our networks in Nepal beyond. This will support in advocating the importance of peace and peoples security and its linkages with justice and democracy.

For any advocacy, we need clarity and vision. The issues of populism and fundamentalisms are linked to phobias and existential anxieties. This conference intends to produce and articulate the dangers of these issues to both civil society and to states.

We would develop an appeal to ASEM States to be vary of populism, authoritarianism and not to use religion in politics.

We would like to use communication methods to propagate the idea of secular and objective state institutions.

We would like to take the ideas of this conference further and request all participants to give us some form of written presentation (this can be sent to us after the discussion in the conference). We will advocate these on our website and social media.

The inputs of the conference will go into documents for parliamentarians, policy makers, students and all those interested.

Communications and Visibility

We will do brief 1-2 minutes video recordings of experts as part of ‘Peoples Voices’ and link these to our website and make them available widely including to policy makers and governments who wish to access them.

We will try and make a common document and statements that coincide with the AEPF goals on peace and security.

We will edit all written presentations and use these for advocacy on social media, website, etc.

Programme: Thursday, 4th, 5th 6th April

Day 1: COMMON PLENARY
Facilitators: Social Justice + Peace & Security

Opening Plenary and Joint session
Thursday, 4 April, 2-6 pm 1:30-2:00 pm: Registration
2:00 – 3:30 pm: The journey to peace, security and social justice: collective experiences, challenges, opportunities and way forward
Dr Sarba Khadka, IDS Nepal
Chief Guest/ High Representative, Nepal
Narayankaji Shrestha, Spokesperson of CPN and Former Deputy PM, Nepal (TBC) Xavier
Benito Ziluaga, MEP, GUE Podemos, Spain
Julie Ward, MEP, S & D Labour, U.K.
Pryanca Radhakrishnan, MP, Labour Party, New Zealand
Chairs/Facilitation: Dr Dinesh C. Devkota, Nepal and Dr Francine Mestrum, Belgium

Tea/Coffee Break

4:00 – 6:00 pm: ‘Universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice’ (ILO Constitution, Preamble)

Keynote speaker:
Dagmar Walter, ILO South Asia
Speakers:
Anuradha Chenoy (retired), Professor Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
Nimalka Fernando, Human Rights Activist, Sri Lanka
Daman Nath Dhungana, Former Speaker of House of Representatives, Nepal (TBC)
Dr. Rajan Bhattarai, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the PM of Nepal (TBC)
Chairs/Facilitation: Meena Menon, India and Dong Huy Cuong, Vietnam

DAY 2. April 5, PARALLEL SESSIONS

Morning
Session 1: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Discussion on Populisms, Right Wing Populisms (RWP), impact on peace and Security:

Speakers:

  • Lisa Clarke (IPB, Italy) : The rise of European xenophobic and racist sentiments
  • Prof.Kamal Chenoy (India): The Challenge from Right wing populism
  • Amaar Ali Jan (Pakistan) on The Danger of Violent Fundamentalisms

Facilitators: Dorothy Guererro and Milan Dharel

Afternoon
Session 2: 2:00 to 6:00 PM

Discussion on different fundamentalisms and Institutions:

  • Jordi Calvo Rufanges (Barcelona): Militarisms and Defence Expenditures
  • Seema Mustafa (India): Role of the Media in Fundamentalism and RWP
  • Thomas Sommer-Houdevelle (France): Experiences and Practices from Europe
  • Marc Batac (Philippines): RWP in South East Asia
  • Advocate Hari Phuyal, Former Attorney General

Facilitators: Andy Rutherford and Tina Ebro

Afternoon
Session 4: 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Discussion on Future programmes, Discussion on advocacy and communications: Resolutions drafted and passed.

Corazon Fabros will facilitate;
Bui Lien Huong – Resolutions

4:30 to 6:00 PM

Closing Session Chaired/facilitated by Charles Santiago and Milan Dharel
Summary from Social Justice Cluster
Summary from Peace and Security Cluster

Press Release

Vote of thanks to organizers.

