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12 August 2006
Dear Friends,
Today, India is the World Bank's largest single borrower. Bank lending touched
$2.9 billion in 2005, which it claims is more than double the amount lent a
year earlier. Much of the Banks intervention in the country is in sectors such
as finance, water, agriculture, urban development, transport, forestry, electricity
and trade through loans and policy advice.
The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are arguably the main drivers
of privatisation and liberalisation in the country. All World Bank loans come
with policy conditionalities that necessitate the adoption of economic
strategies for rapid economic growth and market driven approaches to
development. Although India now no longer borrows from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the IMF continues to wield policy power over India through
the World Bank's macroeconomic conditionalities and India's membership in the
World Trade Organisation (WTO). A senior Commerce Ministry official reinforced
this recently after the collapse of the Doha round of WTO talks when he stated
that, 'Despite the WTO impasse, the process of reform and liberalisation will
continue. The WTO contributes only around 25% of the Governments liberalisation
agenda'. The Bank's intrusion in policy-making ensures that the
"reform" juggernaut rolls on. The Banks massive interventions in North-East
India, the adop
The neo-liberal economic reform policies and programmes promoted by the
Government of India, the World Bank, the ADB and bilateral donors are being
challenged across the country by communities, local and national organisations,
peoples' movements, civil society networks, progressive academics and
researchers, and even elected representatives. However, although these
struggles are numerous, there are few opportunities for struggle and campaign
groups to come together to share experiences and strategies, and come up with
common plans to resist the institutions and the neo-liberal agenda.
The proposed strategy meeting is intended to bring together representatives
from struggles and campaigns from across India to facilitate such a sharing. It
will provide a good opportunity to improve our understanding of the World
Bank's plans in key sectors and to pool our collective knowledge and strategies
to resist the institution and promote alternative, people-centered development.
You must also be aware that for the first time in 15 years, the annual meetings
of the World Bank and the IMF are being held in Asia, Singapore from 19-20
September, 2006. Several Asian and International groups will convene an
'International Peoples Forum (IPF) v/s the World Bank and IMF' from
September15-17 in Batam, Indonesia. This forum will protest these institutions
and assert alternatives to them. These meetings come 4 months after the Annual
Governors' Meeting (AGM) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that was held in
Hyderabad from May 3-6 2006. At Hyderabad, the Peoples Forum Against ADB
(PFADB) coordinated a series of successful protest events during the AGM. Many
of the constituent groups of the PFADB are actively involved in the IPF. They
are also part of campaigns being fought against the World Bank across the
country.
We, therefore, feel that apart from the sharing of experiences and strategies
that the Consultation could adopt, a meeting of various struggle groups,
movements, peoples organisations, workers unions and NGOs in India can
definitely lend solidarity to such protests across the world.
We are inviting movements from across the country ranging from community
groups, women's groups, dalits, tribal and indigenous organisations and human
rights groups.
This strategy meeting on the World Bank and the IMF will be held in Indian
Social Institute (ISI), Delhi on September 1-2, 2006.
If you interested to attend this meeting please get in touch with Benny
Kuruvilla at
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or
09820181191.
In solidarity
Souparna Lahiri (Peoples Forum against ADB)
Wilfred D'Costa (Indian Social Action Forum)
Benny Kuruvilla (Focus on the Global South)
Anthony Bamang (Civil Society Initiative against International Financial
Institutions- North East)
This meeting is jointly organised by: Peoples Forum Against ADB, Indian Social
Action Forum (INSAF), Focus on the Global South and Civil Society Initiative on
International Financial Institutions-North-East (CSI-IFI)
Secretariat for Contact:
A 124/6 Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi - 110 016, India
Tel No. 91 11 26517814
Email:
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