[WSF-Discuss] Bangladesh Social Forum Observed Bangladesh Week 2008

[CACIM]

*Bangladesh Social Forum Observed Bangladesh Week 2008***

Posted by supro on October 13, 2008

@
http://supro.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/bangladesh-social-forum-observed-bangladesh-week-2008/

Bangladesh is passing through multi-faceted challenges in the recent past
propagated by its economic depression due to deregulation of the state
machinery dictated from International Financial Institutions. Commoner's
life and livelihood is highly suppressed from inflation, unemployment and
unprecedented risks. Triple attack of food, fuel and financial crisis on the
global economy is also affecting peoples' daily life as the country is a net
food importing LDC and its remittance mostly comes from by exporting
garments and frozen foods along with low skilled manpower.   needs increased
investment in food, agriculture, employment generation along with spending
in basic services. But the govt. can not invest more as they have to pay
back more than USD 1500 million for debt servicing per annum to World Bank,
IMF, Asian Development Bank and to other bi-lateral donors, which is more
than 15% of it's national budget. Besides new loan programs in the name of
Multi Donor Trust Fund proposed to be managed by World Bank will trap its
citizens to new debt burden. Massive awareness needs to be created to
challenge this undemocratic venture of the Bank. Bangladesh

Many Bangladeshi campaigners are protesting the economic and ecological debt
burden targeting the World Bank- IMF's AGM kicked off on October 13, 2008 in
 in line with the spirit of Week of Global Action Vs Debt, IFI and Climate
Change. On the eve of Bank and Fund's AGM, Bangladeshi civil society, NGOs,
academia launched a week long campaign kicked off onOctober 12, 2008 styled
as Bangladesh Week of Action against Hunger, Poverty and Development
Disparity. The main focus of the campaign is illegitimate debt and its
relation to international financial institutions and climate change.
Activists from different organization and capacity under the banner of
Bangladesh Social Forum stated in the press conference that, due to extreme
climate change and its people are exposed to high risk. Unlimited
consumption and over-burning of fossil fuel by the rich countries, abusive
exploration of oil-gas-mineral resources of the transnational corporation
have shattered the ecological and social balance. But they did not take
responsibility for this. The campaigners raised seven points demand. They
demanded compensation to the north and asked to cancel all foreign debts.
The also asked World Bank-IMF-Asian Development Bank to stop imposing policy
conditionality on govt.  The activists said, climate change adaptation fund
should be kept out of ongoing pledges made to the poor countries and
demanded sufficient resources to combat climate change. They strongly
opposed World Bank's control over Multi Donor Trust Fund and demanded a
separate state run board to manage this fund. BangladeshBangladeshWashington

VOICE, INCIDIN Bangladesh, SUPRO, Equity Justice Working Group, Angikar
Bangladesh, Wave Foundation, NRDS, Unnayan Onneshan, SPS, Rupayan,
Paribartan, Initiative for Right View, Humanity Watch, Muktir Alo, MKUS,
Sachetan, BUP and other organizations and networks announced different
programs  like seminar, workshop, human chain, protest rally, cultural
program, mass gathering throughout the week to protest Bank and Funds
involvement in climate financing.
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