100,000 participants are expected to attend the Protestant Kirchentag
(DEKT) in Hanover form May 25th to the 29th. The organizers expect about 50,000
of them to visit the new "globalization" theme hall and to discuss issues with
speakers and panelists. Many movements have come from the Kirchentag. For
example, 25 years ago Germany's Green Party was founded there. This year a
global network of experts will be lauched, our Initiative's contribution to this
is to gather the speakers' thoughts on a Global Marshall Plan before the event
in a book and distribute it there to all 50,000 participants for free. The DEKT
will become the Initiatives's central event in Germany. Speakers of the
Kirchentags and the preceding conference in Loccum are amongst others: Mary
Robinson, Gerhard Schroeder and Wangari Matthai.
For registration and
the progam please consult www.kirchentag.de
We have three requests:
We are
looking for volunteers to help us distribute the books onsite. If you are
interested in helping us, please contact andrea.lehmden@global-contract.org.
So
far, we do not have funding for the book project. Therefore we are grateful for
eiter
a) any earmarked donations to our
account:
Sozialbank
account number: 212
BLZ (Bank routing number): 251 205
10
IBAN: DE73 2512 0510 0008
409800
SWIFT (BIC): BFSW DE31 HAN
reason for transfer "DEKT"
b) putting us in touch with possible sponsors. Please contact
finkbeiner@globalmarshallplan.org
for any suggestions.
c) Proof-readers wanted! From April 4th
onwards, we are editing the German text
for the DEKT book. Please send an email
to dekt@globalmarshallplan.org
if
you are interested in helping
us.
Vienna, on 26 February 2005 Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the Commissioner
for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, advocated a Global
Marshall Plan at the conference "Austria - 10 years of EU membership". She
expressed her full support to the Global Marshall Plan Initiative.
Dr.
Ferrero-Waldner believes that this year's UN reform summit offers the
opportunity to set the course for a Global Marshall Plan. "Europe's role is
important here, especially since intelligent foreign and development policies
need a strong socio-economic dimension", the Commissioner stated.
- Press release (Eco-Social Forum, in German)
Apart from Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, the following influential people
have also expressed their support for the Initiative:
Kurt Beck
The
Governor of Rhineland-Palatinate gave his support to the (o) Initiative on
January 28th, 2005 at the symposium "A Global Marshall Plan - A Chance for the
Third World?" held at the University of Mainz.
Jane Goodall
The
renowned British primatologist is supportive of the (o) Initiative and therefore
approached the Initiative to organize a joint event. It will take place in
cooperation with the Club of Budapest on March 5th in Neuss, Germany. Please
refer to the event section of this (o)news for further details.
- The Jane Goodall
Institute
Dr. Volker Hauff, Chairman of the German Council for
Sustaniable Development (RNE), has been supporting the (o) Initiative since its
early stages. Read here why he considers the Initiative's work important
(German, pdf, 30 kB)
- The RNE's website
1 million employees in 160,000 SMEs associated with "The West German
Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades' Council" (Westdeutscher
Handwerkskammertag) and more than 20,000 medium and large-scale enterprises
associated with the BWA (Federal Association for Business Promotion and Foreign
Trade), officially support the Global Marshall Plan Initiative. This clearly
shows that more and more businessmen are recognizing the necessity of working
together with other sectors of society across borders to make all human beings
benefit from globalization. Worldwide the Initiative is supported by more than
500,000 companies, if the businesses associated with eth JCI (Junior Chamber
International) are included.
- The Craft Council's letter of support to the Initiave (German,
pdf, 350 kB)
Peter Hesse presented the Global Marshall Plan Initiative in a workshop at
the World Social Forum in Porto Allegre. Participants from almost all
continents, among them the Swiss ambassador, were highly interested in the topic
and contributed actively.
- Read the whole report (in German)
On February 18th, more than 30 supporters of the Global Marshall Plan
Initiative came together in Augsburg to develop an agenda for a local Global
Marshall Plan team in Augsburg.
The organizer Johannes Pfister sent us a report (pdf, 1,6 MB) of the meeting.
The European Commission is studying various options to fund an increase in
money available to the world's poorest countries, including Brown's plan for an
International Financial Facility (IFF), a tax on kerosene, air ticktes or
international financial transactions. Louis Michel, the European Development
Commissioner gave cautious endorsement to an IFF under the condition that it is
not unsed as a substitute for offical development aid or an excuse for reducing
rich countries' aid budgets.
- Read
the whole article
During their meeting on February 5th the G7 finance ministers backed plans
to write off up to 100% of multilateral debts of 37 highly indebted countries.
They also agreed that aid has to be increased significantly and that new sources
of financing need to be tapped but they could not decide which ones to pursue:
The British proposal for an International Finance Facility (IFF) was rejected by
the US. A tax on kerosene as proposed by France and Germany was also turned
down. Jacques Chirac's call for a tax on financial transfers, which was backed
by Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, was not considered at the meeting.
- Report of the meeting
Altough the agreement on debt
relief is welcomed by NGOs there is criticism that these measures do not go far
enough.
- Press release Make Poverty History
After Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder embraced the idea of introducing a tax
on financial transactions at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos,
Germany became member of the "Technical Group on Innovative Financing
Mechanisms", the so called Lula-Group.
This group was founded by Brasil's
President Lula, French President Chirac and Chile's President Lagos in January
2004. This new North-South alliance aims at actively promoting the Millennium
Development Goals. The group's main task is to identify new innovative sources
of finance to increase development aid. In Brasilia on 10/11 February 2005 the
first meeting of the extended group took Place.
