With this e-mail, Rights Action begins a concentrated effort -- over the next months -- to bring educational and activist attention to bear on the elitist "G8" meeting, to take place in Kananaskis Park, one hour west of Calgary, Alberta, June 26-27, 2002.
ELITIST G8 GATHERING
On June 26 & 27, 2002, the leaders of the world's 8 richest and most powerful countries, the Group of 8 ("G8"), will meet in Kananaskis, Alberta. The global "free market" economic order is controlled and kept in place by, and benefits the "G8" countries.
Through "free trade" agreements and inter-government institutions (International Monetary Fund, Inter-American Development Bank, World Trade Organization, Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, World Bank, etc.), the G8 countries work to keep in place an unjust economic model that is an extension of unjust neo-colonial economic policies which have been maintained, over generations, through repression.
In Kananaskis, decisions taken by the G8 countries will have global military, economic and political impacts. Past G8 meetings have also failed to offer an effective means for individuals, organizations or even other States, to provide einputi to, or engage in, meaningful dialogue with G8 leaders.
As in Genoa, Vancouver, Washington DC, Prague, Seattle, Quebec City, Oe and beyond, local citizens and organizations are organizing educational and activist events before and during the elitist G8 meeting.
CONVERGENCE / MOBILIZATION
For general information about local education and activism events being planned, before and during the G8 Meetings, go to:
http://g8.activist.ca/
http://www.peaceandhumanrights.org/
Rights Action
In the near future, Rights Action will be releasing complete information about what we are planning, as part of the educational and activist lead-up to Kananaskis:
Late May - Early June: A pre-G8 meeting in Kananaskis educational delegation to Guatemala & Honduras for activists and persons interested in learning more about how the global political, economic and military order, dominated by the G8, has negatively impacted on the lives of a majority of Hondurans and Guatemalans.
June 1 - 21: A cross-Canada (Toronto to Calgary/ Edmonton) Educational & Activist speaking tour, with two indigenous partners of ours, from Chiapas and Honduras;
June 1 - 21: A west-coast (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Calgary/Edmonton) Educational & Activist speaking tour, with two youth-barrio activist partners of ours, from Guatemala and El Salvador.
Over the next weeks and months, we will distribute information, analysis and activist information related to the G8 meetings.
Contact Rights Action for more information about the delegation and tours.
Check out the mentioned websites, for more information about G8-related activism in Alberta.
Please re-distribute & share this information.
Rights Action
416-654-2074
info@rightsaction.org
http://www.rightsaction.org
[posted 3/9/02]
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