THE INDEPENDENT PEOPLE'S TRIBUNAL ON THE WORLD BANK GROUP IN INDIA (IPT – WBG)
What is the IPT – WBG? The purpose behind the Independent People's Tribunal on the World Bank Group in India (IPT-WBG) is to provide a just forum for people, who have been impacted by projects and policies funded or promoted by the WBG, to express their grievances and propose alternatives. The IPT-WBG will conduct an in-depth examination of the WBG's influence and impact on a host of sectoral and cross-sectoral issues through a series of depositions that will be presented to a panel of eminent experts from relevant fields. For more information and to endorse the IPT- WBG contact us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] i or visit www.worldbanktribunal.org <http://www.worldbanktribunal.org/> Need for the IPT - WBG? The record of projects funded and promoted by the WBG in India has been far from acceptable in terms of human rights violations and environmental degradation. The time has come to examine and judge the WBG's claim that it is serving the wider public interest and reducing poverty, given its increasing impact and influence on the country's economy, as well as its educational, social and cultural fabric. The main objectives identified for the Tribunal are; • To dismantle the impression that the World Bank is an independent body which does not espouse the cause of any country or private agency. • To establish the extent of the World Bank's influence on the policy-making decisions of Indian government officials. • To establish how the World Bank's policies have aggravated poverty, incapacitated democratic structures, and promoted privatization. What has been done so far? At the National Consultation on Housing and the Urban Poor held in Mumbai in October 2005, where over two hundred groups participated, a call was issued to take forward this process. In order to formalize the idea, several consultations have been conducted with groups, individuals and organizations in various parts of the country. Thereafter: A Strategy Meeting was held in Delhi on the 9th of September to establish a clear direction for the Tribunal. Around 40 groups and individuals were represented in a variety of sectors Concept Notes for the Health, Water and other sectors have been drafted and can be found on the website along with more information about the Strategy Meeting. This was followed by a Planning Meeting for the state of Orissa which took place on September 28th in Bhubaneswar with grassroots groups and a workshop at ISF in November 2006 to generate a wider debate and discuss how WBG-IPT can support local initiatives and campaigns. When and where will the IPT –WBG take place? The IPT –WBG is tentatively scheduled to take place over 5 days in March - April 2007 in New Delhi. A final date and location will be determined in consultation with participating groups. Please visit www.worldbanktribunal.org for the latest information. Who is organizing the People's Tribunal on the WBG? The Tribunal on the WBG and its allies is visualized as a collective process that will be guided by key organizations and groups from across the country. The Tribunal will be thus structured: Panel (jury) – Will hear the depositions and render judgement. Made up of distinguished individuals from within and outside of India jointly selected by the convenors, advisors and secretariat. Convenors – Will play the most critical role in the process. They are key groups/ grassroot organizations and movements who are responsible for a sector or region. They will assist the participant groups in mobilizing affected people, putting together the depositions and in selecting the projects to be profiled. Advisors – Individuals with expertise in the field who will guide, help with the research and assist the process. Endorsing/Participating Organisations – Large spectrum of groups/grassroot organisations who will endorse and support the process. Secretariat – Comprising of researchers and organizers who provide administrative and logistic support to the process and assist with research . (The list of groups/ individuals involved till date has been appended at the end of this mailer). How can I get involved? The IPT-WBG is a collaborative and inclusive endeavour. We are actively seeking organizations and individuals to endorse the IPT-WBG and to participate as advisors, convenors, researchers, and interns. We are seeking monetary support to cover the costs associated with coordinating and holding the IPT-WBG. Groups and individuals interested in participating in the IPT-WBG should contact the Secretariat. We are also interested in hearing your feedback, suggestions, comments, and questions. Feedback Form – email to the secretariat – [EMAIL PROTECTED] I/We endorse the Independent People's Tribunal on the WBG. We are not engaged by, nor do