WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE UNITED STATES?
By Victor Munnik, WSSD Civil Society Secretariat
A sense of frustration surrounds the NGOs and major groups as the
United States and its allies (Canada and Japan) use stalling tactics
in the negotiations to move forward, rolling back agreements achieved
10 years ago in Agenda 21 and in other conventions. At the core
of the frustration is the realization that the United States under
George Bush is fighting anything in the “Plan of Implementation”
which represent a commitment to action, like targets and timeframes.
In the first week of PrepComm IV,
the slogan “what are we going to do about the United States?”
appeared on t-shirts around the Convention Centre. They were produced
overnight after this remark apparently was made by an official chairperson
who did not realize his microphone was still on.
The t-shirts have been “improved” by security guards
who put masking tape on the country name, leading NGO people to
talk about “what are we going to do about you know who?”
WHERE IS THE INDONESIAN PEOPLE’S VOICE?
Outside the formal negotiations, the Indonesians
People’s Forum was getting even more frustrated. Although
their forum was lively with discussion of issues like fishermen’s
rights, the situation of indigenous people in Indonesia, and the
campaign against debt “don’t owe, won’t pay”,
and their newsletter carrying their voice appeared regularly in
the negotiations centre, they felt isolated from PrepComm IV.
They marched in protest, closely shadowed by private security guards
in uniforms that were so quaint you would mistake them for NGO marshals
if you did not look at the expressions on their faces, or their
bamboo clubs.
However, the Indonesian NGOs are also in a delicate position. They
do have some democratic space which they have won under the current
government, after years of repressive rule. Must they threaten that
space for PrepComm IV?
BOYCOTS
What are NGOs going to do? Is also the question for the international
Civil Society delegates in Bali. While there are many caucuses working
with issues, two big, dynamic groupings have emerged in this process.
The first is a well attended NGO briefing every morning. A team
of facilitators including Third
World Network, the Danish
92 Group and ICLEI,
host it. Report backs from the negotiations form the bulk of the
meeting. Very few of them are positive. They consist mostly of very
specific warnings to NGO lobbyists to defend language agreed on
in previous conventions from being rolled back, and to defend concrete
targets. But in this atmosphere there are also debates about “what
are we going to do?”. There have been strong inputs about
the need to “see through the UN process” and organize
people on the streets. Or should there be a boycott of the UN process?
BRACKETS
While this debate has not yet taken place, the second group, which
is organized around the daily newsletter Eco Equity, has proposed
a series of 11 test cases to judge the success of Prepcomm IV.
For issues like water, energy,
agriculture, biodiversity,
oceans, governance, small island states etc, a goal (for example
the UN Millenium targets)
and concrete actions are set out. Whether and how these are met
in the chairman’s text
(as a result of the negotiations) will determine how the big international
NGO networks react to the negotiations in Bali.
The NGOs – including Greenpeace,
Friends of the Earth,
Danish 92, Indonesian
People’s Forum – are lobbying government delegations
to “keep the brackets” for negotiation in Johannesburg.
This would mean that the pieces of text not yet agreed on (they
are in brackets, and there are many of them) would be negotiated
in Johannesburg in August, rather than reaching unsatisfactory compromises
in Bali. NGOs have also expressed their support for UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan’s insistence that a strong “Plan for Implementation”
(type 1 outcome) is essential for good partnerships (type 2 outcomes
of the World Summit).
But amongst governments there is great pressure to have a “clean”
(agreed) text for the Johannesburg meeting. Heads of state are much
more likely to come to Johannesburg if they will face “no
surprises”.
It remains to be seen how this will play out, but the balance seems
to be on the side of unsatisfactory compromises. This morning the
Jakarta Post reported that Indonesia, South Africa and Brazil have
been appointed as mediators to “break the apparent deadlock”
to complete negotiations on the Draft Plan of Implementation for
the WSSD.
PARADISE
Bali is a startling place to discuss the governments’ of
the world’s agenda for “sustainable development”
for the next ten years. The negotiations at Prepcom 4 take place
in a tourist bubble on a tropical paradise island. The backdrop
consists of palm trees and colourful flags. Traditional Balinese
music on bamboo and steel marimbas and gongs flow from the hotel
lobbies. Daily religious offerings to the gods consisting of flowers
and cakes, add to an atmosphere of unreality. A reality check is
provided by the various armies and armed forces at the perimeter
of paradise.
The economy of the island of Bali itself is based on tourism. No
building is higher than two storeys (the rule is that it can’t
be higher than the highest palm tree). The architecture is beautiful
and consistent, the narrow streets are full of people, bright tourist
shops, restaurants with interesting food, taxis and a huge number
of motorbikes.
People are either inherently friendly or very aware of the importance
of tourism. The Balinese taxi drivers, without fail, have explained
to us that the Indonesian protests we see from the NGOs “are
all from the people in Jakarta”.
The People’s Forum also takes place at a tourist hotel, and
the discussions in the amphitheatre with calls for boycotts and
struggle sit oddly with the magnificent building in an upmarket
shopping complex serving most of the surrounding tourist hotels.
ends.
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