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Africa: Statements on Globalization
Africa: Statements on Globalization
Date distributed (ymd): 991115
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +economy/development+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains two documents on the occasion of the
meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Durban,
South Africa, November 12-14, 1999. The first is an address
by the General Secretary of the Congress of South African
Trade Unions (COSATU) to a meeting in Durban organized by the
Commonwealth Trade Union Council (CTUC). The second is an
official declaration by the Commonwealth meeting. Nineteen of
the 54 Commonwealth member states are in Africa.
Links for additional background:
COSATU: http://www.cosatu.org.za
Commonwealth Trade Union Council:
http://www.commonwealthtuc.org
Commonwealth Summit in Durban:
http://www.chogm99.org
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Zwelinzima Vavi, COSATU General Secretary
Address to a meeting on Globalisation and Social Justice -
Trade Union View
12 November 1999
Chairperson Rita Donaghy, President of the TUC
Honourary George Foulkes MP and Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of State, Department for International Development, UK.
Distinguished guests
Comrades and friends
The theme chosen for this Commonwealth Heads of Governments
Meeting "Globalisation and people centered development"
reflects both a desire and a challenge we all face in the
rapid and deepening process of globalisation.
To a growing number of the world citizens in particular from
the developing nations, globalisation has become synonymous
with the mostly negatives issues rather than the positives
The survey conducted by UNICEF and the UNDP on social spending
in Africa reveals that only three countries in Africa are
allocating more than 20% of budget funds for use on basic
health care, education and nutrition -- a target set by the
1995 UN Social Summit in Copenhagen. According to Kofi Annan,
the Secretary General of the UN, 44% of all Africans -- and
51% of these in Sub-Saharan Africa live in absolute poverty.
At the same time Africa's debt stock has increased from $344
billion to $350 billion in 1998, and is equivalent to more
than 300% of exports of goods and services from Africa. The
average African household today consumes 20% less than it did
25 years ago. Economic growth rates in the African continent
continue to decline, as well as development assistance, which
has dropped from $23 billion in 1992 to $18,7 billion in 1997.
On the other hand, according to the UNDP report, Americans
spend more than $8 billion a year on cosmetics - $2 billion
more than the estimated annual total needed to provide basic
education for everyone in the world. In 1996 alone Ethiopia
had a total foreign debt of $10 billion, whilst in the same
year Europe spent $11 billion on ice cream alone! The three
richest people in the world have assets that exceed the
combined gross domestic product of the 48 least developed
countries.
At the end of 1997 nearly 31 million people were living with
HIV, up from 22,3 million the year before. With 16 000 new
infections a day -- 90% percent in developing countries -- it
is now estimated that 40 million people will be living with
HIV in 2000.
The struggle for alternatives to the type of globalisation
system is under these circumstances a struggle for the
survival of human civilisation. To billions who have been on
the receiving end of brutal global system, globalisation has
meant:
Growing gap between the rich and the poor within nations and
between nations in particular between the North and the South
Destruction of quality jobs and their replacement by
casualisation and temporal jobs brought to bear by a process
of sub contracting of so called non core business activities
Growing unemployment in particular in the developing
countries,
which goes hand in hand with poverty that itself leads to more
social problems such as HIV/AIDS and violence.
Growing number and accidents of using children in the world of
work without due regard to their health, well being and
future.
Displacement of government's role in the economic and social
responsibilities as a result of the growing power wielded by
the multinational corporations who seek more mobility at the
expense of nations development
Intense competition between nations to attract the scarce
investment and in the process involve themselves in a race to
reach the bottom first and consequently trample on human and
trade union rights.
No wonder that some citizens of the world are beginning to
shout slogans such as "down with globalisation -- down with
the WTO, IMF and World Bank."
Globalisation is an objective reality we face and it is here
to stay, industrialisation process can not be altered. The
challenge is not to push our heads into the sand like an
ostrich or wish it away. The greatest challenge to humankind
as we move closer to the 21 century is to make globalisation
relevant to the ordinary people of the world. Currently it is
not regarded as the savour of human kind but as the
destruction of the gains won by the working people through
many years of hard struggles and sacrifices.