DAY 3. Saturday 6 April 2010

Morning
Session 3: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Linkages and Impacts of RWP and fundamentalisms: Migration on peace and security

  • Kalle Sysikaski “Refugees & Migrations in Europe: Implications & Impact
  • Amabella Carumba: RWP and conflict Resolution
  • Tur-Od Lkhagvajav (Mongolia): Peace Movement & Sustainable Development
  • Hon. Sujita Shakya, Parliamentarian and Women Leader, Nepal
  • Facilitators:Kris Vanslambrouk and Amaar Ali Jan
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International Conference on Universal Social Protection and Labour

March 20, 2019

International Conference on Universal Social Protection and Labour 2019 - Kathmandu (4-6 April 2019)

March 20, 2019

INTRODUCTION, CONCEPT NOTE AND FULL PROGRAMME

On AEPF:The Asia-Europe Peoples’ Forum (AEPF) is a broad and dynamic network of progressive and major civil society organisations and trade unions, including people’s movements, non-government organisations, and issue-based campaign networks across Asia and Europe. For the past 20 years, the AEPF has remained the only continuing civil society inter-regional network connecting people’s movements and advancing their voices in ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting). It has facilitated the immediate and future collaborations among civil society groups in Asia a n d w it h E u ro p e – b a se d organisations to promote people-centred alternatives being built from below.

Since its formation in 1996, it has organised people’s forums parallel to the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) summits. The AEPF has made a substantive contribution to putting the imperatives of a people-centred regional integration on the agenda of civil society in Asia and in Europe – addressing issues of regional democratisation, especially on the centrality of citizens’ participation.

On AEPF’s Social Justice Cluster:

AEPF’s Social Justice Cluster works on an extensive and comprehensive concept of social justice with, at its core, an emancipatory and transformative perspective on social protection. The aim is to identify and clarify the many links from social justice to other topics AEPF is working on, such as peace and security, climate and environmental policies, trade, economics, etc. In our view, social protection is not a corrective mechanism of a failed economic system, but a crucial element contributing to systemic change. At the last AEPF in Ghent, October 2018, a Global Charter for Social Protection Rights was adopted. It serves as a guideline for social movements developing their own social agenda with their own priorities.

The Social Justice cluster has organised in 2018 a conference on public services in Manila and a conference on social commons in Barcelona. The third conference we are now preparing will focus on labour, linked to problems of democracy, migration, ecology and the rise of right-wing populism. This conference is organised in Nepal because of the new opportunities offered by the progressive government and the interesting developments at the level of the left and social movements.

Prior to our conference, on April 4th, 2019, we will have a joint session with the Peace and Security Cluster of AEPF, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organisation which states in its Constitution that ‘lasting peace is not possible without social justice’.

Concept note

Universal Social Protection is a condition for human survival which must be prioritized by governments in all countries.

  • Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security.”
  • The Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1.3, aims to “ Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable”.
  • The ILO has a slew of instruments, starting with the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102) and encompasses health insurance, medical care and sickness benefits, unemployment benefits, labour accident insurance and benefits, pensions, family and maternity benefits, invalidity allowances, survivors’ benefits.
  • The ILO adopted in 2012 a Recommendation on Social Protection Floors (202) with the basic elements of social protection to be available for all. The reality in most of the developing world is still very far from the realization of these goals. In fact, less than 30 % of the world population is covered by social security systems. In Asia, one of the world’s most dynamic regions, working conditions remain poor, they do not lead to stable incomes and cannot lift workers out of poverty.

Universal social protection means that everyone must have access to all services: besides basic social security, labour rights, access to universal benefits of health, education, civic services like water, energy, sanitation, public transport, clean air and environment, and basic human needs like shelter, food, clothing. Access to all these needs is integral to the survival and well-being of human existence. It must therefore be treated as part of a commons which must be preserved and extended by the national state, to make it accessible for all.

What is the Global Social Protection Charter?

“social protection is a commons, emerging from the democratic and participatory actions of citizens with demands for public authorities. Social protection is not a correction mechanism for the economic system, but should be transformative, that is, contribute to a better productive system and to the sustainability of life. We see social protection as a collective and democratic endeavour for achieving a life in dignity for all. Considering that social protection is justified by a social justice imperative, by aiming at sustainable human development and security, providing all people with an opportunity for a life in dignity.” (From the Global Social Protection Charter)

The Global Social Protection Charter initiated by the Social Justice Cluster of the AEPF is an aspirational document which has been in circulation for two years, and has been signed by organisations in many countries. Its aim is to build a perspective around and support campaigns and projects towards the provision of universal and comprehensive social protection in different parts of the world.

The GSPC sees social protection as being part of a social process of structural social solidarity and not as charity. Social protection goes beyond pover ty reduction, social security and social assistance, and is aimed at eradicating and preventing pover ty, reducing inequalities and ensuring decent livelihoods for all. Social protection is also part of a reproduction process that cannot be de-linked from a production process. Both should be aimed at the sustainability of life It must consist of material and immaterial elements, monetary allowances and additional inkind support where appropriate. Most elements of social protection must and can be realized immediately, though other parts will necessarily be realized in a progressive way, depending on available resources. Social protection is a primary responsibility of States, while some responsibilities are to be taken by subnational authorities and social organisations, and a substantial contribution is to be provided by international solidarity. The Charter is not a binding text but a reference document which can be used by movements aiming at an emancipatory and transformative social protection, avoiding the traps of neoliberalism and right-wing populism.

