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Topic Discussion I
Politics of Hard Choices
Political Transition and Economic Restructuring
Room 5
(18 of 22 pages)
The main problem in my view is the absence of democracy. Since we are discussion
democracy, in the management of world affairs. In the 60's and 70's the developing countries at least would have
a say to express themselves to the G7, now you have all the decision making processes handled through minority
groups who ask for democracy to be implemented in our countries but the international dimension of democracy is
not there. It is in the interest again I say it again to accept, but at least a representative of the developing
countries would be present there at the G8 or the G7 or IMF or World Bank or World Trade Organization. All of these
are managed by a small group of decision-makers and they don't take into account, you spoke of the IMF, but who
makes the decisions? We have to be fair, we have to be candid, and we have to say something is wrong in the management
of the world system. That effects our workers, our societies, our countries, and our people. It is not possible
to foresee the establishment of democracy. At the root of the problem you have this imbalance. A small number of
countries or leaders, they decide about all the problems everywhere for anyone on this planet. I think we have
to say please tell us how we could make a contribution like you say here. We need to become partners in crafting
economic reforms.
So if I take this one in your terms of reference, the second one, and I apply it, it is very important, much more
important. To the world economic system please tell us how we are going to make our concerns known since you don't
seem to see them. So Mr. Chairman I am very much concerned about the state of affairs. I have the impression that
we are discussing sometimes side issues failing to address the real ones. Those that can console the situation,
condition in our countries, I think we are all for reforms, economic reforms, social reforms, democracy, human
rights, the role of the market, provided the market serves the workers and the masses. There you have to have the
right physical policies to correct the effects of the market. You have multinationals stating that we have examples
in mind, hundreds of billions of dollars in a country like Spain, and it is 22% unemployment. So those are effected
by this situation. In the south we are even more effected for the reasons I mentioned.
These I submit, Mr. Chairman, is fundamentally important and I hope they will be reflected in the Chair: recommendations.
Chair: Thank you very much. I am very sympathetic to the need for several more hours and several more days.
The translators have been working very hard overtime. I am just going to take three more comments and I am going
to ask them to be very brief. The Delegate from Mozambique, the man back here and then the professor from Bolivia
please.
Speaker: Thank you very much. I am representing the civil society in my country. I would like to make some
comments in order to shed some light on what has been said. I believe in the system. Mostly we have been seeing
that women have been left out because for different reasons. It is not possible, if we want them to be there on
the same level like others we find why women are not there, because she is less educated than others, and she has
other problems. For me it seems like a circle. Everytime we find that she is not there because she is less educated
but why we are not putting in place some systems to make sure that she also gets benefits, she has a chance to
be educated. I know that the World Bank, and IMF and all those they just put some conditions on the government
and the government has accepted in following them. Why not setting also some policies and also make sure that they
are going to follow these. We can see a lot of progress that has been made but on women the situation seems to
be the same.
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