Tribe faces extinction

One of the last truly nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes in Brazil faces destruction by loggers, ranchers and settlers who are taking over their land.

Survival International is launching a campaign to protect the Awa. The tribe is made up of 300 nomads, around 60 of whom have never had any contact with outsiders. The invaders hunt the animals the Awa rely on and the Awa can’t fight off diseases that the newcomers bring. Many Awa have been killed in massacres which often go unreported.

In the 1970s, the EU and World bank funded a huge iron ore mine and railway in the region, bringing an influx of settlers. The Brazilian government has legally recognized the Awa’s land but is failing to protect it. Read about the Awa and watch a short video.

Campaigner for Survival International Fiona Watson has visited some of the Awa. “The Awa are formidable hunters and expert gatherers, but they need every inch of their forest to provide for themselves. Against all odds, they have survived into the 21st century, but unless the government acts fast they may not see the century out.”

Commonwealth hope for Israel and Palestinian territories

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have one thing in common. Both have expressed interest in joining the Commonwealth.

Some, such as Robert Fisk see the Commonwealth as a relic of empire, others, such as Sir Malcolm Rifkind see it as an organisation for cooperation and mutual understanding if it was revitalised.

In RCS Exchange this month, the magazine of the Royal Commonwealth Society Sir Malcolm Rifkind says: “there would be nothing to prevent both Israel and the Palestinian Authority from being invited to join, due to their historic ties to Britain. Such a move could provide a point of regular contact and a forum for a negotiated end to that conflict in the Middle East. It would breathe new life and purpose into the organisation as a whole.”

Rwanda wants to join the Commonwealth

The Royal Commonwealth club hosted ‘Spotlight on Rwanda’ last night.  The event took a ‘question time’ format and was hosted by Peter Kellner.

Rwanda, a former Belgian colony applied for Commonwealth membership in 2003 and a decision will be made at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

President Paul Kagame’s motives have been questioned. Rwanda’s human rights record and Rwanda’s role in the DRC add a further dimension to the debate.

The panel was made up of:

Alison des Forges, Senior Adviser to the Africa Division, Human Rights Watch & expert witness to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

Joel Kibazo, Africa commentator & former Director of Communications, Commonwealth Secretariat; Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential;

Vincent Gasara, Journalist & Secretary, Rwandan Community Organisation in the UK and

Andrew Mitchell, MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development

 No one on the panel thought that Rwanda should not be accepted as a member. However, there are guidelines but no set rules on whether or not a country can join.

Since the key topic of the event raised little dissent the discussion moved on to Rwanda’s recent u-turn in the DRC conflict- that is, its decision to work with the Congolese Army to break up the Democratic FDLR – a Rwandan Hutu militia who have been fighting the Tutu dominated, and Rwandan backed CNDP. Patrick Smith thought this latest initiative could not bring an end to the conflict. Andrew Mitchell thought that at least it got the two governments working together and that was better than not, even though they may have different motives for the show of cooperation.

There was a question on the prevailing gender inequality in Rwanda despite the high proportion of women in the government. There was also a question on whether or not political space in Rwanda is diminishing. Alison des Forges thought it was whereas Andrew Mitchell was more optimistic. Alison has been banned from the country.

 

They are starving

Hunger is not something we in the UK need to worry about. Rather, we worry about having too much food and the health perils of obesity. At the same time, one billion people- 16 times the population of the UK- do not have enough to eat, according to an Oxfam report released in January.

Urgent action is needed. The report warns that the problem will get worse and both short and long term solutions must be adopted to alleviate the problem, with the onus on national governments.

Two major global issues will exacerbate the problem. Climate change means more floods, drought and cyclones which destroy crops and livestock. The global recession means falling employment, income and curbs on public spending which will force more people into poverty and consequently hunger.

Since 2000, the major food emergencies that triggered international interventions in Africa: in South Africa; the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, took place in a context of extreme poverty, where millions live on the edge of survival, with little or no support from their governments.

The report says that it is the governments that bear the prime responsibility for realising their people’s rights to adequate food. The problem will be unsolved if they continually rely on international handouts.

Some countries are trying. India provides one hundred days’ employment a year to any rural household willing to do public work for a statutory minimum wage. Ethiopia has a programme that assists over seven million chronically food-insecure people, through employment schemes and food or cash transfers. Brazil helps small-scale farmers supply food to the poor via public welfare programmes.

Oxfam make the point that not enough governments operate interventions that are really comprehensive. They need to better assess the needs of their populations, ensure communities have access to income and food through minimum wage legislation, employment programmes and provision of insurance and credit.

Oxfam recommends that donors and international organisations assist national governments to act responsibly via financial and technical assistance. Currently, there is too much emphasis on the delivery of food aid, of which more than half is sourced from rich countries rather than locally. This short term solution can damage economic growth in the long term.

International NGOs should also look to long term measures to strengthen local and national mechanisms of prevention and response to food crises rather than just delivering aid to people. NGOs can also help local civil-society organisations to participate in shaping and implementing national food, agriculture, and social protection policies.

At an international level UN organisations, the IMF and other donors need to work together to ensure coordination and policy coherence.

Just a bunch of wacky ideas?

 The World Social Forum was virtually ignored in the UK media. This could be reflective of some general bias, such as the tendency towards America,  Africa and the Middle East in International reporting, a resilience to liberal modes of thinking or simply the fact that reporting on one talking shop in Davos was tedious enough.

Indians gather during a meeting to discuss the rights of indigenous peoples

Five Presidents attended: Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil. However, according to the Economist (which did give it some print space), unlike leaders in Davos mulling over the financial crisis, they minds were elsewhere. Apparently, Chavez gave a long rambling speech in which he declared, rather unspecifically “another world is possible”. He also joined Lugo, Morales and Correa in a karaoke rendition of “Hasta siempre commandante”—a lament about the exploits of Che Guevara.

Rival global forums kick-off

Activists seeking global justice take part in the opening march in Belem

The World Social forum (WSF) opened this week in Belem, Brazil, as did the World Economic forum (WEF)  in Davos, Switzerland.

100,000 activists converged on Belem to the sound of Samba drums and under a tropical downpour. In Davos global luminaries convened in a introspective mood with many still expressing delayed shock as the fallout of the economic crisis continues. 

Attendees at the WSF see this year’s forum as more vital than ever, with participants saying the world’s economic crisis gives legitimacy to their demands for alternative development models.

The first WSF took place in 2001 as a counter cultural meeting to the capitalist WEF. It is particularly important this year that the WSF should take the opportunity not to just criticise current practices but to promulgate new ones.

Watch the opening parade.