Invitation to World Public Finances - WSF 2006

Dear Friends,

Our joint "Otro Sistema Financeiro" platform (at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre 2005 - ed.) and set of activities was a good start. We were capable of promoting dialogue between movements, with each their own perspectives on the themes of debt, tax havens, financial capital flows, taxes, national taxation systems, tax evasion, control of capital flows, the construction of an international taxation system, etc.

We believe it is possible to take our cooperation one step further. In the run up to WSF 2006, we are in the process of developing a new joint initative. There are two novelties. We propose a new name for our joint initiative: World Public Finances.  Beyond addressing the debate on taxes and taxation, there is a clear sense in this name of being against the hegemony. In the face of capitalism, which is set on submitting the whole planet to its financial institutions, we propose an alternative: a system of international public finances, that will ensure an effective redistribution of global wealth.

The second novelty is something even more important. Beyond the fact that some of us have already registered activities for Caracas and Bamako in the context of our proposal (we would want to construct the final design on the basis of the discussions on this lists), we are interested in participating in a process, no just in events. Our idea is that the discussions we will organise in Venezuela and Mali are the expression of an initial work of constructing a political basis - and that this effort will carry on after the WSF event. From then on we would be working against the backdrop of a second horizon: The World Social Forum in Nairobi 2007. We should by then be capable of proposing much more concrete bases for a new international system of finances and taxation, clearly focused on the construction of a society based on the principles of solidarity, the redistribution of riches, the construction of a culture of peace, the protection of the environment and reinventing democracy.

Who is making the proposal and to whom?
The responsible organisations are the ones that were involved in the construction of "Otro Sistema Financiero", in WSF 2005: Liberdade Brasil and NIGD. The call is especially directed to the organisations and persons that participated in the organisation of activities. But beyond these persons, we are keen to involve all movements and civil society organisations whose work concerns the dictatorship of finances and that are interested in finding anti-systemic alternatives.

What is already prepared for WSF 2006?
The activity registration for WSF 2006 closed on November 30. Therefore, NIGD and Liberdade Brasil have proposed collectively two activities for Bamako and five for Caracas. They are all registered under the common name "World Public Finances".  The details of the events (specific themes, speakers, methodology etc.) were omitted. We want to discuss those with you all in the coming weeks.

What is the objective of the events in January?
This too is up for discussion, but we have an initial vision regarding the theme. We want  to articulate a group of organizations willing to present collectively by January 2007 a political-theoretical proposal for a new basis of an international system of Public Finances. We are convinced that social movements and global civil society should set this task for itself. We believe that such a task can help us to endeavour beyond our specific current concerns.

All of the topics that come under the platform have been important, and have decisively contributed to create the global social and justice movement. But we believe that it is possible to find a new level of articulation between the actors -  and this could be the presentation of the proposal for World Public Finances.  This obliges us to deliberate certain decisive questions. For example: What changes are necessary to secure, for all inhabitants of the planet, the access to the essential human rights? How to create political and technical conditions in order for a part of our common social wealth would be redistributed based on collective decisions, and not based on the blind market forces? How to secure the provision of clean water to the inhabitants of Africa (who can not pay for this), or to end of the logging and cutting down of tropical forests (also caused by the desperate search for survival)?

What are the next steps?
Only seven weeks remain between now and before the WSF 2006 starts, also Christmas and New Years fall in this period. It would be insane to attempt to formulate an answer to these questions during this period, whilst additionally working at a distance from each other. On the other hand, we would not want that our activities in Bamako and Caracas are simply a repetition of the traditional form of debate: speakers arrive to present their knowledge to the public, a bit like a spectacle.

We propose the following steps forward:
a) Initiate a debate, by Internet, on the bases for World Public Finances,
b) we construct the activities for January (Bamako, Caracas) as the presentation of our objectives in general and of the discussions already held,
c) and invite participants to Bamako and Caracas relating to this initiative.

If we agree on this proposal, we are immediately faced with the next necessity. We need to involve other experts, and experienced persons beyond the movements that participated to "Otro Sistema Financiero" - This applies already at this moment and even more at the events that we will put together. All suggestions on this point are welcome.

How does the initiative continue after WSF 2006?
WSF 2006 will initiate a big challenge for the WSF at large : the turn towards Africa. It will not be possible for the Global Social Justice Movement to make this move without invoking self-reflection and adaptation. If we want to go beyond rhetorics, we should reflect profoundly on how to join our efforts to confront the immense inequalities that the continent faces. If we fail to act in opposing these inequalities, the WSF 2007 as such will not be possible.

In other words, we need to invent a new form of common action. In contradiction to the former traditions, ours would have to distinctively respect diversity, horizontalism, the non-existence of single directions or dominant social sectors. Common actions will be based on participation and membership - on consensus and not on the possible majority rule.

We believe that the debate on World Public Finances can be a very positive impulse in this process. We will work with the idea of developing our thoughts based on examples. If we would be capable of putting forward a new system for the redistribution of world wealth, why would other networks not be able to do so regarding the working day, the protection of nature, or the struggle against patriarchism? ....

In other words, we would be working for Bamako/Caracas 2006, for Nairobi 2007 and for a new form of engaging our movements in the WSF. In order for this to be viable, we need to discuss from now onward, not only issues regarding a common idea for what to do in 2006, but also on the counter hegemonic and attractive idea of World Public Finances.
...
It will be a great to pleasure to meet all of you in Bamako/Caracas, and in Nairobi and furthermore be jointly working towards a new world - in which the overcoming of the dictatorship of finances will be an important step...


With greetings,
Antonio Martins (Liberdade Brasil) and Matti Kohonen (Tax Justice Network and NIGD)

How to participate in the initiative?

A new email list has been created for the participants in the World Public Finances-Initiative.
The email address of the  list is wpf@sympa.kaapeli.fi.

Subscribe to the list via the webpage http://sympa.kaapeli.fi/sympa/info/wpf. There you can also do your list settings and browse the list archive!

And spread the word about this new list and its web address to other persons and organisations who may want to participate!