do you have a license to talk here, no, well, please i'm sorry Earth, you will have to get back in line

[Guest guest]

Activists shut out at Earth Summit, blame business

--

 

 

SOUTH AFRICA: August 28, 2002

 

 

JOHANNESBURG - Activists at the Earth Summit criticised organisers yesterday for

restricting their access to talks on the fate of the planet and said ordinary

people were being sidelined in favour of big business.

 

 

" The very people in whose interests the summit is being held have been shut out

from its processes, " said Vandana Shiva, representing women's groups, as she

waited in line shortly before speaking at an official summit session.

Delegates from non-governmental organisations said they were told this week, the

first day of the summit, they needed tags, as well as normal passes, to get into

the summit.

 

" Yesterday they had people sitting like punished children to get these silly

badges in addition to the normal badges, " Shiva said. Activists said only 1,000

of their number were allowed into the summit conference centre of 6,000

delegates.

 

The campaigners accused the World Summit on Sustainable Development - which aims

to find ways of halting damage to the environment and tackling poverty - of

ignoring the voices of the very people it is supposed to help.

 

" The resources of mother earth are being sold off, " said Anuradha Mittal of

Indian group Food First. " The agenda has been taken over by the United States

and the European Union in trade liberalisation...This is the Earth Summit, not a

trade summit. "

 

" Corporations have taken over. We know, we were in Rio and Rio was a people's

summit, " echoed another woman from a U.S. rights group. The last U.N. Earth

Summit was held in Rio 10 years ago.

 

Business has come to Johannesburg in force.

 

Some 200 corporations are represented by business lobby group Business Action

for Sustainable Development (BASD).

 

BASD leaders insist they have no more influence than any other of the U.N's

consultation partners.

 

But the U.N's non-governmental organisation partners, queuing in increasing

anger in the gleaming hallways of the Sandton Square mall, said civil society

was being sidelined.

 

" People have come halfway round the world to this summit and they can't get in, "

said Richard Levicki, of a U.N. association from London. " We're being messed

around - it looks like they want to keep us away. "

 

There is increasing concern outside government delegations that the direction of

talks so far suggests the summit will fail to produce a meaningful outcome.

 

" The (trade) paper shows exactly where it's going, " Shiva said. " The powerful

nations have hijacked the Rio process. "

 

Environmentalists have denounced a proposal put forward on the eve of the summit

as a sell-out to rich nations seeking freer trade and corporate globalisation.

 

 

 

Story by Jodie Ginsberg

 

 

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

[Guest guest]

Thx fer this fraggle!

 

It's amazing the red tape you have to go through to save the earth!

Guess they figure people will just give up and go home!

 

nikki

 

, EBbrewpunx@c... wrote:

> Activists shut out at Earth Summit, blame business

> --

------------

>

>

> SOUTH AFRICA: August 28, 2002

>

>

> JOHANNESBURG - Activists at the Earth Summit criticised organisers

yesterday for restricting their access to talks on the fate of the

planet and said ordinary people were being sidelined in favour of big

business.

>

>

> " The very people in whose interests the summit is being held have

been shut out from its processes, " said Vandana Shiva, representing

women's groups, as she waited in line shortly before speaking at an

official summit session.

> Delegates from non-governmental organisations said they were told

this week, the first day of the summit, they needed tags, as well as

normal passes, to get into the summit.

>

> " Yesterday they had people sitting like punished children to get

these silly badges in addition to the normal badges, " Shiva said.

Activists said only 1,000 of their number were allowed into the

summit conference centre of 6,000 delegates.

>

> The campaigners accused the World Summit on Sustainable

Development - which aims to find ways of halting damage to the

environment and tackling poverty - of ignoring the voices of the very

people it is supposed to help.

>

> " The resources of mother earth are being sold off, " said Anuradha

Mittal of Indian group Food First. " The agenda has been taken over by

the United States and the European Union in trade

liberalisation...This is the Earth Summit, not a trade summit. "

>

> " Corporations have taken over. We know, we were in Rio and Rio was

a people's summit, " echoed another woman from a U.S. rights group.

The last U.N. Earth Summit was held in Rio 10 years ago.

>

> Business has come to Johannesburg in force.

>

> Some 200 corporations are represented by business lobby group

Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD).

>

> BASD leaders insist they have no more influence than any other of

the U.N's consultation partners.

>

> But the U.N's non-governmental organisation partners, queuing in

increasing anger in the gleaming hallways of the Sandton Square mall,

said civil society was being sidelined.

>

> " People have come halfway round the world to this summit and they

can't get in, " said Richard Levicki, of a U.N. association from

London. " We're being messed around - it looks like they want to keep

us away. "

>

> There is increasing concern outside government delegations that the

direction of talks so far suggests the summit will fail to produce a

meaningful outcome.

>

> " The (trade) paper shows exactly where it's going, " Shiva

said. " The powerful nations have hijacked the Rio process. "

>

> Environmentalists have denounced a proposal put forward on the eve

of the summit as a sell-out to rich nations seeking freer trade and

corporate globalisation.

>

>

>

> Story by Jodie Ginsberg

>

>

> REUTERS NEWS SERVICE