A people centered development as the theme of this the 1999
Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting should be a battle
cry for all the human kind interested in contesting the
direction of globalisation.
The Commonwealth Trade Union Council (CTUC) has sent a
delegation of six senior leaders to this august CHOGM 1999
meeting. We have come to lobby governments about the need to
take a new direction. We have compiled a submission for the
1999 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). In this
submission the CTUC is echoing the call of trade unions across
the globe, for the globalisation of social justice. We have
come here to make a call for the globalisation of core labour
standards and human rights. For far too long social justice
and people centered development has been absent in the debates
about globalisation.
In this century we have seen lowering of labour standards
mainly but not limited to Export Processing Zones where labour
laws are suspended in the name of export promotion. We have
also seen the creation of sweatshops by multinationals. In
these conditions reports have been pouring in about the
ill-treatment of workers, especially young women workers, who
are required to work up to 18 hours a day, with appalling
reports that workers are even refused to go to a toilet.
The majority of the members of the Commonwealth are the
developing countries, the countries of the South. These are
the countries that are underdeveloped and are crying for
development. The children from these countries suffer from
many diseases and malnutrition. Many of the inhabitants die
from HIV/AIDS. Children cannot go to school because their
education is no longer subsidised. The solution that has been
imposed on the majority of these countries has been the
Economic Structural Adjustment Programmes (ESAP's).
The ESAP's have resulted in heavy debt for those countries,
removal of subsidies for social services, tariff
liberalisation, all this to smoothen the entrance of MNC's.
These countries have been promised that if they stick to the
ESAP plan their economies would attract more investments and
only good things can flow from there. For a long time these
benefits have been hard to come by. Instead these countries
are drifting further away from development, and their debt
obligations increase yearly.
We need to define clearly what we mean when we call for the
globalisation of social justice. Our starting point is a call
to all the members of the Commonwealth to ensure that they
ratify the core conventions of the International Labour
Organisation (ILO). These conventions are:
- conventions29 and 105 on forced labour,
- conventions87 and 98 on the freedom of association and the
right to collective bargaining,
- conventions100 and 111 on discrimination, and
- conventions138 and 182 on child labour.
These core conventions have been in the ILO system for a long
time, but most governments have chosen to ignore them. Some
governments have ratified most of these conventions but have
failed to implement them. We call on our governments to not
only ratify, but to also implement these conventions. We also
call on governments to ratify other minimum standards
conventions that deal with issues such as hours of work,
maternity leave, and night work.
It is our belief that the ratification and implementation of
the core conventions should be pre-requisites in any trade
agreements that are signed by member states. Without this it
means having to conduct trade with countries that use forced
and child labour to produce goods. Such goods are then sold
cheaply because they are produced through forced and child
labour.
We also want to support the calls and efforts of the Jubilee
2000 campaign for the cancellation of debt. It is our belief
that the unfair terms of trade where developing countries
produce primary goods and sell them at low prices for
manufacturing and processing in the developed countries, and
then buy the processed goods at higher prices, is grossly
unfair. There can be no fair trade in such conditions, and our
developing countries will forever be in debt if the situation
is not turned around. We therefore call for the removal of
unfair terms of trade.
We further call on those countries and governments that want
to sell their gold reserves to refrain from doing that,
because that will not help the developing countries it is
intended to help. We will continue to campaign against gold
sales until those who want to do that at the detriment of
developing and poor countries abandon such plans. It will be
very important for the Commonwealth member states to take a
clear position on this issue.
A significant number of the Commonwealth member states are
guilty of human and trade union rights violations. The
statistics and cases that are quoted in the CTUC submission
disturb us. It pains us that some governments and states do
not appreciate the value and contribution of the working
people in their economies. It is disturbing to us that the
Commonwealth still has a soft spot for country like Swaziland,
which has been sanctioned for years by the ILO for the
violation of trade union rights.
