Action for Global South

ACTION FOR GLOBAL SOUTH

globalnepoludnie.pl

The programme’s aim is to conduct activities for providing all societies with fair and equal conditions for development in a spirit of responsibility towards other people and environment. In order to implement this aim, we try to present Poles with credible information and initiate a public debate on global relations between less and more developed countries. We are convinced that fair relations between the world of the rich and the world of the poor can be shaped not only by impersonal politics but also by active citizens – from rich as well as poor countries. When speaking about the path to global justice and welfare, we also appeal for a wise use of environmental resources that enable development.

Main directions of our activities:
- monitoring of the effectiveness of the Polish development aid;
We have cooperated for four years now with such organisations as Polish Humanitarian Organisation, Institute of Global Responsibility and Zagranica Group, calling for establishing an effective aid system in Poland and for adjusting the Polish aid in such a way that it contributes more to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the regions that are still losing their fight with poverty. We have co-authored four independent reports on the Polish development aid. We speak about the problem of the weak Polish development aid policy, as we believe that Poland, whose stable economic growth has been possible thanks to the past and current (EU funds) support of more affluent countries, should be capable of showing true global solidarity. In September 2010, we participated in the public presentation of the monitoring report during the Forum of Polish Development Cooperation, which was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We also cooperate with Polish and European organisations in order to advocate greater involvement of our country in improving the quality of international assistance.

- cooperation for development of rural areas in Ghana;

In 2006 we initiated cooperation with FOE Ghana in order to support the development of local rural communities in South-Eastern Ghana. Our systematic cooperation brings tangible results, e.g.: a newly-constructed primary school, repaired wells, newly-established pineapple plantations or apiaries. There are also two women’s associations in the region, initiated by PGN, that produce traditional textile goods from batik. Work at the Ghanaian countryside completely changed our understanding of poverty and reinforced our conviction that unless all of us enjoy equal development opportunities, we cannot speak about a fair world.

FOR THE CLIMATE – AGAINST POVERTY – a campaign on the impact of climate change on the countries of the Global South;

In 2008, in cooperation with Oxfam International and Heinrich Böll Stiftung, we initiated a campaign showing the dramatic effects of climate change in the countries of the Global South. Climate change has a “human face,” which we tend to forget in Poland when discussing responsibility for emissions. We also forget about funds that would enable poorer countries to adapt to the new, unforeseeable conditions. Climate change is one of the strongest barriers to poverty eradication, as it leads to a collapse of agriculture, sudden floods or droughts or limited access to water. We are one of the first to speak about this problem in Poland. We provide credible information on the situation of more vulnerable countries, invite to Poland “climate witnesses,” i.e. people living in the regions suffering from the impact of climate change, and cooperate with the Polish media, organising workshops and press conferences related to the most important events, e.g. climate summits, and preparing information materials (e.g. prior to the climate summit in Copenhagen we published a series of materials describing the impact of climate change on the countries of the Global South). In 2010 we created a spot that was shown in cinemas and on advertisement displays across Poland. All in all, over three million people have seen it. We also published an information brochure and a leaflet that were available in the cinemas where our spot was shown. In November 2010 we invited journalists from the most popular media – Wojciech Jagielski from Gazeta Wyborcza and Wojciech Bojanowski from TVN TV station on a study visit to Nigeria. During the visit the journalists could see how the living standards of the people in Nigeria had deteriorated due to the impacts of climate change. One of the results are press and TV materials that will be published prior to the next climate summit in Cancun. We are also preparing training materials for 2,000 teachers that will present the impacts of climate change in the countries of the Global South.

FEED THE WORLD! Campaign

Since January 2010 we have been conducting the campaign FEED THE WORLD – for food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture, in cooperation with the French Committee for International Solidarity, the Polish Ecological Club – Gliwice Branch and other NGOs from Europe and Africa.

The aim of the campaign is to increase Polish society’s awareness of the real causes of hunger and undernourishment in the world and to promote the rules of food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture as effective ways of fighting these causes. We would like to make Poles more aware of the fact that sustainable agriculture, local food systems and conscious consumption bring economic and social benefits, protect the natural environment and improve the situation of the people living in the poorest countries. We would like to activate people for changing their behaviour and consumer attitudes that have a negative impact on the development of sustainable food production and consumption.

We target this campaign also on Polish and European politicians, trying to make them more sensitive to the issues related to food sovereignty. We want to draw their attention to the fact that European agricultural, trade and development policies should to a greater extent account for the right to food and the food situation in the countries of the Global South.

Activities undertaken in 2010:
- Sustainable Agriculture Festival WORLD ON A PLATE in three cities: Wroclaw (1 – 2 October), Krakow (14 – 16 October) and Gliwice (22 – 23 October);

- International seminar Cohesion of EU Policies for Development and Food Sovereignty (Warsaw, 16 – 18 November);

- Publication Food and Democracy. Introduction to Food Sovereignty and For Cohesion of EU Policies and Global Action Against Hunger – Tasks for Parliamentarians in Europe and the ACP Countries;

- Photo competition for youth: Agriculture – Nature and People;

- Educational calendar for 2011 featuring photos of the people awarded in the photo competition;

- Participation of the campaign’s representatives in the EU – ACP Joint Parliamentary Assemblies, in Europe and Africa;

- articles on the campaign’s websites.

Night for Africa

On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty we organise a cyclical educational and musical event called A NIGHT FOR AFRICA. This is an opportunity to discuss the ways in which Poland can contribute to a more effective fight with poverty and to express solidarity with the poorest by participating in the concerts of invited stars. During its latest edition, on 16 October 2010, we discussed the issue of the stereotypical attitudes towards development aid and the situation in Africa. The high point of the event’s cultural part was a concert of Senegal trio Djolof-Man. Janina Ochojska and Dariusz Rosiak were among the people participating in the debates. We also presented the message of Peter Singer – one of the most renown contemporary ethicists, discussing the moral responsibility for just global development – recorded especially for the Night for Africa.

Thematic portal – www.globalnepoludnie.pl

Since 2006 we have been running a thematic portal globalnepoludnie.pl. This is our tool for contacting the world, for providing information on the most important national and international events related to development issues or on initiatives of the NGO sector. We hope that it also inspires its reader to greater involvement. Apart from news and information materials, the portal also contains blogs, films and photo galleries.

Strategic partners:
Friends of the Earth Ghana
Oxfam Germany, Oxfam France
Heinrich Böll Stiftung
French Committee for International Solidarity
Zagranica Group
Polish Humanitarian Action
Institute of Global Responsibility

We also cooperate with the Czech and Slovak platform of aid organisations and participate in advocate activities of the European platform CONCORD.

Programme’s leader: Aleksandra Antonowicz ola@globalnepoludnie.pl

2010 activities within the Action for the Global South Programme were co-financed by the European Commission (the EuropeAid Programme), the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and the International Visegrad Fund.