Women participating in the Global Forum: Financing the Right to Sustainable and Equitable Development, rejected the neoliberal model, the war culture and all forms of violence against women, and demanded the total eradication of foreign debt for highly indebted countries.
On the first day of work at the NGOs Forum preceding the International Conference: Financing for Development (FfD) women proposed putting forth an agenda for a just peace in the world, a non monolithic worldwide political organization given a say in economics and that enjoys equal representation and a participatory democracy among the worlds countries.
In the text of the Women’s Declaration the activists recommended the establishment of a tax on foreign financial transactions the percentage of which is raised in times of crisis to avoid capital flight, specifically speculative capital, that also provides a a way of regulating the flows of international capital.
They also asked for a raise in the resources for Official Aid for Development and the elimination of conditional clauses. As well as fulfilling in the agreement that developed countries destine 0.7 of their Gross National Product to the OAD.
They also demanded eliminating conditional clauses in structural adjustment programs promoted by the World Bank, the Internation Monetary Fund, and international banks.
As for foreign debt, they recommended a re-examination of current criteria and the adoption of a human development focus. All of this in order to measure sustainability which they believe should not be gauged in accordance with what a country can pay or in accordance with the agreement previously acquired, but in accordance with its needs to reach sustainable and equitable gender human development.
They also demanded the establishment of a transparent system of arbitration on external debt with a democratic process in the decision making because as it stands lending countries carry enormous weight in deciding which countries can go into the renegotiating process like the Initiative of condemnation of highly indebted countries.
The activists pleaded for the democratization of decision making processes within international financial institutions so that of free trade and investments respect the sovereignty of various peoples and that they comply with the objectives of development from the Millenium Meeting.
The women stated that the United Nations must take on a leading role in economic and social development through the fulfillment of the UN final document the «Consensus of Monterrey» so that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund’s actions and accounts are submitted for review to the Social and Economic Counsel and are in compliance with international human rights regulations.
Translated by: Sarah Stuteville and Livia Olvera Snyder
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