MEDIA ADVISORY- FRIENDS OF THE EARTH
INTERNATIONAL
DAVOS VERSUS PORTO ALEGRE, ROUND
THREE
Friends of the Earth at the third World
Social Forum
Porto Alegre, Brazil / Davos,
Switzerland, 15 January , 2003
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Policy-makers world- wide have a real
opportunity to start building a sustainable
world by shifting the spotlight from
corporate interests highlighted at the World
Economic Forum (1) in Davos, Switzerland,
(January 23-28) to the priorities emphasized
by civil society representatives meeting here
during the same days for the third World
Social Forum (2), according to Friends of the
Earth International.
The World Economic Forum paved the way for
the creation of the World Trade Organization
(WTO) and North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) - both of which have been severely
criticized for contributing to global
inequality through their damaging impacts on
poor communities and the environment.
Friends of the Earth International is the
largest international grassroots
environmental network participating in the
third World Social Forum (WSF) in Porto
Alegre, from January 23 to 28, with some 50
delegates from every continent (main contact
details below).
World Social Forum organisers announced
that 30,000 delegates from some 5,000
organizations from 121 countries are
registered to participate in WSF panels,
seminars and workshops, and on the January
27th march against the proposed Free Trade
Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Friends of the Earth participates in the
World Social Forum because such'movement
building' is vital to formulate alternatives
to neo-liberal economic globalization
policies and to review ways to minimize the
negative impact of a corporate-led
globalization process.
The real challenge for humankind is to
provide a decent quality of life for a
predicted population of 10 billion people in
the year 2050, whilst reducing environmental
impacts to sustainable levels. Neo-liberal
economic globalization is increasing the
scale of that challenge. It is failing people
in many different ways. Friends of the Earth
International (FoEI) strongly disagrees with
the line that 'there is no alternative' to
business as usual under the neo-liberal
economic globalization. (3)
In Davos, Friends of the Earth delegates
take part in 'The Public Eye on Davos'
counter-conference which has been organised
with groups critical of the World Economic
Forum. (4)
"Multinational companies involved in the
World Economic Forum are abusing their
economic power and political influence when
they meet with politicians and government
officials behind closed doors during the
annual meeting in Davos," said Friends of the
Earth International Chair Ricardo Navarro
today.
Existing national and international
controls over the activities and lobbying of
multinational corporations are inadequate to
protect the environment or to meet the needs
of societies around the world, according to
Friends of the Earth International. FoEI
believes that government and
intergovernmental officials should agree not
to participate in these closed Davos
meetings.
For more information please contact in
Porto Alegre (January 23-28) :
FoEI Chair Ricardo Navarro
+55-51-92138163
FoEI Trade campaign coordinator Ronnie Hall
+55-51-92138133
FoEI Biodiversity project coordinator Simone
Lovera +55-51-92138130
FoEI Climate campaign coordinator Kate
Hampton +55-51-92137596
FoEI Financial Institutions campaign
coordinator Johan Frijns
+55-51-92137597 Friends of the Earth
Colombia Tatiana Roa
+55-51-92138132 Friends of the Earth Uruguay
Karen Nansen
+55-51-92137595 Friends of the Earth Brazil
Lucia Schild Ortiz
+55-51-91150334
Press officers:
Niccolo Sarno (English, French, Spanish,
Italian) +55-51-92138116
Elisangela Paim (Portuguese, Spanish)
+55-51-98339181
In Davos please contact :
Miriam Behrens, Friends of the Earth
Switzerland, +41 79 216 02 06 Matt
Phillips, Friends of the Earth Corporates
campaigner +44 781 7314706
Friends of the Earth International is a
federation of 68 non-governmental
organizations that make up the world's
largest grassroots environmental
network campaigning to protect the
environment and to create sustainable
societies. More information at
www.foei.org
Notes :
(1) In Davos the invited "community of top
decision makers" - including
senior business leaders from corporations
such as Nestle; Shell, Vivendi
Universal, British American Tobacco, BP,
Nike and Tyumen Oil - will
benefit from "a unique club atmosphere" to
talk to world leaders about the
way forward for the world, according to the
World Economic Forum on-line -
www.weforum.com
(2) www.worldsocialforum.org
(3) more information in the FoEI
publication 'Towards Sustainable
Economies' available at
www.foei.org/publications/trade
(4) www.publiceyeondavos.ch
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