The results of this
meeting are an action plan with ten proposals (pdf, 140 kB) and a joint statement (pdf, 120 kB)
The UK-based campaign Make Poverty History has called upon its supporters
to send an email to Tony Blair urging him to make the most of the opportunity
that 2005 represents to radically change the face of the world porverty. By the
end of January 22,000 emails already reached the British Prime Minister.
You
too can email him here
Tony Blair responded to that and addressed Make
Poverty History in a letter. He pointed out that apart from increasing the
amount of aid it is necessary to improve governance, reduce conflict and build
the capacity of the poorest countries.
- Mr Blair's
letter
Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update
"Written in refreshingly
accessible prose, Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update is a long anticipated
revival of some of the original voices in the growing chorus of sustainability.
The book is a work of stunning intelligence that will expose for humanity the
hazy but critical line between human growth and human development."
Chelsea
Green Publishing
"Not everything bears repetition, but truth does -
especially when both denied by entrenched interests and verfied by new
information."
Herman E. Daly, former senior economist in the Environment
Department of the World Bank and Professor School of Public Affairs University
of Maryland
"Reading the 30th-year update reminds me of why the systems
approach to thinking about our future is not only valuabel, but indispensable.
Thirty years ago, it was easy for the critics to dismiss the limits to growth.
But in today's world, with its collapsing fisheries, shrinking forests, falling
water tables, dying coral reefs, expanding deserts, eroding soils, rising
temperatures, and disappearing species, it is not so easy to do so. We are all
indebted to the "Limits" team for reminding us again that time is running out."
Lester Brown, Earth Policy Institute
Order the book here
Don't Think of an Elefant
"Don't Think of an Elefant! is the
definitive handbook for understanding what happened in the 2004 election and
communicating effectively about key issues facing America today. Author George
Lakoff has become a key advisor to the Democratic party, helping them develop
their message and frame the political debate."
Chelsea Green Publishing
"I learned a lot from Lakoff. You will too."
George Soros
"Don't think of an Elefant! is a work of a genius. As George Lakoff
explains how the right has framed the notion fo the political center, he
presents both the the most original and the most practical analysis of United
States politics in many years."
George Akerlof, University of California,
Berkeley, and Nobel Prize winner in Economics
Order the book here
The
books wil be dispatched in approximately 4 weeks.
05.03.2005
14:00, Neuss
Fest der Impulse - Projekte für eine
bessere Welt
Planet Plaza Hombroich, 41472 Neuss
Veranstalter: Club of
Budapest
- Weitere Informationen (pdf, 120 kB)
10.03.2005
19:30, Innsbruck
Kaiser-Leopold-Saal der Universität, Karl Rahner Platz
1
Global Marshall Plan - Ein Programm für die Zukunft? Vortrag mit
anschließender Diskussion.
Veranstalter: Welthaus Innsbruck, Grüne
Bildungswerkstatt Tirol, Haus der Begegnung, Südwind Tirol, Theologische
Fakultät Innsbruck
- Weitere Informationen (pdf, 25 kB)
11.03.2005
9:00
bis 13:00 Uhr, Innsbruck
Auf dem Weg zur Globalen Gerechtigkeit - Europa als
Vorreiter eines Globalen Marshall Plans. Seminar.
Veranstalter:Welthaus
Innsbruck, Grüne Bildungswerkstatt Tirol, Haus der Begegnung, Südwind Tirol,
Theologische Fakultät Innsbruck
- Weitere Informationen (pdf, 25 kB)
Please find more
events here
All articles in German
Berchtesgadener Anzeiger
03.03.2005
- In der Nähe eines Tabus steckt immer
Wahrheit
Connection
03/2005
- Die Schönheit der Armut (pdf, 125 kB)
Südostbayerische
Rundschau
28.02.2005
- Eine Welt mit fairen Spielregeln
Der Kurier
27.02.2005
- Suche nach einer besseren Welt
Stuttgarter Wochenblatt
24.02.2005
- Bedürfnis nach Tiefgang wächst
Nordbayerischer Kurier
15.02.205
- Nur zu spenden macht keinen Sinn
Glocalist Review
60/2005
14.02.2005
- Gedanken zum G7-Finanzminister-Treffen zu Entwicklungsfragen in
London (pdf, 450 kB)(Seite 17)
Von Ilse Kleischuster
Frankfurter
Rundschau
10.02.2005
Keine Almosen
- Interview mit Prof. Franz Josef Radermacher im Rahmen des Thema
des Tages: Renaissance der Entwicklungspolitik?
Please send us your comments on this newsletter, our website or the
Initiative itself:
office@globalmarshallplan.org
Your feedback is essential for us to improve our concepts and communication.
The editorial language of the newsletter is English. However we publish your article in the language it is received.
(o) news editors - Global Marshall Plan Initiative
Helge Bork, Maike
Sippel, Frithjof Finkbeiner (V.i.S.d.P.R.)
Global Marshall Plan
Initiative
Co-ordination Office
Rissener Landstrasse 193
22559
Hamburg
Germany
For the contents of articles written by external authors we do not take
responsibility.
The Global Marshall Plan Initiative (o) pleads for an Eco-Social Market
Economy by the means of a Global Marshall Plan.
(o) news is the official newsletter of the Global Marshall Plan Initiative
to all interested.
(o) news is published once a month, on the second Friday
of the month. The editorial deadline is the first Friday of the month.
Articles should be sent to office@globalmarshallplan.org
(o) info is the medium to inform all those active within the Global
Marshall Plan Initiative and is published once a week on Fridays. All relevant
emails, which are submitted by editorial deadline (Thursday 12:00) through office@globalmarshallplan.org will
be included in the next edition of the (o) info.
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