If it was unacceptable to accommodate South Africa and
Nigeria, and is unacceptable to accommodate Pakistan for the
recent military coup, it surely should be unacceptable to
accommodate countries that do not treat their working people
fairly. We call upon the Commonwealth to pronounce itself on
the violation of trade union rights in member countries. We
also call upon the Commonwealth to take action against those
member countries that fail to live up to the 1998 ILO
declaration on the core conventions.
In conclusion we must say that all the demands made above will
not be given on a silver platter. We will never be able to
make any impact if we are not strong on the ground. This is a
call to the trade union movement in the Commonwealth countries
that we should organise and strengthen our local structures so
as to strengthen the CTUC.
For the world to notice us we have to take up campaigns on all
the issues that have been identified above. The unions in
Africa have recently committed themselves to campaign on the
12th of April 2000 for an end to military governments that
exist in the continent. We need to extend this campaign beyond
the African continent.
We have to campaign against those governments that refuse to
ratify the ILO conventions and continue to violate human and
trade union rights. We need to take up campaigns for the
scrapping of the third world debt, in collaboration with our
governments and friendly social movements. For far too long
the creditors have been the ones who have been offering
solutions, which are no solutions. We support moves to get the
highly indebted countries to define the terms of the debt
relief measures.
In conclusion we must reiterate our call for the ratification
by this Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting to ensure
that human rights, including workers rights are fully
respected. This is particularly true of the rights enshrined
in the ILO Core Convention and in Declaration on Fundamental
Principles and Rights at Work. We as mass movement formations
remain committed to a dialogue with all governments, which
share our vision of a world free from unemployment, poverty,
diseases and ignorance. We are calling for creation of
platforms in each country to involve trade unions and other
Non Governmental Organisations to discuss globalisation of
this vision.
Thank you,
The Fancourt Commonwealth Declaration on Globalisation and
People-Centred Development
Sunday, 14 November 1999, George, South Africa
In today's world, no country is untouched by the forces of
globalisation. Our destinies are linked together as never
before. The challenge is to seize the opportunities opened up
by globalisation while minimising its risks.
On the positive side, globalisation is creating unprecedented
opportunities for wealth creation and for the betterment of
the human condition. Reduced barriers to trade and enhanced
capital flows are fuelling economic growth.
The revolution in communications technologies is shrinking the
distance between nations, providing new opportunities for the
transfer of knowledge and the development of skills-based
industries. And technological advance globally offers great
potential for the eradication of poverty.
But the benefits of globalisation are not shared equitably.
Prosperity remains the preserve of the few. Despite the
progress of the past fifty years, half the world's population
lives on less than two US Dollars per day. Many millions live
in conditions of extreme deprivation. The poor are being
marginalised. Expanded capital flows have also brought with
them the risk of greater financial instability, undermining
the hope that a commitment to open markets can lift the
developing world, especially the least developed countries,
out of poverty and debt.
The persistence of poverty and human deprivation diminishes us
all. It also makes global peace and security fragile, limits
the growth of markets, and forces millions to migrate in
search of a better life. It constitutes a deep and fundamental
structural flaw in the world economy.
The greatest challenge therefore facing us today is how to
channel the forces of globalisation for the elimination of
poverty and the empowerment of human beings to lead fulfilling
lives.
The solution does not lie in abandoning a commitment to market
principles or in wishing away the powerful forces of
technological change. Globalisation is a reality and can only
increase its impact. But if the benefits of globalisation are
to be shared more widely, there must be greater equity for
countries in global markets.
We call on all nations fully to implement the Uruguay Round
commitments to dismantle barriers to trade for the mutual
benefit of all. Moreover, recognising in particular the
significant contribution that enhanced export opportunities
can make for reducing poverty, we call for improved market
access for the exports of all countries, particularly
developing countries, and the removal of all barriers to the
exports of the least developed countries.
Strong export growth remains a key element in the ability of
developing countries to improve their living standards to the
levels enjoyed in the industrialised world. We support efforts
that would enable developing countries to build up their
skills and manufacturing capacities, including the production
and export of value-added goods, so as to enhance growth and
achieve prosperity.
