Highlights from the Global Day of Action so far
Following the highly successfully Global Day of Action here is a few pictures from some of those countries who took part. A huge thank you to you all
Following the highly successfully Global Day of Action here is a few pictures from some of those countries who took part. A huge thank you to you all
The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) - Kenya yesterday joined other global civil society actors in calling on Africa governments and the European commission to support a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) that could raise hundreds of billions to tackle poverty and climate change.
In a press statement to media houses, Mwangi Waituru the spokesperson for GCAP – Kenya urged the leadership of the Kenyan government and across the African continent not to sit back while the rest of the world is seeking solutions to challenges facing the people of Africa.
“While from price volatility caused by speculation means bagging of huge profits for traders, basic necessities are pushed beyond the reach of the poor in Africa. Industrialist cause climate change just for erratic whether to mercilessly hit the peasant farmers. A Robin Hood tax targeting the speculators and industrialists on their way to the bank must be put in place to redress this anomaly. In this discourse, leaders in Kenya and Africa in general cannot just sit back while the world seeks solutions to the challenges facing the people of Africa. They must speak in a loud voice- it is time for FTT”
Other activities held by GCAP – Kenya on the Global day of action included a dispatch of letters calling for government’s support on FTT, to the Office of the president, Prime Minister, the Ministry of finance and the European commission (Kenya).
Later this month GCAP – Kenya wrote to H.E. President Mwai Kibaki and the Right Hon. Prime Minister Raila Odinga calling on the two principals to ensure that the African Union demonstrates her support for a European-led FTT at the 17th Session Ordinary Summit of the African Union.
GCAP – Kenya also held a press conference on the FTT in Nairobi yesterday and also got a wide publicity on the same through radio talk shows in two national FM radio stations (Kameme FM and Q – FM)
Meanwhile the Seed Institute a member of GCAP – Kenya held a street walk in Kasarani – Nairobi to sensitize members of the public on the Financial Transaction Tax. Joining in were teachers and primary school pupils who shared a conviction that a Tax on financial transactions will add a lot of value to the fight against poverty and climate change.
The Financial Transaction Tax Campaigners are calling for Europe to press ahead with a Robin Hood Tax before the G20 summit in November, chaired by France, where President Sarkozy has said he will attempt to create a coalition of countries willing to introduce an FTT commonly known as the Robin Hood Tax .
June 22nd marked a truly BIG day for a little tax. People in all corners of the world came together to send out the message that it’s time for the banks to help sort out the financial mess that they caused.
And what do we want them to do? Simple, introduce a 0.05% tax on financial transactions (aka Robin Hood tax). This tiny tax could raise hundreds of billions to tackle poverty and climate change. And what a great, loud and colourful message it was that people in over 40 countries sent to European leaders.
The huge diversity of events, bringing together thousands of organisations, happened across five continents. The day kicked off with a stunt in New Zealand, in Nepal a group of activists visited the deputy Prime Minister, we had Robin’s rolling Euros around Berlin, nurses marching on Wall Street and Robin Du Bois descending on the G20 agricultural ministers meeting in Paris. Plus many, many more cool events. Quite clearly, there is global support for this simple idea. As you can see from the loads of photos and stories here on Posterous
It was a lot of fun but there is a serious message behind the antics. The reckless behaviour of the financial sector has a global impact. The economic crisis triggered by financial meltdown has pushed tens of millions of people around the world into poverty and jeopardised commitments to tackling climate change.People’s efforts to highlight this are having a big impact on our leaders. Recently, we’ve seen votes in the French, Brazilian and Belgium parliaments calling for an FTT. Germany and France remain committed to pursuing a tax, and are working together to reach a compromise proposal. They are clear they will pursue a tax at the Eurozone level.
Adding to these exciting developments, two big hitters from the European Union appeared to move us closer to a European FTT. Algirdas Semeta, EU tax commissioner, said, “I believe as a first step there are ways to implement a financial transaction tax in the EU.” Then, President of the European Commission, Jose Emmanuel Barroso, came out in support of a tax, "To respond to the economic crisis, every sector needs to contribute, none more so than the financial sector. Yesterday, I announced in my letter to my colleagues in the European Council that the Commission will present a formal legislative proposal, after the summer, to put in place a financial tax within the European Union”. This is great news, but we need more countries to come on board.
It’s time for Europe to press ahead with this tax before the G20 summit in November, chaired by France, where President Sarkozy has said he will attempt to create a coalition of countries willing to introduce an FTT. Millions of people around the world are watching to make sure that he does so!
The GDoA Planning Team
In Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico was yet other country to partake in the Global Day of Action courtesy of cultural activity in support a FTT.
Many thanks to 350.org who organised the event, great work!
Dear friends
From Costa Rica, an embrace of solidarity and brotherhood for all and for all,
A truly BIG day for a tiny tax
We are proud to post to you the photos of Rwanda's Global Day of Action. Events as you can see were beautiful, as representatives lobbed in different institution, such as the Head of State whilst lobby letters were also sent to the Voice of Africa radio station and His Excellence Paul Kagame, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of MINECOFIN
Nurses from all across the US, along with other unions and activists, gathered outside of Federal Hall on Wall Street for a day of speakers, union songs, and chants calling on a financial transaction tax to make Wall Street executives pay their fair share in taxes and combat the suffering of Americans that nurses witness every day.
With the HUGE success of the Global Day of Action, please find attached:
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- A press release from our Canadian partner, COCQ SIDA (in French)
- A press release from our Ecuadorian partner, Kimirina (in Spanish)
- Two letters send to Morocco Prime and Finance Ministers, and to the Head of the European Delegation by our Moroccan partner, ALCS. These letters were also send to the press, along with a press release (all in French)
- ALCS also posted a link to the French Campaign on its Facebook group page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/group.php?gid=56384922512
- Finally please also see the increasing posts from our Swiss partner, Groupe Sida Genève, who also posted a link on their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/groupesida) to a blog article about the French campaign (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/groupesida).
Great work!
In the square there are speculators toasting to their profits and regardless of common citizens around them requiring resources for proper policies on labour, education, culture, development and environment. Robin Hood stops one of the speculators who feels initially threathened and is finally surprised that just a few cents are taken by Robin Hood. With a tiny tax on financicial transactions Robin Hood saves people by funding domestic public services and the world’s poor to tackle poverty and climate change
GESTOS (Brazilian NGO based in Recife, Brazil) -
Today GESTOS launched a call on the Brazilian governments to support the FTT and help finance development challenges such as the HIV pandemics. Attached is a link to the video that was launched:
The video was released on the occasion of the Global Day of Action and has since been circulated around the whole of Latin America!
Brazil is a leading country in terms of innovative financing. The FTT is supported officially by the Brazilian government, at the United Nations, during the World Summit on Development, last September in New York. Previously, the FTT has been supported by President Lula, who prefaced a book on the matter last year. More recently, the FTT was also supported by the finance commission of the Camara, who adopted a resolution last week asking the government to support the FTT in the G20. All that’s missing now is for President Roussef and Minister Mantega to officially join the movement for the FTT.
