June 2008

“What are the cornerstones of economic justice?” This was the question Inter Pares staff member Rachel Gouin asked Tetteh Hormeku when they met to discuss ways of promoting economic justice. Tetteh is Head of Programmes at Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Africa)in Ghana and a visiting scholar at the North-South Institute in Canada. …

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Mayra Rodríguez, a leader in her community of El Horno, stood before the crowded community hall. Gathered together were women and men, farmers and merchants, cooperative members and small business owners, members of community councils and local development committees.  All had attended a course in community development and citizenship developed by Popol Vuh, Inter Pares’ long-time counterpart in the municipalities of Matagalpa and San Ramón.  Inter Pares staff were visiting the day that the forty participants received their graduation certificates – a recognition of their accomplishments as individuals and communities. …

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When Tommy Douglas envisioned a universal health care system for Canadians, it is doubtful he imagined the reality that exists today.  This became clear on a February afternoon at the Ottawa Public Library during a public hearing organized by the Canadian Health Coalition (CHC), an Inter Pares counterpart.  Canadians shared stories of the enormous cost of pharmaceuticals to treat their illnesses …

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Since the mid-1990s, Likhaan, a women’s health and human rights organization in the Philippines, has worked with community groups in some of the poorest parts of Manila.  They have established clinics and trained local community health workers to provide much-needed services, demonstrating that health provision can be both high-quality and affordable. …

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Citizens’ groups around the world are increasingly raising concerns about the social costs that tax evasion is imposing on their societies. Offshore tax havens – commonly called offshore financial centers, or OFCs – are central to these concerns.  Today there are more than seventy OFCs, many based in small island states such as the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas.  OFCs levy little or no tax on income and provide few rules on incorporation. Corporations can conduct their business without having a physical presence in these jurisdictions. Most importantly, OFCs guarantee secrecy so that their clients are beyond the scrutiny of tax authorities and regulators in their home countries. …

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The extraordinarily callous response of Burma’s military junta to the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis has once again focused international attention on this beleaguered country. 

While the damage caused by the cyclone and the regime’s indifference to human suffering is capturing world attention, it is important to see the larger context of this disaster. Under the grip of a vicious and violent military regime, which has now been in power for half a century, Burma continues to be one of the world’s largest and most prolonged humanitarian and political crises.  The international response to Burma's humanitarian crisis must include assistance to cyclone victims, refugees and internally displaced people, in conjunction with addressing the root causes of the political crisis by promoting a return to democracy.

As one of the few Canadian organizations with a long history of working with refugees from Burma, Inter Pares is supporting our counterparts to assist cyclone victims through mobile teams, supplied and organized from bordering countries, working in affected areas. Currently these teams are working with a target population of 150,000 people. Last month we passed along their call for support and many of you have responded. To date, nearly $18,000 in Canada alone has been raised from the public for these grassroots relief efforts. (To follow this work as it continues, please visit www.maetaoclinic.org/cyclone.html.)

Unfortunately, the cyclone is not the only humanitarian disaster to plague Burma's most vulnerable people. The cyclone arrived in the midst of dramatic increases in food prices; the price of rice and other staples has more than tripled in the last five months. These skyrocketing costs, which are affecting poor people around the world, are severely constraining food assistance programs for refugees and displaced people. In response, Inter Pares is providing additional financial resources to our counterparts from the funds we receive from our Canadian supporters and from CIDA to help them meet the immediate needs for this chronic emergency.

From April 28 to May 1, farm and civil society leaders from Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, and the Philippines toured six Canadian cities. Between the public events and the extensive coverage by local and national media, we estimate that almost two million people heard about the consequences for people and ecosystems of the global rush to produce fuel from crops.

To learn more about the tour, the biofuels legislation that has just been passed, or to watch the Ottawa forum (recorded and viewable online), click here.

“Canada and Africa: Prospects for Internationalism and Common Cause,” by Molly Kane

Molly offers her reflection on issues and dilemmas facing international NGOs today dedicated to international solidarity with people in Africa.  By exploring the political economy of the aid industry and its implications for work promoting social justice and peace in the world, she invites us to press our government for concrete actions and also raises fundamental questions for anyone interested in global solidarity.

To read this article, click here