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THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM IS COMING TO MALMO!

12 September 2008

From September 17th to 21st 2008 the European Social Forum (ESF) is being held in Malmö, in the south of Sweden.

The forum is by far the biggest meeting place for social movements and a progressive civil society in Europe - with the aim to create a better Europe and a better world.

More than 20, 000 people are expected to participate in Malmö. During five days over 200 seminars and workshops will be organized next to cultural activites, film, music, informal meetings, activism and demonstrations.

CADTM International is participating actively in the ESF and will be represented by various delegates from Belgium, France, Morocco, Ivory Cost and India.

CADTM Schedule for Program Activities

Thursday 18th of September

9:30-12:30.

Debts cancellations: Illegitimacy, Odiousness and audits

Organizers : CADTM, Forum Syd, Jubilee UK

The debt burden of southern countries is still a tool for the rich world to control the poor world. "Debt cancellation" from the G8 have failed. However, Norway unilaterally cancelled some of the unjust debt owed to it by developing countries and Ecuador is now auditing its debts. Activists across Europe need to build on these initiatives if we are to eradicate the injustice of debt once and for all.

Speakers :
Renaud Vivien, CADTM
Eric Toussaint, CADTM
Kristina frobergh, forumsyd
Jostein Hole Kobbeltvedt, SLUG

14:00-17:00.

Exploding Food Prices. Building new alliances for access to healthy and affordable food for all

Organizers : Attac Austria, France, Germany, Via Campesina, CADTM, IATP

Food prices explode while real incomes of people in Europe decline. Access to food becomes again a social issue in Europe. Consumers pay increasingly high prices for food, while peasant and family farmers in Europe continue to struggle for survival. We will consider who benefits from exploding food prices, what the root causes are and how new alliances between farmers and consumers can be built.

Speakers :
Jean Cabaret, Coordination Europenne Via Campesina
Ibrahima Coulibaly, ROPPA
Nicoletta Rocchi, CGIL, Italy
Sian Jones, European Anti-Poverty? Network
Eric Toussaint, CADTM
Myriam van der Stichele, SOMO and Agribusiness Accountability Initiative

16:00.

Film The End of Poverty ? followed by a debate

Director: Philippe Diaz, USA 2008. 108 min. Documentary. English subtitles.
Organizers : Tax Justice Network, TNI, CADTM, Cine Libre Studio

With so much wealth in the world, why is there still so much poverty ? Looking beyond the orthodox discourse this film, narrated by Martin Sheen, travels from the Barrios of Latin America to the slums of Africa to explore how the true cause of poverty stems from actions taken during and since colonial times to perpetuate exploitation. Leading economists, politicians and social movement activists explain how rich nations are plundering the planet, thus creating more inequality and poverty, and further jeopardizing sustainability. www.Theendofpoverty.com (external link)

Speakers :
John Christensen - Founder of The Tax Justice Network (TJN), www.taxjustice.net (external link)
Susan George - Author, Chair of the Planning Board of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam (TNI.org)
Eric Toussaint, President of the Committee for Cancellation of the Third World Debt
Cliff Cobb, Executive Producer. The Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, www.schalkenbach.org (external link)
Philippe Diaz - Director of the film. Founder Cinema Libre Studio. www.cinemalibrestudio.com (external link)

Friday 19th of September

9:30-12:30

ALBA - ALBA - Alternatives and new experiences in Latin America

Organisazers : CADTM, Hands off Venezuela, Svensk-Kubanska? föreningen, Vision for all Alba, an alternative to the neoliberal European integration:

  • anti-imperialist cooperation with
  • PetroCaribe: oil for sustainable and endogenous development
  • South Bank: independence from IMF and World Bank
  • Health and education for all
  • Participative democracy, with women and indigenous peoples, and in work
  • TeleSUR: freedom of information, cultural identity.

Speakers :
Eric Toussaint, CADTM
Margarita Teran, MAS, Bolivia
José Miguel Hernández Mederos CTC, Cuba
Amilcar Figueroa, Venezuela
Antonia Vutierrez, ATC, Nicaragua
Santos Cornelio Chirinos, Coco, Honduras
Eva Björklund, Swedish Cuban Asociation, moderator

9:30-12:30

Financial crisis : Causes, specificities, consequences, alternatives

Organizers : Attac Europe, CADTM, Charter for another Europe network

The current financial situation confirms the most pessimistic of forecasts and analyses. This crisis is often described as the most serious crisis to arise since the Second World War. This seminar aims at sharing analysis and discussing alternative proposals. It will include on this second part a specific report on experience of campaign on sovereign wealth funds.

Speakers :
John Christensen, Tax Justice Network
Eric Toussaint, CADTM
Jean Marie Harribey, Attac European Network
Alfonso Gianni, charter for another Europe
Francine Mestrum, Attac
Louis Weber, Espaces Marx

14:00-17:00

Assembly on food sovereignty: what can we do to implement it in Europe?

Organizers : Via Campesina, IATP, Attac Austria, Attac France, Attac Germany, CADTM, Latinamerikagrupperna

This assembly aims at gathering all organizations and activists involved in the wide struggle for food sovereignty in Europe, in order to share information and develop joint strategies for action and mobilization in 2009. Farmers, consumers, environmentalists, NGOs,... and YOU!

Sunday 21st of September

11:30-13:30

Assembly of Social Movements

The program of the 2008 ESF is available on http://www.esf2008.org/program/programme-esf-2008-seminars (external link) More information : http://www.esf2008.org/ (external link)