Just as in previous meetings, we want to look at the European as well as on the Asian situation. We very well know the circumstances and the level of wealth and development are very different, as well between as within our respective regions. Nevertheless, what we want to show is the fact that it is one logic at work, neoliberal globalisation, worsened by right-wing populism, with similar consequences in both regions. In this specific conference, we want to focus on the dismantlement of economic and social rights in general, and labour rights in particular, the weakening of trade unions, the shrinking space for social movements. We want to reflect on possible solutions, the role of social movements, the future of work and the possibilities offered by our Global Charter.

What we want to achieve is

Stocktaking of the situation in Europe and Asia with unemployment, poverty and inequality, migration and climate crisis, as well as its consequences for democracy with the emergence of rightwing populism;

  • Overview of the (new) geopolitical actors at the national and global level;
  • Insights in new productive models and the identification of the crucial elements for the future of work in an era of new technologies with their consequences on labour markets;
  • Insights in the crisis of reproduction, the gender and care problems as well as the worsening situation of peasants, both with the potential of being a crucial part of the solution to our social and economic problems;
  • Clarification on the philosophy of our Global Charter and identification of the concrete possibilities it offers for the work of social movements on social justice;
  • The development of a common narrative on social problems and social justice, linked to other sectors of AEPF campaigns, such as peace, democracy, ecology, trade and food sovereignty, and, more in general, shaping new politics.
  • To popularize the AEPF Peoples Agenda and other documents adopted by the AEPF like the Global Social Protection Charter. To make concrete proposals for their advocacy and adoption by governments and organizations.

International Conference on Universal Social Protection, Labour, Security and Peace
Organised by
Asia Europe People’s Forum, Social Justice and Peace and Security Clusters and
Nepal Partners Kathmandu, 4-6 April 2019
Thursday, 4 April 2019

Opening Plenary and Joint session
Thursday, 4 April, 2-6 pm 1:30-2:00 pm: Registration

2:00 – 3:30 pm: The journey to peace, security and social justice: collective experiences, challenges, opportunities and way forward
Dr Sarba Khadka, IDS Nepal
Chief Guest/ High Representative, Nepal
Narayankaji Shrestha, Spokesperson of CPN and Former Deputy PM, Nepal (TBC) Xavier
Benito Ziluaga, MEP, GUE Podemos, Spain
Julie Ward, MEP, S & D Labour, U.K.
Pryanca Radhakrishnan, MP, Labour Party, New Zealand
Chairs/Facilitation: Dr Dinesh C. Devkota, Nepal and Dr Francine Mestrum, Belgium

Tea/Coffee Break

4:00 – 6:00 pm: ‘Universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice’ (ILO Constitution, Preamble)
Keynote speaker:
Dagmar Walter, ILO South Asia
Speakers:
Anuradha Chenoy (retired), Professor Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
Nimalka Fernando, Human Rights Activist, Sri Lanka
Daman Nath Dhungana, Former Speaker of House of Representatives, Nepal (TBC)
Dr. Rajan Bhattarai, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the PM of Nepal (TBC)
Chairs/Facilitation: Meena Menon, India and Dong Huy Cuong, Vietnam

Friday, 5 April 2019

Session One: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Stocktaking: Labor markets in Europe and Asia, informal sector, precariousness, platform economy, wages, and geo-politics of labor rights, democracy and representation
Speakers:
Christophe Aguiton (Attac, France), Chris King Chi CHAN (AMRC, Hong Kong), Rene Ofreneo (University of the Philippines), Dr Shiva Sharma (National Labor Academy, Nepal), David Adler (Diem25, Greece), AU Loong Yu (Borderless Movement, Hong Kong)
Chairs/Facilitators: Dharmendra Kumar (India) and Tina Ebro (Philippines)

Session Two: 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Productive Transformation and the creation of value (1): The crisis of production and the future of work. How to link productive issues to the social and ecological agenda and how to identify the desirable changes on labour markets? What are the solutions in the age of robotization and the age of artificial intelligence? How to integrate social issues in order to guarantee security for all? How to develop productive commons?
Speakers:
Roland Kulke (Transform, Germany), Anita Gurumurthi (IT for Change, India), Thomas Coutrot (Attac, France), Mikyung Ryu (KCTU, South Korea), Bishnu Prasad Rimal (Principal Advisor to the PM & former President of GEFONT, Nepal), Farooq Tariq (Awami Workers Party, Pakistan).
Chairs/Facilitators: Pampha Busal (MP, Nepal) and Bruno Deceukelier (WSM, B)

