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The meeting starts. The representative of Brazilian landless peasants who
fight for their rights explains what their aims are and gives a short
account of their ongoing struggle. One of their objectives is to provide
education to their children and try to change the situation.
Three groups will present their Vision and Mission. The first group
proposes a world that ensures food and shelter; a world in which work and
creativity are freed from the bondage of survival and waged labor; and an
economic system that is environmentally sustainable. The mission is the
promotion of new values; the interconnection of new praxis and the
interconnection of experiences of democratization of the state and of
international institutions.
The second group says that dreams never come true but that we should go on
dreaming and define socio-economic patterns like nutrition, land, and the
use of natural resources. Macroeconomy helps microeconomy and creates a
cycle. Local, associative economy leads to solidarity and full
participation of the population.
The meeting has stopped for coffee-break.
The meeting will resume now.
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It is necessary to reassess the African contribution to economic policies
with the creation of an organization like the European Economic Community.
Reconciliation between Africans, education focused on local concerns, and
elimination of the complex of inferiority as regards their global
situation: These are recommendations from Kigali.
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The Alliance is made up of different perspectives of the same global
problems. It is like a web, where all those different points of view
converge in order that the Alliance may make recommendations which address:
1. systems of government.
2. Science and technology.
3. Food security.
4. Gender.
5. Alternative consumption.
6. Globalization and culture.
7. Industrial-rural relations.
8. Resource-based system.
9. Overcome the split between capital and labor.
The Alliance is not a small United Nations, but a network that must make
contributions and establish connections with other organizations.
Two aspects that were left out are professional training and leisure time.
People in the developing world, however, are working harder, longer and
receiving less. The Alliance has to take that into consideration.
In a world in which many people lack the minimum conditions for living,
leisure may be seen as an unnecessary luxury.
Armament expenses are very high and there should be taxation worldwide that
may serve to curb its expansion. We may start to think of an international
taxation system to address that issue.
In the Northeast of Brazil communities are creating networks like the
Women's Network that addresses issues like poverty, lack of education and
lack of opportunities. They produce their own clothing and cooking oil from
palm trees, and they provide training for the local working class. The
government should provide tax exemption to these small communities. They
may also participate in the Alliance from now on.
The recommendations of the Alliance are implicit in the experiences of the
alternative policies carried out by local communities.
Other recommendations: local economies should integrate in the larger
economy; integration of local producers and consumers; use of technology to
advance development; support from governments; efficiency of banks in a
local economy; development of an international solidary system that
integrates local economies; articulation of a productive economy with a
reproductive economy.
Another recommendation is for private enterprises to have a more intensive
social role as responsible social players through investment and technology.
The current social imbalance in Africa comes from the colonial times. They
continue provoking fights among Africans. Peace must be reached and Africa
must integrate the global economy without the adverse effects of
globalization as it is today.
Another meeting will be held tomorrow in order to have a more in-depth
analyses of the issues we dealt with here today.
End of the meeting.