Focus on the Global South Site Sydication http://focusweb.org Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:19:13 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://focusweb.org/images/M_images/logo1-transparent.jpg http://focusweb.org Focus on the Global South Site Sydication http://focusweb.org/women-on-with-the-march-toward-the-elections-and-beyond.html (Militarism, Sexism, WTO, Arroyo, RETREAT) Today, March 8, the International Day of Women, we march, together with our sisters across the globe, to celebrate the lessons, the triumphs as well as the challenges of our many-faceted struggles. We are workers marching for full employment with dignity and equal opportunity, amidst a backdrop of a hollowed-out domestic economy, of unwieldy migrationand contractualization, precarious and informal work, and chronic unemployment. We are rural women, marching for food sovereignty, sustainable livelihoods and meaningful asset reform, in a country characterized by increasing hunger, where profit continues to define the production and distribution of food; and wealth, inputs and productive assets remain concentrated in the hands of a few families and corporations. Phillippines Programme - Statements and Declarations Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:54:32 +0100 http://focusweb.org/walden-bello-in-carbon-trading-debate-with-dorjee-sun-aljazeera-schedule.html?Itemid=168 Al Jazeera Special on Carbon Trading 101 EAST: Cash for Carbon Imagine a way to save tropical rainforests without having to reduce greenhouse gases. Imagine a way to make environmental conservation profitable. Some claim carbon trading is the best option for major corporations to pay for emitting pollution. They can do this by buying a forest, or funding a conservation program in a developing country. But critics say this billion dollar business will only benefit banks and investors and allow polluters to keep on polluting. The global carbon market is expanding, particularly in Asia. But is it reducing emissions or impeding real solutions to climate change? On this edition of 101 East, we ask if carbon trading can slow down global warming. This episode of 101 East airs from Thursday, February 18, 2010 at the following times GMT: Thursday: 1230; Friday: 0300; Saturday: 0530, 1730; Sunday: 0330, 1130; Monday: 1630; Tuesday: 1430; Wednesday: 0830, 1930; Thursday: 0630. For more information please visit: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/101east/ Climate Change - Announcements Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:10:13 +0100 http://focusweb.org/extreme-weather-events-focus-on-the-philippines-2009-yearbook.html?Itemid=118 We are pleased to share with you the release of the FOCUS ON THE PHILIPPINES 2009 YEARBOOK: Extreme Weather Events. The 320-page publication covers key issues and events in the Philippines. The book was first shared with Focus friends and partners during our 15th Year Anniversary Celebration last January 20, 2010. To request for a copy, please contact: Lourdes Torres at lou_torres[at]focusweb.org, +63 2 4330899 Books and Publications - Books Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:48:43 +0100 http://focusweb.org/the-prince-of-denmark.html?Itemid=168 by Akbayan! Representative Walden Bello Like Hamlet, Shakespeare’s conflicted Prince of Denmark, China was caught between conflicting currents in Copenhagen. Its failure to manage these led to its biggest diplomatic debacle in years. Almost a month after the debacle at the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen (Conference of Parties or COP 15), the question of who scuttled the talks elicits fury and derision. Interestingly, in many accounts, President Barack Obama comes across either as a figure who valiantly tries to rescue a doomed conference or as a well-meaning head of state whose hands are unfortunately tied by the realities of US politics Climate Change - Articles Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:54:44 +0100 http://focusweb.org/the-china-asean-free-trade-area-propaganda-and-reality.html?Itemid=92 by Akbayan! Representative Walden Bello ON JAN. 1, 2010, the China-Asean Free Trade Area (Cafta) went into effect. Touted as the world’s biggest Free Trade Area, CAFTA is billed as having 1.7 million consumers, with a combined gross domestic product of $ 2 trillion and total trade of $ 1.3 trillion. Under the agreement, trade between China and six Asean countries including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore has become duty-free for more than 7,000 products. By 2015, the newer Asean countries, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, will join the zero-tariff arrangement. The propaganda mills, especially in Beijing, have been trumpeting the FTA as bringing “mutual benefits” to China and Asean. A positive spin on Cafta has also come from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who hailed the emergence of a formidable regional grouping that would rival the United States and the European Union. The reality, however, is that most of the advantages will probably flow to China. Trade Campaign - Article Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:04:08 +0100