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===Peoples Forum Against ADB===
--------------- Invites You to -----------------
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WHAT : Kerala State Consultation on:
Mobilising against the Asian Development Bank's Annual
Governors' Meet
WHERE : Thrissur
DATE : 19 March 2006
VENUE : Kerala Sahitya Academy Auditorium, Thrissur
TIME : 3pm-7pm.
13 March 2006,
Dear Friend:
The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) 39th Annual Governors' Meeting
(AGM) is scheduled
for 3-6 May 2006 in Hyderabad, India.
Since 2000, peoples' movements, communities affected by the ADB
projects, academics,
researchers, activists, labour unions and NGOs have come together at
the venues of these
AGMs to hold parallel events on the impacts of ADB loans and to oppose
and protest the
institution and its brand of development policy. From Thailand to
Turkey, the ADB Governors
have faced mass mobilisations by people affected by its policies.
India is a prominent member of the ADB. After China, India is the
largest borrower from the
Bank. Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, is the Chair of the Board of
Governors of the ADB.
Projects financed by the ADB range from energy and power sector
restructuring to flood
control, irrigation, water policy reform, urban development, highways,
administrative and
fiscal reforms. The projects and programmes have been undertaken
across the country,
from Jammu & Kashmir, Uttaranchal, West Bengal and the North East, to
Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The policy reforms and conditionalities that ADB demands from the
Governments, include,
adopting laws and regulations that favour private sector involvement
in key sectors,
market-friendly restructuring and reforms in sectors for which ADB
support is being sought,
corporatisation and privatisation of public enterprises and utilities,
creating a flexible labour
force, commercialization of agricultural production and trade and
investment liberalisation.
The ADB works in tandem with other institutions such as the World Bank and World
Trade Organisation to ensure that markets function effectively with
minimal government
intervention and regulations are amended for the entry of corporate
players in sectors such
as water, electricity and other key public sectors.
Kerala is a focal state of the ADB. There are active campaigns against
the ADB loan to
Kerala. It is also an important site of struggle against
neo-liberalism and corporate led
globalisation.
This meeting will aim to bring together activists to jointly
strategise on actions towards
the AGM. We will also explore possibilities of linking ongoing
campaigns in Kerala
towards the activities planned at the Peoples Forum against the ADB in
May 2006.
The May 2006 Hyderabad AGM offers an opportunity for movements, people's
organisations, community groups, labour unions and activists to come together
and raise a collective and unified voice against neo-liberalism and
its instruments
– the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation.
We look forward to your participation at this meeting.
Thank you.
In solidarity
Anivar Aravind (GAIA),
Sumesh Mangalassery (Kabani),
Souparna Lahiri (Peoples Forum against the ADB) and
Benny Kuruvilla (Focus on the Global South)
==/Agenda/==
1) Introduction to the consultation
2) Overview of ADB in India
3 What is the ADB AGM and why is it important to mobilise against it?
4) ADB in India -the Kerala experience.
-the Karnataka experience
5) Peoples Forum against ADB activities during the AGM and what can groups
in Kerala do to contribute to this process.
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Anivar Aravind
GAIA (Global Alternate Information Applications)
Perngavu.P.O
Thrissur-680018
Ph. 9895803545
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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