Global Solidarity

Press Statement by Thing Siew Shuen, Environmental Officer to DAP Secretary-General on 10.12.2007

We call for tough action to tackle climate change and express our solidarity with people all around the world who have been affected by global warming and climate injustice.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was recently awarded the Nobel peace prize, reported of “unequivocal” climate change already occurring and warned that man-made global warming could lead to abrupt or irreversible impacts. In this respect, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCC), which held in Bali from 3-14 December, has become an extremely vital event, because decisions taken in Bali can determine the fate of the planet, particularly the poor and the vulnerable.

In order to have better understanding on how international financial institutions (IFIs) such as the World Bank addresses climate change, and the impacts of different mitigation and adaptation measures to the planet and the people, we have participated in an International Conference on “Linking Global Finance, International Financial Institutions, and Debt to Energy and Climate Change” in Bali(5-7 Dec). We have also taken part in the Global Day of Action on Climate Change on 8 Dec to express our solidarity with people all around the world who have been affected by global warming and climate injustice.

The conference was organized by the Jubilee South - Asia/Pacific Movement on Debt & Development (JS-APMDD), in cooperation with : Friends of the Earth International, Greenpeace International, Oil Change International, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), WALHI – Indonesia, Koalisi Anti-Utang (KAU),International Forum for Indonesian Development (INFID), GARPU, KRUHA, GCAP SENCA.

We have signed the Bali Declaration on International Financial Institutions, Debt and Climate Change on December 8, 2007 in Sanur, Bali. The full contents of the declaration are as below:

“We, debt and development activists from different social movements and non-government organizations from Asia-Pacific join the growing calls of the international community to decisively address the paramount issue of climate change.

The climate crisis is the most blatantly repulsive result of a flawed development paradigm imposed on us by global institutions, northern governments and transnational corporations with the acquiescence and collaboration of our local elites and neo-liberal economic apologists

We assert that debt has been used not only as an instrument to dominate government and peoples of the South but also to finance projects and promote policies that have greatly contributed to the exacerbation and escalation of climate change.

We call on international financial institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other regional development banks, northern governments and their export credit agencies - TO STOP ALL FUNDING AND ALL PROGRAMS THAT HARM PEOPLES and the ENVIRONMENT.

We reject all IFI loans and “aid” supposedly for adaptation measures and renewable energies as hypocritical measures - when these same institutions continue to promote a development framework and pour several times more of their funds towards projects and policies that aggravate climate change.

We oppose carbon trading as a false solution that allows transnational corporations and rich countries to buy the right to pollute at the expense of impoverished peoples and countries. Worse, carbon trading has spawned new and despicable instruments to extract profits from pollution.

We demand the following:

• Redirection of existing dirty energy financing to adaptation and mitigation measures and energy efficiency projects as a form of reparation to the decades of ecological debt owed by the north to the south;

• Financing of renewable energies as one form of restitution for countless years of debt domination that hampered Southern countries capacity to develop alternative technologies and development strategies;

• The sovereign and democratic management and control of funds for mitigation, adaptation and the development of clean, safe and renewable energy; And for the World Bank, ADB and other similar institutions with a horrible track record to be kept from any form of control and inolvement over the disposal and use of these funds.

• Stop to all false solutions such as agro-fuels and carbon trading

• Rejection of all loans, aid and subsidies for fossil fuel extraction, dirty technologies and exploitation of natural resources that violate our national patrimony and the rights of indigenous peoples.

• An end to imposition of all conditionalities (e.g. privatization, liberalization and deregulation) by international financial institutions and northern governments through loans, aid and debt.

• Total and unconditional cancellation and repudiation of debts that have contribute to climate change, and all other illegitimate debts and “obligations” claimed from us by the north and lending institutions.”

民主行动党秘书长环境事务专员邓晓璇于2007年12月10日发表声明：

我们亟需坚定行动以应对气候变化，同时，对世界各地饱受全球变暖及气候不公义影响的人民，表示我们团结一致。

最近获颁诺贝尔和平奖的联合国跨政府气候变迁小组（IPCC）清楚地说明气候变化已是无可否认的事实，该小组也警告说人为因素造成的全球变暖将无可预测或无可逆转的影响。有鉴于此，在巴厘岛举行的联合国气候变化会议（12月3－14日）已经成为非常重要的活动，因为，在巴厘会议中所做的决定，将影响地球的命运，尤其是穷人及弱势群体的命运。

为了进一步了解国际金融机构比如世界银行如何面对气候变化，以及了解不同的减缓及适应举措将为地球及人民带来什么影响，我们参与了巴厘岛一项主题为“全球金融、国际财务机构及债务，与能源、气候变化的关联”（12月5－7日）。我们也参与了12月8日一项为气候变化而举行的全球行动日，以对世界各地饱受全球变暖及气候不公义影响的人民，表示我们团结一致。

上述会议由Jubilee South 主办。协办者包括：地球之友、绿色和平、Oil Change International, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), WALHI – Indonesia, Koalisi Anti-Utang (KAU),International Forum for Indonesian Development (INFID), GARPU, KRUHA, GCAP SENCA.

我们于2007年12月8日，在巴厘岛沙奴尔针对国际财务机构、债务及气候变化签署了一项“巴厘宣言”。内容如下：

“我们，一群来自亚洲－太平洋地区不同社会运动及非政府组织的债务及发展运动人士，响应了国际社会日渐增加的呼声，果断地应对气候变化的主要课题。

全球机构、北方国家、跨国企业将缺陷重重的发展模式强加于我们，加上本地精英、新自由主义经济鼓吹者的默许及合作，导致气候危机公然成了最可憎的恶果。

我们坚持，债务不仅仅被利用为控制南方国家及人民的工具，也被用来资助及推广一些导致气候变化恶化的工程及政策。

我们促请国际金融机构如：世界货币基金组织、世界银行、亚洲发展银行及其它区域性发展银行、北方政府及他们的债务出口机构－停止所有为人民及环境带来伤害的财务资助及计划。

我们拒绝所有国际金融机构提供贷款及“财援”来资助虚伪的适应举措及可更新资源－这些机构也同时继续推广及灌入更加在那些造成气候变化的发展工程及政策。

我们反对碳交易（Carbon Trading），因为这项错误的方案允许跨国企业及富国牺牲穷国及穷人的利益，购买污染的权利。更糟的是，碳交易竟然成为一种从污染中谋利的新式及可耻的工具。

我们的诉求如下：

· 将现有污染能源财援转移至适应及减缓举措及有效能源计划，以便补偿这几十年来北方国家对南方国家所欠下的生态债务。

· 提供财援发展可更新能源，做为补偿几十年来被债务主导所破坏南方国家发展机能，让他们发展替代技术及发展政略。

· 在控制减缓、适应及发展干净、安全、可更新能源的基金方面，我们要求主权及民主行政管理权；至于世界银行、亚洲发展银行及其它类似拥有可恶记录的机构，应该被拒绝，不得再涉及任何上述基金的控制及使用。

· 停止任何错误方案，比如农业燃料（agro-fuels）及碳交易。

· 拒绝所有用来汲取化石能源、肮脏技术及剥削天然资源的贷款、援助及津贴，这已经破坏了国家遗产及原住民的权利。

· 停止任何由国际财务机构及北方国家通过贷款、援助及债务强加的条件（如：私营化、自由化及撤销管制）

· 全面、无条件地取消、撤消所有导致气候变化的债务，以及其它不合法债务及北方国家、借贷机构向我们索取的义务性债务。