Saturday, 6 April 2010

Session Three: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Productive transformation and the creation of value (2): The crisis of reproduction. The issues of care, gender and agriculture – at the crossroads between production and reproduction – as well as public services are at the heart of the current crisis for people’s livelihoods, with dramatic consequences in terms of poverty, suicides, violence and migration. How to valorize these sectors in order to improve people’s livelihoods? Speakers:
Federica Giardini (University of Rome, Italy), Prabha Pokhrel (Home Based Workers Concern Society, Nepal), Kiran Moghe (AIDWA, India), Ganesh BK (Rastriya Dalit Network), Eric Villanueva (Institute for Popular Democracy, Philippines). Chairs/Facilitators: Dr Renu Adhikari (Nepal) and Sandeep Chachra (India)

Session Four: 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Global Charter for Social Protection Rights
Look at the philosophy of our Charter and identify the concrete possibilities it offers for enforcing concrete priorities of local/national social movements.
Speakers:
Francine Mestrum (Global Social Justice, Belgium), Rayyan Hassan (NGO Forum on ADB), Chandan Kumar (Working People’s Charter, India), Ravi Srivastava (Institute for Human Development, India), Mahesh Dahal (Secy, Ministry of MoLESS) or Ram Prasad Gyawali (Social Security Fund, Nepal), Bismo Sanyoto (Asia network on the Right to Social protection (ANRSP), Arbind Singh (StreetNet, India) Followed by discussion with politicians Dr Binda Pandey (GEFONT, MP Nepal), Charles Santiago (MP, Malaysia), Julie Ward (MEP, UK), Xavier Benito Ziluaga (MEP, Spain), Eleftheria Angeli (Syriza Youth, Greece), Balram Baskota (MP & All Nepal Peasants’ Federation, Nepal), and other Nepalese politicians.
Chairs/Facilitators: Prof. Dr. Sharad Onta (Nepal) and Kris Vanslambrouck (B)

4:30 pm to 6:00 pm: Closing Session Chaired/facilitated by Dr. Sarba

  • Summary presentation from Social Justice Cluster
  • Summary presentation from Peace and Security Cluster
  • Press release
  • Vote of thanks by the organizers

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Political discussion with representatives of the different AEPF thematic clusters and politicians: Former PM of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal and his team, Head of International Department of CPN, Pryanca Radhakrishnan (New Zealand), Dr Binda Pandey (GEFONT, MP Nepal), Charles Santiago (MP, Malaysia), Julie Ward (MEP, UK), Xavier Benito Ziluaga (MEP, Spain), Eleftheria Angeli (Syriza Youth, Greece) and Nepali politicians.
Chairs/ Facilitators: Dr. Dinesh C. Devkota, and Meena Menon (TBC)

Closing Dinner

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Asia Europe People’s Forum Statement on Christchurch Attacks

March 17, 2019

Asia Europe People's Forum Statement on Christchurch Attacks

March 17, 2019

The AEPF strongly condemns the terror attack on Muslims at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, where innocent worshipers were targeted on account of their identity.

It is evident that this attack is the outcome of the Islamaphobia and rising racism that is sweeping across many countries. Even as there are widespread condemnations and the victims and their families receive support, it is time for the leadership and people of all countries to take concrete steps to stop such incidents.

Although New Zealand has no history of violent culture, this incident is an indication how things can change overnight. We are surrounded by the politics of fear which is inherent to the growing inequality that accompanies neoliberalism. These policies need to be replaced with the politics of solidarity. As the Prime Minister of New Zealand said after the massacre about the victims: ‘they are us’.

Countries must make strict gun laws to curb the availability of weapons. Governments, communities and institutions must take firm steps to stop the increasing radicalisation of young people across cultures and communities. The fear of others and the different that is fanned by all forms of media and leaders from the community up to political classes for the sake of political gain must be stopped.

The culture of violence and retribution needs to be stopped as it shifts from the public to private actions, destroys states, families and individuals. The culture of violence threatens all social and economic relations, breaking apart the fabric of our societies, democracy, and nationalism. Governments have to take the lead in educating and inculcating tolerance, pluralism and acceptance in all institutions from schools to judiciary. There should be zero tolerance for any group that propagates the use of force to achieve their objective.

AEPF calls on all states to take these immediate steps in view of the possible recurrence of such terror.

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