Il y a 14 years 3 months.   Corporate accountability, Government of Canada policies and positions, IFI policies and positions.   G8-G20 summits fall flat, ignore call for sustainable future This month “Fortress Toronto”, with its 18,000 strong security forces and four kilometer chain link fence, bore witness to a Peoples’ Summit ripe with ideas and alternatives, petitions signed by 1.75 million asking leaders to invest in the future now, a 25,000 strong peaceful protest, media stunts galore, some regrettable violence, and two deeply disappointing summits.   Read more ...

Il y a 14 years 3 months.   .   The news reports are already showing the pictures of the burning police car, the smashed windows, the wanton destruction. They are showing the hundreds or so anarchists masked in black that stormed the legions and legions of armed police. What they are not showing, is the fifteen or twenty thousand peaceful protesters who marched today side by side for global social, economic and environmental justice. Hundreds of different organizations came together, advocating for change on a range of issues from domestic poverty and climate justice, to women’s rights and making trade fair, to the Robin Hood Tax and green jobs. The unions were there, the church groups, the environmentalists, the local community activities. We all came together with different visions for a different world, but we were all speaking with one voice and marching to one beat.   Read more ...

Il y a 14 years 3 months.   globalization, Government accountability, IFI policies and positions, Millennium Development Goals, Poverty, Sustainability, Transparency and disclosure.   Bridge to South Korea Held in Toronto, on Monday and Tuesday, June 21-22, 2010, just ahead of the G8 Summit in Huntsville and the G20 Summit in Toronto, this meeting was intended as a strategy session for civil society organizations, platforms and networks from many G20 countries (and beyond) to discuss diverse perspectives on both the G20 as an institution and priorities with respect to its agenda. As the outcome of an initial G20 strategy meeting in Washington DC in April of 2010 among various groups, the intention of this broader meeting of national, regional and international networks was three-fold: To develop a greater understanding of the key issues on the G20 agenda as well as alternative agendas seeking to influence the G20; To strengthen and solidify strategic connections among G20 and non-G20 countries in the lead up to the South Korean and French G20 meetings and strengthen the capacities of networks to develop their own analysis and strategies for confronting the G20; To develop concrete ideas and proposals for collaboration with South Korean colleagues for the November Summit. MEETING DETAILS Final concept note - Bridge to South Korea: Global G20 Meeting Final concept note - en Español Final agenda Participant's list Presentations Peter Chowla - G20 and public finance policy Aniket Bhushan - G20 and private finance policy Calendar of events (including events in South Korea) Final Report | Rapport final Final Report - en Español Mapping of national groups and priorities Key contacts and focal points working on G20 issues Funders Bridge to South Korea Held in Toronto, on Monday and Tuesday, June 21-22, 2010, just ahead of the G8 Summit in Huntsville and the G20 Summit in Toronto, this meeting was intended as a strategy session for civil society organizations, platforms and networks from many G20 countries (and beyond) to discuss diverse perspectives on both the G20 as an institution and priorities with respect to its agenda. As the outcome of an initial G20 strategy meeting in Washington DC in April of 2010 among various groups, the intention of this broader meeting of national, regional and international networks was three-fold: To develop a greater understanding of the key issues on the G20 agenda as well as alternative agendas seeking to influence the G20; To strengthen and solidify strategic connections among G20 and non-G20 countries in the lead up to the South Korean and French G20 meetings and strengthen the capacities of networks to develop their own analysis and strategies for confronting the G20; To develop concrete ideas and proposals for collaboration with South Korean colleagues for the November Summit. MEETING DETAILS Final concept note - Bridge to South Korea: Global G20 Meeting Final concept note - en Español Final agenda Participant's list Presentations Peter Chowla - G20 and public finance policy Aniket Bhushan - G20 and private finance policy Calendar of events (including events in South Korea) Final Report | Rapport final Final Report - en Español Mapping of national groups and priorities Key contacts and focal points working on G20 issues Funders   Read more ...

Il y a 14 years 4 months.   .   One of the most striking things about Toronto in recent days is how quiet and empty the streets are. Most Torontonians have fled the city ahead of the G20. With 19,000 police and private security forces having flooded into the city – four times the numbers at September’s G20 in Pittsburgh – and the downtown core locked behind a two meter high four kilometre long chain link fence, it is perhaps no surprise people are running scared. The Police have even indicated that anyone who comes within 5 meters of the fence, could be subject to detainment. Rest assured though, tear gas will be used in an environmentally responsible manner (http://www.g8-g20isu.ca/g20/faq-eng.htm#environment) Clearly, bringing twenty of the world’s global leaders carries with it significant security concerns that must be taken very seriously.   Read more ...