From October 12-18 the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will also hold their annual meetings in Bangkok. This annual meeting of the Bretton Woods twins is taking place against a grim global backdrop. According to the UN Trade and Development, half of the world's population now lives in countries with severe debt that their elected governments owe to these international financial institutions. Most countries in the Global South spend more on debt servicing than providing and funding public welfare and social security programs.
States that are in debt to the IMF and World Bank have also been coerced to move towards a free-market model in which, under the garb of austerity, public welfare programs and social security programs are being steadily rolled back, and an emphasis is placed on privatization, deregulation and disinvestment. These decisions have catastrophic consequences for the rural and urban working class, who are already reeling under the impact of high inflation, rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices, made worse by disruptions caused by endless wars and climate catastrophes. This despair is reflected in the alarming levels of household debt reported by rural communities around the world, including Thailand, which in itself is an endless and vicious cycle that only worsens with time.
La Via Campesina cannot ignore this moment of great upheaval in the world, and we will be voicing our concerns and demands loudly while in Thailand. On October 7, the Assembly of the Poor —the LVC organization in Thailand – will hold a seminar and press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok. On behalf of all members of La Via Campesina, we will outline the concerns of rural communities worldwide regarding the financialization and neo-liberal policies promoted by the World Bank and the IMF, and announce our six-point demands to end the debt crisis and build food sovereignty.
Speakers:
Morgan Ody, general coordinator of La Via Campesina, from France, member of Confederation Paysanne;
Nury Martinez, LVCInternational Committee, member of Colombian Agricultural Workers and Peasants Union, Fensuagro (will speak in Spanish);
Ibrahim Sidibe, LVC International Committee, member of Malian Peasant Network CNOP (in West Africa, will speak French);
Zainal Arifin Fuat, Indonesia, LVC International Committee, member of Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasants Union);
Paitoon Soisod, secretary-general, Assembly of the Poor, Thailand (will speak Thai).
Baramee Chairat, Assembly of the Poor, Thailand, senior member of La Via Campesina (will speak Thai).
Registration: https://forms.gle/7F26eLwqtUoqpudj9.
