10 September 2013
At the moment when world leaders gather in New York to review development agendas and plan for the coming decades, a group of grassroots organizations and social movements will share their own vision of a just and equitable world. The People’s General Assembly for Development Justice (People’s GA) will be the venue for people to challenge government leaders to address the needs of the world’s ninety-nine percent, the ones who earn the least and yet bear the costs of excessive consumption and greed. The People’s GA will be held on 21 September 2013 from 11 am at Foley Square Park in New York, NY, USA.
Inequality. Conflict. Crushing servitude. Forced eviction. For many of the world’s developing countries, development has not reached the majority. While 2015 was set as a target date for achieving specific goals about poverty, health and education, many of these goals have failed to address the causes of social injustice and marginalisation, with women being the most adversely affected. Representatives of the world’s 99% are coming together to share their visions and demands for development justice that will transform the lives of the most marginalized and to stake a claim in the global development agenda. They will make the case for where true development is needed.
“Decision made in the boardrooms of Washington to increase corporate profits have real consequences in the lives of people like me. We are the people paying for excessive greed,” says Eni Lestari, an Indonesian migrant worker who will speak about the conditions that forced her to migrate and become a domestic worker.
Other speakers include: Helen Hakena, human rights activist working to promote peace and development in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea; Nim Chray, a village resident from Cambodia who was arrested after protesting against forced evictions; and Taslima Akhter, who photographed the remains of collapsed Bangladeshi garment factory.
The People’s GA is being organized by the Campaign for People’s Goals for Sustainable Development; Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development; Association for Women’s Rights in Development; the Center for Women’s Global Leadership; and IBON International.
To set interviews with the speakers, and to find out more about the People’s GA, please contact apwld@apwld.org.
