Southern African Ecumenical Consultation
From 24-26 November, 40 African organisations gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a Trade Justice consultation on the Global Week of Action. Most organisations were ecumenical and also from Southern Africa, but with others attending from Kenya and Ghana. The meeting was hosted by Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA (Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa) and the Association for Justice and Peace of the SACBC (Southern African Conference of Catholic Bishops). Christian Aid, UK, CAFOD, UK, Norwegian Church Aid and Diakonia, Sweden also attended
Organisations from the 13 African countries present ( South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland. Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya) all committed themselves to playing an active role in the Global Week of Action. For some this will involve a public hearing, a march, a lobby of Parliament, a petition or a concert, for others a series of ecumenical services across the country using the EAA’s Worship Guide.
The significant issues that participants highlighted as being key trade justice issues in the region for the Global Week of Action were
- Privatisation of basic services through IMF / World Bank conditions
- Restrictions on government intervention in agriculture due to IMF / World Bank conditions eg privatisation of agricultural marketing boards, reduction in subsidies for agricultural inputs.
- Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and the ACP countries
- Access to Anti-retroviral medicines
- Textiles, the phasing out of the Multi Fibre Agreement at the end of 2004 and the influx if cheap clothing imports from China.
- Regulation of extractive industries
- Reduction in Northern agricultural subsidies
Participants also spoke of the need of working very closely with Jubilee South, and of taking the Global Week of Action to the African Social Forum in Lusaka, Zambia, from 10-14 December 2004. For more details on events at the ASF contact Mohau Pheko, Gender and Trade Network or Thomas Deve, MWENGO.
No formal declaration was made but everyone committed themselves to taking the ideas back to their own countries and to working together with other groups and campaigns during the Global Week of Action and beyond.
A full report will be available by mid-December.
