Put People First
Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action
International People’s Conference, Seoul, November 7th to 10th
□ Summary
○ Title: International People’s Conference in parallel with the 5th G20 Summit in Seoul
○ Date: 7th ~10th November 2010
* International People’s Conference will be held during People’s Week of Collective Action which will be held from 6 to 12 November 2010
○ Venue: TBC in Seoul, South Korea
* Korean People’s Action is seeking proper places for the events.
○ Local Host: Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action
*Each Agenda working group has own partners in overseas.
□ Background and Rationale
The fifth G20 Summit will be held in Seoul on November 11th to 12th. This meeting has grave consequences for the people of Korea and the entire world. The G20 has appointed itself the principal body responsible for finding a solution to the global economic crisis and managing the world economy. Yet it excludes the majority of poor and developing nations from decision-making. It also seeks to make common people shoulder the burden of the crisis and to promote neoliberal policies, which have already created vast poverty and increased inequality. In addition, the South Korean government is using the upcoming summit as an excuse to severely restrict democratic rights and carry out a crackdown on migrants, street vendors and homeless people.
Recognizing the huge impacts posed by the G20 on the rights of people in Korea and around the world, labor unions, social movement organizations and progressive NGOs in South Korea formed a broad people’s coalition, entitled with “Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action”(hereafter Korean People’s Action) on September 15th in order to respond to the G20 Seoul Summit. The Korean People’s Action will take full responsibility for organising various activities and actions protesting the G20 summit as the representative of South Korean people’s, social and civil movements.
□ International People’s Conference, Seoul
South Korean people’s, social and civil society organisations are calling upon international social movements to jointly organise an International People’s Conference in parallel with the G20 Summit. The International People’s Conference will be organised as part of the People’s Week of Collective Action programmes, and it will be based on equal participation of all people to develop people’s alternative solutions for responding to the global economic and social crisis.
Korean people’s, social and civil society organisations will host the International People’s Conference in solidarity with international social and civil movements to develop peoples’ alternatives. The main goal is to develop a solution to the current crisis and to shield poor people who are suffering from the impact of the crisis.
The format of the International People’s Conference will be a forum consisting of several creative workshops held directly before the G20 Summit. During the International People’s Conference people from G20 and non-G20 countries will assess the impact of current economic and social policies promoted by the G20, and demand alternative global economic reform and the social change necessary to create a better world.
□ Agenda and Working Groups
Agenda 1. Financial regulation and taxation on speculative capital
Agenda 2. Decent work
Agenda 3. Basic Labour rights
Agenda 4. Environment and climate change
Agenda 5. Alternative trade agreement to FTAs and TNCs
Agenda 6. Food sovereignty and agriculture
Agenda 7. Democracy and human rights
Agenda 8. Poverty and development
Agenda 9. Forced migration
Agenda 10. Peace and security
Agenda 11. Anti-nuclear
Agenda 12. International Property Rights
Agenda 13. Public services
□ Proposed Programmes and Workshops Summary (Draft, as of 15th September)
(* Please note that various events on different agenda will be organized during the International People’s Conference. We will inform you as soon as we get more detailed and clear programmes.)
1) Opening Plenary of International People’s Conference
- Date : 13:00-15:00, November 7th (Please be seated by 12:30)
- Organized by “Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action”
2) International Symposium on Financial Regulation and Development
- Date : November 8th (One day symposium)
- Co-organised by Civil Society Network for Financial Regulation, FES and IBON Foundation
3) Labour Assembly : Workers’ Voices from the South on the Economic and Social Crisis
- Date : November 9th(One day Event)
- Organised by KCTU(Korea), COSATU(South Africa) and CUT(Brazil)
4) Development and Poverty (tentative title)
- Date : November 9th(One day Event)
- Organized by Global Call to Action Against Poverty network
5) Climate Change and Energy Crisis(tentative title)
- Date : November 9th
- Co-organized by Korean Working Group on Climate Change and Environment and FES
6) G20 and the Economic Crisis: Discussing the People's Alternatives to Free Trade and for System Change
- Date : November 10th
- Organized by KCTU, OWINFS, La Via Campesina, Korean Alliance against KORUS FTA
7) Asian Strategy Meeting on FTA : problems and alternative
- Date : TBC
- Organised by Via Campesina, KPL and KWPA
8) Climate Change and Agriculture, Food Sovereignty
- Date : November 9th
- Organized by Via Campesina, KPL and KWPA
9) Workshop on Anti Nuclear
- Date : November 9th
- Organized by Korean environmental groups in cooperation with Gensuikin, Japan
10) Bridge to Paris – Strategy Meeting
- Date : November 12th
- Co-organised by “Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action” together with various international and regional networks who have interests.
11) International women's forum against G20 summit strengthening poverty and discrimination : Looking for 'the alternative and resistance' against neo-liberalism
- Date : November 10th, 11 am to 1 pm
- Organised by Korea Women Alliance
12) Closing Plenary of International People’s Conference
- Date : November 10th 17:00-21:00
- Organized by “Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action”
□ Calendar for People’s Week of Collective Action
- Date: November 6th to 12th
- Organised by : Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action
- General Picture of People’s Week of Collective Action
* November 6th : Opening Event of People’s Week of Collective Action
* November 7th : Opening Plenary of International People’s Conference
* November 7th : National Workers Rally
* November 7th to 10th : International People’s Conference
* November 10th : Closing Plenary of International People’s Conference
* November 11th : Press Conference on Seoul Declaration
* November 11th : Mass Rally and March
□ Contacts for the Korean People’s G20 Response Action
- Official E-mail :
- General Secretary : Mr. Lee Changgeun
Put People First! Korean People’s G20 Response Action