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Alternative Regionalisms

We see Alternative Regionalism as one of the ways to break down hegemonic economic and political control globally, to monitor and seek solutions to the problems of the world for which globalisation has proved to fail to provide solutions, resulting instead in catastrophic crises that we have seen the world reeling under of late.

The program looks at current regional formations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), among others, and assess their effectiveness in creating regional centres of economic and political power based on complementarity. Do they help build alternatives to neo-liberal globalisation that give heavy emphasis on free trade?

The sub-programme also looks at experiences in other part so the world where there have been experiments and experiences in different kinds of regional cooperation. The emphasis is not just on governments but on peoples and on people-to-people alliance building and problem solving.

Latest Articles

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Bantay FOI! Sulong FOI launched
Thursday, July 21, 2011 - 01:00 The Right to Know Right Now! Network launched on July 19 its “Bantay FOI! Sulong FOI”, with freedom of information (FOI) champion lawmakers from the House of Representatives and Senate as key guests.  Chair of the Senate Committee on Information Gregorio “Gringgo” Honasan, Senator Teofisto ”TG” Guingona Jr. and Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada were present in the launch to articulate their commitment to the passage of an FOI Act under the current 15th Congress.  “Now more than ever, we need...
Southeast Asian groups petition ASEAN for information disclosure
Thursday, June 23, 2011 - 17:15 More than 80 advocacy groups and people's organizations from across the Southeast Asian region submitted letter-petitions for information disclosure to the ASEAN's Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) and the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). Citing important mandates from the ASEAN Charter, the groups requested the two bodies to share information related to their work on civil society accreditation and guidelines for engagement with civil society, the AICHR's guidelines...
Interview with Joao Pedro Stedile from MST and Via Campesina Brazil on FAO Elections and the World's Food Problems
Sunday, June 19, 2011 - 22:14 Fabiana Frayssinet, IPS , Rio de Janeiro, 27 June 2011 What is the relevance of electing a Brazilian or a non- European, for Director of FAO?It is an important symbol for Brazilian social activists, since in the foundation of FAO in the 1950s, its first secretary general was Josué de Castro, a Brazilian, social activist, author of the geography thesis for hunger and who died in exile during the military dictatorship. Now, the position is once again occupied by a Brazilian, who also defends agrarian reform...
Trade and Health activists call on ASEAN Leaders to Defend Peoples’ Right to Health and Access to Medicines
Monday, May 30, 2011 - 13:26 (Jakarta, 6 May 2011) Trade and health activists came out with a joint open letter addressed to ASEAN leaders raising concerns over the negative impact of free trade agreements on peoples' access to medicines and right to health.  Millions of people in ASEAN countries rely on affordable generic medicines to treat all kinds of diseases including HIV/AIDS, heart disease and cancer. According to the group, "the future supply of these life-saving medicines however is under threat from aggressive trade...
An open letter to ASEAN leaders on threats to peoples’ access to medicines and right to health
Monday, May 30, 2011 - 13:24 Millions of people in ASEAN countries rely on affordable generic medicines to treat all kinds of diseases including HIV/AIDS, heart disease and cancer. However the future supply of these life-saving medicines is under threat from aggressive trade policies being imposed on developing countries in particular by the European Union and United States of America. We cannot remain silent as Europe and the United States work to restrict every aspect of drug supply including the production of generic medicines...