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Global Civics
by Jian Yi and Hakan Altinay
Global Policy Journal
 
Global civics suggests that to understand civics in a global sense as a social contract between the world citizens in the age of interdependence and interaction.
 
The disseminators of the concept define it as the notion that we have certain rights and responsibilities towards each other by the mere fact of being human on Earth.
 
The advocates of the notion attempt to demonstrate that it is possible to imagine global civics. According to this attempt, in an increasingly interdependent world, the world"s citizens need a compass that can frame their mindsets, and create a shared consciousness and sense of global responsibility against to tackle world issues such as the financial crisis, climate change and nuclear proliferation.
 
However, many argue that we must begin by asking several fundamental questions:
 
How will we navigate our increasing global interdependence? Can we conceive a global civics which is both feasible and sufficient to the task?
 
To begin to answer these questions, the above documentary Global Civics, co-produced by Jian Yi and Hakan Altinay, pursues conversations in nine countries; Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Italy, Turkey, South Africa, and the United States.
 
In this journey, we witness disagreements among two workers in South Africa, as well as consensus between two businessmen in China and Turkey, Buddhist and Muslim theologians, students in India and United States.
 
Global Civics aims to leave you with a dose of hope and a refreshed curiosity for a truly global conversation.
 
http://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/videos/global-civics http://www.publicseminar.org/


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Food sovereignty
by War on Want, Health, Poverty Action
United Kingdom
 
The Global South is being drained of resources by the rest of the world and it is losing far more each year than it gains. Africa alone loses $192 billion each year to the rest of the world. This is mainly in profits made by foreign companies, tax dodging and the costs of adapting to climate change. Whilst rich countries often talk about the aid their countries give to Africa, this is in fact less than $30 billion each year. Even when you add this to foreign investment, remittances and other resources that flow into the continent, Africa still suffers an overall loss of $58 billion every year. The idea that we are aiding Africa is flawed; it is Africa that is aiding the rest of the world.
 
This money that Africa loses each year is over one and half times the amount of additional money needed to deliver affordable health care to everyone in the world. If the rest of the world continues to raid Africa at the same rate, over the next 10 years $580 billion will be lost by the African people.
 
Many of Africa’s loses directly benefit rich countries. They are a result of policies and practices that drain Africa and keep its people in poverty. These include tax dodging, unfair trade policies and the practices of multinational companies, and the brain drain of skilled workers.
 
http://www.healthpovertyaction.org/campaigns/honest-accounts/ http://jubileedebt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Honest-accounts_Briefing.pdf http://www.globalpolicy.org/
 
Food sovereignty. (War on Want)
 
There are more than 870 million people living in hunger. But this is not a consequence of poor global harvests or natural disasters. Hunger on this scale is the result of a global economy in which hundreds of millions of small farmers, fisherfolk, pastoralists and indigenous people have faced ruin through the hijacking of the global food system by large agribusiness and food retailers.
 
The global food system is in crisis. Decisions about what is produced, what is consumed and who has access to food are defined by multinational corporations that control the entire food chain. These companies have continued to make billions even as record numbers of people go hungry. In the midst of the food crisis, companies such as Cargill, Unilever and supermarket chain Tesco have reported record profits.
 
The dominant model for dealing with the food crisis is to address the ‘food security’ needs of countries and peoples. This model - backed by the UK government and many British NGOs - is based on market solutions to the problems of world hunger, with food treated as just another commodity to be traded on global markets. It is a model based on free trade in agricultural commodities, on corporate-owned technology and on greater private sector control of food production and distribution. It is a model that has failed.
 
Together with its partners in Brazil, Sri Lanka and Mozambique, and in the wider movement of La Via Campesina, War on Want is committed to the alternative model of "food sovereignty", an approach to the food crisis that prioritises people"s right to food, agro-ecology and a global food system free of corporate control. These pages provide an introduction to the concept of food sovereignty, as well as many examples of how it has enabled local communities to fight off hunger.
 
http://www.waronwant.org/overseas-work/food-sovereignty http://www.waronwant.org/news/latest-news/17964-food-sovereignty-under-attack-by-corporate-interests


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