Invitation: Media Conference "The Public Eye on Davos"
Zurich, January 2000
Dear Sir/Madam:
The 30th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will take place in Davos on 27 January - 1 February 2000. For the first time, an independent NGO coalition will monitor the World Economic Forum and advocate NGO concerns in Davos. Under the motto of "The Public Eye on Davos", this new effort is being organized by the Berne Declaration, Friends of the Earth/US, and the Globalization Challenge Initiative.
Please find below some information on the planned NGO activities in Davos, including an invitation to a media conference and a panel debate with prominent NGO and WEF representatives on 28 January.
We invite you to attend these events. We would also be happy to answer any questions which you might have.
Our contact details are: "The Public Eye on Davos", c/o Berne Declaration, Ph +41 1 277 70 06, F +41 1 277 70 01, e-mail davos at evb.ch, www.evb.ch
Contact details during the WEF in Davos: "The Public Eye on Davos", Ph +41 79 478 91 94, F +41 81 417 81 99, e-mail webmail at evb.ch, www.evb.ch
Thank you for your interest.
Sincerely yours,
Peter Bosshard Jolanda Piniel Berne Declaration
Berne Declaration
Invitation to an NGO Media Conference
The Public Eye On Davos A new NGO project monitoring the World Economic Forum
Friday, 28 January, 2 p.m., Dutch Asthma Clinic, Scalettastrasse 19, Davos (next to the Congress Centre)
Davos has become one of the capitals of globalization. Formal and informal gatherings provide opportunities to shape opinions and prepare decisions on important issues such as international trade, financial relations, and the environment. The failure of the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) and the WTO Millenium Round demonstrates that in today's world, the public interest cannot be negotiated behind closed doors any longer.
Now, a new NGO project is being launched to challenge the fundamental premises of the World Economic Forum: "The Public Eye on Davos", a joint project of the Berne Declaration, Friends of the Earth/US and the Globalization Challenge Initiative. At the media conference, the goals of "The Public Eye on Davos" and the planned NGO activities, and a broad-based NGO statement which summarizes the critique and recommendations of the NGO communitiy toward the World Economic Forum in Davos will be published.
The following speakers will make presentations:
Peter Bosshard (Berne Declaration) Andrea Durbin (Friends of the Earth/US) Nancy Alexander (Globalization Challenge Initiative) Manuel Chiriboga (Asociación Lationamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción, ALOP)
After the media conference, prominent speakers will discuss the NGO concerns regarding the WEF in a panel debate. This debate will take place at 3 p.m. at the same venue and will feature Vandana Shiva (Third World Network), Manuel Chriboga (ALOP), Klaus Schwab (WEF), Göran Lindahl (ABB, invited).
We would be happy to welcome you to this media conference. A media package will be available on site, or will be sent to you upon request. We are happy to answer any question you might have: Tel. +41 1 277 70 06; Fax +41 1 277 70 01; e-mail: davos at evb.ch During the Annual Meeting of the WEF: Tel. +41 79 478 91 94; Fax: +41 81 417 81 99; e-mail: webmail at evb.ch
The Public Eye on Davos
A new NGO project monitoring the World Economic Forum
Davos has become one of the capitals of globalization. About 2000 leading business people, politicians, academics and editors convene there every January for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Formal and informal gatherings provide opportunities to shape opinions and prepare decisions on important issues such as international trade, financial relations, and the environment. The upcoming 2000 meeting will discuss topics such as "Building the new financial architecture", "Tackling the challenges of the Millenium Round", "How many people can the earth sustain", "What is left to privatize", and "The fate of the universe".
So far, the World Economic Forum has been a closed event and has lacked any kind of accountability to the public at large. Non-governmental organizations and social movements have so far hardly been present in Davos. A new NGO project is now being launched to challenge the fundamental premises of the World Economic Forum: "The Public Eye on Davos".
"The Public Eye on Davos" is a joint project of the Berne Declaration (coordination), Friends of the Earth/US and the Globalization Challenge Initiative. It plans to carry out various activities in Davos during the WEF 2000 (see below). And it will disseminate information about the WEF to interested NGOs, social movements, and individuals around the world.
The failure of the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) and the WTO Millenium Round demonstrates that in today's world, the public interest cannot be negotiated behind closed doors any longer. NGOs believe that the World Economic Forum has two choices: If the WEF intends to remain a Forum where important public concerns are discussed, it must radically change ist perspectives, rules, and proceedings. Its agenda must include topics such as debt cancellation, fair trade, democratic control of international institutions, and changing unsustainable consumption patterns. WEF participation must be expanded to include a fair balance of all social sectors, particularly the groups who have so far been marginalized by the globalization process. If on the other hand the WEF intends to remain an exclusive club of the world's elites, it should restrict its agenda to management issues, and should not aim to deal with global public concerns.
"The Public Eye on Davos" - Program of Activities
Panel debate in Zurich: "Who Governs the World?"
Date and venue: 27 January 2000, 8 p.m.; Volkshaus, Stauffacherstrasse 60, Zurich. Featuring Elmar Altvater (Free University Berlin), Peter Bosshard (Berne Declaration), Nicola Bullard (Focus on the Global South).
Media conference in Davos: "The Public Eye on Davos"
Date and venue: 28 January 2000, 2 p.m.; Dutch Asthma Clinic, Scalettastrasse 19, Davos (next to the Congress Centre). Featuring Peter Bosshard (Berne Declaration), Andrea Durbin (Friends of the Earth/US), Nancy Alexander (Globalization Challenge Initiative), Manuel Chiriboga (Asociación Lationamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción, ALOP).
Panel debate in Davos: "The Public Eye on Davos"
Date and venue: 28 January 2000, 3 p.m.; Dutch Asthma Clinic, Scalettastrasse 19, Davos (next to the Congress Centre). Featuring Manuel Chiriboga (ALOP), Göran Lindahl (ABB, invited), Klaus Schwab (WEF), Vandana Shiva (Third World Network).
Comments from the NGO community on the WEF proceedings
Representatives of the following NGOs will be present throughout the WEF in order to comment speeches and announcements of the official Forum, and to bring in NGO perspectives on the topics covered in Davos: Asociación Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción, Berne Declaration, Focus on the Global South, Friends of the Earth/US, Globalization Challenge Initiative, Third World Network.
Get in touch!
"The Public Eye on Davos" c/o Berne Declaration
P.O. Box 1327 8031 Zurich, Switzerland Ph +41 1 277 70 06 F +41 1 277 70 01 e-mail: davos at evb.ch www.evb.ch
Contact details during the WEF in Davos: "The Public Eye on Davos" Ph +41 79 478 91 94 F +41 81 417 81 99 e-mail: webmail at evb.ch www.evb.ch
Jolanda Piniel, Berne Declaration, January 2000
******************************************** Erklärung von Bern - Berne Declaration Jolanda Piniel, davos at evb.ch Tel. ++41 1 277'70'06; ++41 1 277'70'00 Fax. ++ 41 1 277'70'01 www.evb.ch