we intend to take up any consultancy work on behalf of the World Bank/Asian Development Bank ________________________________________________________ There are several levels of participation possible for the Tribunal process.. You or your organization can elect to participate as a Convenor, as an Advisor as an Endorser or Researcher. I am interested in being a(n): Convenor Advisor Endorser Researcher I work/am interested in working in the following sectors: Water Sovereignty Mining Toxics & Industry Food Security Education Urban Renewal / Urban Poor Power Power Transport Agriculture Forest & Fisheries Health Tourism Post Disaster North East Knowledge Provider Judicial Reform Other Specific concerns regarding the Bank's projects or policies Contact Information: Name ______________________________________________________________________________________ Organization ______________________________________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Email _______________________________ Mobile _________________________ Telephone ___________________________ Fax ___________________________ Independent People's Tribunal Secretariat c/o 4th Floor, Engineer's House, 86 Bombay Samachar Marg, Mumbai 400 023 c/o Second Floor, A 21 Jungpura Ext. New Delhi 110 014 Deepika – 0 98200 39557/ Harsh – 0 9818569021/ Preeti – 0 9871412411 [EMAIL PROTECTED]/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.worldbanktribunal.org ______________________________________________________________________________________ Convenors Prof. Amit Bhadhuri. J. John (Centre for Education and Communication) * Nityanand Jayaraman / Madhumita Dutta (Corporate Accountability Desk) * Michelle Chawla (Dahanu Taluka Environment Welfare Association & The Dahanu Parisar BachaoSamiti) * Leo Saldanha (Environment Support Group) * Benny Kuruvilla (Focus on the Global South - India) * Devinder Sharma (Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security) * Mihir Desai (HRLN) * Wilfred D'Costa (INSAF) * Ramananda Wangkhierakpam (Intercultural Resources, Delhi) * Jan Swasthiya Abhiyan * Smitu Kothari (Lokayan) * Pratibha Shinde (Lok Sangharsh Morcha) * Prafulla Samantara (Lok Shakti Abhiyan) * Shripad Dharmadhikari (Manthan) * Medha Patkar (Narmada Bachao Andolan) * National Alliance of People's Movements * National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights * National Forum for Fishworkers * Shaktiman Ghosh (National Hawkers Federation; Ponnu Poribhan Sangram Committee) * Arvind Kejriwal (Parivartan) * Anil Sadgopal / Ambarish Rai (People's Campaign for Common School System) * Ajayan (Plachimada Solidarity Committee) * HimanshuThakkar (SANDRP) * Gururaja Budhya (Urban Research Centre) * Sachin Jain (Vikas Samvad) and others. Advisors Nancy Alexander * Radhika Balakrishnan * Prashant Bhushan (Senior Advocate, Supreme Court) * Praful Bidwai * Prof Angana Chatterjee * Karen Coelho * Shalmali Guttal (FOCUS) * Colin Gonsalves (Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)) * Adv. K.G. Kannabiran * Souparna Lahiri * Richard Mahapatra * Prof. Deepak Nayyar * Subrata * Ward Morehouse * Sanjay Parikh (Senior Advocate, Supreme Court) * Biraj Patnaik * Dr. N. Raghuram (Reader, School of Biotechnology, GGS Indraprastha University) * E.A.S. Sharma * Kavaljit Singh (Public Interest Research Group) * Dr. M Vijayabaskar and others. Endorsing Organisations/Institutions Asmita (Hyderabad) * K Alaya * Bijay (Adivasi Mukti Sangathan, M.P) * Akhil Gogoi (All Assam Krishak Mukti Sangram Samitee) * Anthony Bamang (Arunachal Citizens Rights) * Avilash Roul (Bank Information Centre) * Yamini Mishra (CBGA) * CR Neelakantan * Bapi Carr (ECM) * Jiten Yumnam (Forum for Indigenous Perspectives and Action (FIPA), Manipur) * Jimmy Dabhi (Indian Social Institute) * Umendra Dutt (Kheti Virasat Mission) * Bimal Prasad Pandia (MASS, Orissa) * Ashok Chaudhury (National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers) * B.K. Keayla (Convenor, National Working Group on Patent Laws) * Kanta Marathe/ Devjeet Nandi (Navrachna) * Gautam Bandyopadhyay (People's Alliance) * Bhagaban Majhi (Prakrutik Sampad Surakshaya Parishad) * Purushan Eloor (Periyar Malinikaran Samiti) * Ravindranath (River Basin Friends, Assam) * Arup Kumar Saikia (Rural Volunteers Centre, Assam) * TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) * and others. Secretariat Mumbai Deepika D'Souza *Neil Tangri * Aurelie Lopez Delhi Harsh Dobhal * Preeti Verma * Ninglun THIS LIST IS NOT EXCLUSIVE - MORE NAMES AND ORGANISATIONS WILL BE ADDED Do write in with your names and suggestions – [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ greenyouth mailinglist is the activist support mailinglist for kerala run by Global Alternate Information Applications (GAIA) To post to this group, send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
