Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt

The Forum for Food Sovereignty, which is currently taking place in Selingue
(Mali), is making progress on the tasks it has set itself. More than 500
delegates from 98 countries, especially invited for the forum, have come
together over the past few days to meet in seven thematic groups. Their
objective was to debate and establish strategies in relation to food
sovereignty, as well as what we must fight for, what we must fight against
and
what action we can take. Based on the results of these debates, a joint
declaration and a call to action will be drawn up before the Forum draws to
a
close on 27 February.

Access to land One of the central debates of the Forum relates to access to
land
and natural resources and the conflicts that arise between the different
actors
involved in their management. For example, in some countries, the law
prevents
women from having access to land, and in others, although they have access
by
law, tradition and practice constitute obstacles to such access.

With regard to the tensions that exist between different sectoral groups,
one of
the objectives is to take steps to resolve these conflicts, emphasizing the
specific interests between farmers and herdspeople, producers and consumers,
the urban world and the countryside, etc. As Mamadou Goita of the Malian
peasant organization CNOP said, in Africa disputes between farmers and
herdspeople are common, as are the different interests of producers and
consumers: the first want to sell their products at a high price, the second
want to buy them for as little as possible. This is why it is essential to
create alliances and mutual understanding as a way of finding a solution to
these conflicts.

A forum in the countryside The debates and meetings are being held in
Selingue
at a dedicated site which, when the Forum is over, will be managed by the
national peasant organization CNOP and used as a training centre for West
African organizations. The site has more than 50 mud and straw huts to house
participants and other buildings for meetings and plenary sessions. All of
the
materials used in the construction of the site are local, respecting
traditional architecture, the workforce used being made up of people from
the
village of Selingue.

The site is located next to the hydroelectric dam on the river Sankarani, a
tributary of the Niger, constructed by the World Bank World Bank
WB The World Bank was founded as part of the new international monetary system set up at Bretton Woods in 1944. Its capital is provided by member states’ contributions and loans on the international money markets. It financed public and private projects in Third World and East European countries.

It consists of several closely associated institutions, among which :

1. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, 189 members in 2017), which provides loans in productive sectors such as farming or energy ;

2. The International Development Association (IDA, 159 members in 1997), which provides less advanced countries with long-term loans (35-40 years) at very low interest (1%) ;

3. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which provides both loan and equity finance for business ventures in developing countries.

As Third World Debt gets worse, the World Bank (along with the IMF) tends to adopt a macro-economic perspective. For instance, it enforces adjustment policies that are intended to balance heavily indebted countries’ payments. The World Bank advises those countries that have to undergo the IMF’s therapy on such matters as how to reduce budget deficits, round up savings, enduce foreign investors to settle within their borders, or free prices and exchange rates.

with serious
environmental and social consequences. Its construction gave rise to the
displacement of large numbers of people to the area with the aim of living
from
fishing, but the mass migration resulted in overexploitation of the natural
resources and the consequent impoverishment of the population once they had
been exhausted. This is just one further example of the need to resist the
policies of the World Bank and the IMF IMF
International Monetary Fund Along with the World Bank, the IMF was founded on the day the Bretton Woods Agreements were signed. Its first mission was to support the new system of standard exchange rates.

When the Bretton Wood fixed rates system came to an end in 1971, the main function of the IMF became that of being both policeman and fireman for global capital: it acts as policeman when it enforces its Structural Adjustment Policies and as fireman when it steps in to help out governments in risk of defaulting on debt repayments.

As for the World Bank, a weighted voting system operates: depending on the amount paid as contribution by each member state. 85% of the votes is required to modify the IMF Charter (which means that the USA with 17,68% % of the votes has a de facto veto on any change).

The institution is dominated by five countries: the United States (16,74%), Japan (6,23%), Germany (5,81%), France (4,29%) and the UK (4,29%).
The other 183 member countries are divided into groups led by one country. The most important one (6,57% of the votes) is led by Belgium. The least important group of countries (1,55% of the votes) is led by Gabon and brings together African countries.

http://imf.org which, instead of generating the
self-proclaimed “development” they promise, bring poverty and debt. These
matters are currently the subject of debate in the Selingue countryside.