Likewise, we urge that the forthcoming ministerial Meeting of
WTO to launch the next round of global negotiations on trade
be one with a pronounced developmental dimension, with the aim
of achieving better market access in agriculture, industrial
products and services in a way that provides benefits to all
members, particularly developing countries. The Round should
be balanced in process, content and outcome.
We fully believe in the importance of upholding labour
standards and protecting the environment. But these must be
addressed in an appropriate way that does not, by linking them
to trade liberalisation, end up effectively impeding free
trade and causing injustice to developing countries.
We also call on the global community to establish innovative
mechanisms to promote capital flows to a wider number of
countries; and to urgently initiate reform of international
financial architecture to minimise financial instability and
its impact on the poor.
We believe that the elimination of poverty is achievable - but
only if we take determined and concerted action at national
and international levels. We reiterate our commitment to work
for a reversal of the decline in official development
assistance flows. Urgent action is also required to tackle the
unsustainable debt burden of developing countries,
particularly the poorer, building on the recent initiatives
agreed internationally. We believe such development assistance
must be focused on human development, poverty reduction and on
the development of capacities for participating in expanding
world markets for goods and capital. Above all, we recognise
the responsibilities of national governments to promote
pro-poor policies and human development.
If the poor and the vulnerable are to be at the centre of
development, the process must be participatory, in which they
have a voice. We believe that the spread of democratic freedom
and good governance, and access to education, training and
health care are key to the expansion of human capabilities,
and to the banishment of ignorance and prejudice. Recognising
that good governance and economic progress are directly
linked, we affirm our commitment to the pursuit of greater
transparency, accountability, the rule of law and the
elimination of corruption in all spheres of pubic life and in
the private sector.
We are concerned at the vast gap between rich and poor in the
ability to access the new technologies, at the concentration
of the world's research resources in market-driven products
and processes, the increasing tendency to claim proprietary
rights on traditional knowledge, and at bio-piracy. We call on
the world community to use the opportunities offered by
globalisation for adopting practical measures for overcoming
these challenges; for example, by extending the benefits of
global medical research through the provision of drugs at
affordable prices to the poor in developing countries.
We welcome the spread of ideas, information and knowledge in
building civil support for social equality, and in opposing
all forms of discrimination and other injustices based on
ethnicity, gender, race, and religion. But, while better
communications have increased human contact, there is for some
a growing sense of social exclusion and a general failure of
moral purpose. Persistence of inequalities faced by women,
continued high levels of youth unemployment, lack of adequate
support systems for the aged, children and the disabled in
many parts of the world and increased threats to the diversity
of cultures and beliefs all contribute to the undermining of
just and stable society. We therefore call for a renewed
commitment to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to
take measures that promote respect for the diverse languages,
cultures and beliefs, and traditions of the world, which
enrich all our lives.
Recognising that the full exploitation of the opportunities
for development created by globalisation is not possible
without security, political stability and peace. We commit
ourselves, in partnership with civil society, to promote
processes that help to prevent or resolve conflicts in
peaceful manner, support measures that help to stabilise
post-conflict situations and combat terrorism of all kinds.
Good governance requires inclusive and participatory processes
at both national and international levels. We call on the
global community to search for inclusive processes of
multilateralism which give more effective voice in the
operations of international institutions to developing
countries, and which recognise the particular vulnerabilities
of small states.
We believe that the Commonwealth, an association of diverse
sovereign nations reflecting different stages of development
and united by common values, has a vital role to play in
promotion consensus at national and international levels and
in providing practical assistance for the creation of
capacities needed to promote people-centred development. At
the threshold of a new millennium, we look to the
Commonwealth, and its family of organisations, to contribute
significantly to making the above aspirations a reality.
Fancourt
George, South Africa
14 November 1999
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC's primary
objective is to widen international policy debates around
African issues, by concentrating on providing accessible
policy-relevant information and analysis usable by a wide
range of groups and individuals.
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