Published by guardian.co.uk
Written by Maude Barlow
21 July 2010
The world’s running out of clean water. Unless the UN acts, the private sector will appropriate supplies and the poor will suffer
On 28 July, for the first time ever, the general assembly of the United Nations will hold a historic summit on the human right to water. It will consider and debate a resolution supporting the right to “safe and clean drinking water and sanitation” that was presented on 17 June by Pablo Solon, the Bolivian ambassador to the UN, and co-sponsored by 23 other countries. The desired outcome of the day is consensus on recognising the human right to water. However, some governments are withholding consensus and it appears likely that the resolution will have to be put to a vote, a process that has the potential to divide the world body along north/south lines.
When the 1948 universal declaration on human rights was written, no one could foresee a day when water would be a contested area. But in 2010, it is not an exaggeration to say that the lack of access to clean water is one of the greatest human rights violation in the world. Nearly 2 billion people live in water-stressed areas of the world and 3 billion have no running water within a kilometre of their homes. Every eight seconds a child dies of a waterborne disease, in every case preventable if their parents had money to pay for water. And it is getting worse as the world runs out of clean water. A new World Bank reports says that by 2030, global demand for water will exceed supply by more than 40%, a shocking prediction that foretells of terrible suffering.
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July 22nd, 2010 |Categoria: Cambio Climático- Conferencia de los Pueblos- Conservación y Manejo- NuevaMatrizRRII- Poder Global | Tags: Cambio Climático, Documentos, Sostenibilidad Ecológica. | Comentarios: 0
Published by PRAVDA Ru
Translated from the Portuguese version by Lisa KARPOVA
20 July 2010
Wilson García Mérida, Bolpress
A transcendent fact has happened in the multicultural State of Bolivia. The mayors of the municipalities of the autonomous region of Pando, in the Bolivian Amazon, decided to expel from their jurisdictions the various NGOs, foundations and companies operating in this area with funding from the Agency of Cooperation of the United States (USAID in its acronym in English) noting that these entities “are those that generate internal conflicts within the country, interfering in our political process of national liberation to undermine the democratic legitimacy of our government,” said a statement issued on July 6 by the municipal authorities of the Amazon frontier with Brazil and Peru.
It was discovered that officials paid by USAID tried to provoke a split within the indigenous movement, placing the peasant organizations in the Bolivian Amazon region against the government that represents them. The mayors of Pando decided to “expel from each of our municipalities NGOs, businesses, organizations and projects funded by USAID and its allies to end the deception of the international traffickers of biodiversity, ending the political maneuvers of the U.S. government in our rich Amazonian territory and liberate ourselves from old practices imposed by this perverse ‘cooperation’ whose cents degrade the conscience of our people, our brave peasants and indigenous representatives.”
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July 22nd, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con EE.UU. | | Comentarios: 0
Published by NACLA
Written by Lisa Skeen
19 July 2010
At a June 5 meeting of coca farmers in Cochabamba, Bolivian president Evo Morales threatened to expel the U.S. government’s primary foreign assistance organization, USAID, from Bolivia. Morales accused USAID of lending financial support to organizations that oppose his government and for inciting civil unrest. On July 8, in a show of independence from foreign influence, the mayors of the northern Pando department expelled the agency from their territory, but to date, Morales’ threats have not been carried out on a national level.
The threat is perhaps less notable for its content than for its context. The announcement was made just days after Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, as part of ongoing talks aimed at reestablishing full diplomatic relations, after a damaging political dispute in 2008. Both men described the meeting as effective, and Choquehuanca proudly announced that “we have advanced more than 99% toward signing this new framework agreement of mutual respect.” However, Choquehuanca’s glowing announcement was not accompanied by any formal agreement or concrete plans to reinstate ambassadors.
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July 20th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Published by upsidedownworld.org
Written by Benjamin Dangl
17 July 2010
Dispersing Power: Social Movements as Anti-State Forces offers an exciting account of why social movements in Bolivia are so resilient and powerful, making the publication of this book timely; it focuses on the most vibrant social movements that preceded the election of one of the most dynamic and intriguing presidents among the region’s new left.
So much of what Bolivians have organized against, particularly schools of economic thought, originated in the US. Readers in the US need to understand not only how these elements of imperialism work, but also what people in countries like Bolivia are working toward as alternatives to neoliberalism. It is that building of a better world that is dealt with in this book; many lessons and helpful strategies for activists around the world can be found in these pages.
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July 19th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Poder Global- Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Pueblos Indígenas, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Published by ZCommunications.org
20 July 2010
Lessons of Cochabamba
By Pablo Solon
Source: Socialist Voice
Bolivia’s UN ambassador gave this talk to the Shout Out for Global Justice, sponsored by the Council of Canadians and attended by nearly 3,000 people on June 25 in Toronto, during the ten days of protests against the G20 meeting.
Other speakers included Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians and Indian eco-feminist Vandana Shiva. Video of the event can be viewed at rabbletv
In addition to this meeting, several other events during the ten days of G20 protests focused on Cochabamba, including:
* Two panels at the June 19-20 People’s Summit organized by Toronto Bolivia Solidarity and KAIROS, each was attended by more than 50 participants.
* Greetings by Erika Dueñas, Chargé d’Affaires, Bolivian Embassy to the United States, and Raúl Burbano of Toronto Bolivian Solidarity to about 250 participants in the People’s Assembly on Climate Justice, June 23.
In addition, the pamphlet Cochabamba: Documents of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth was widely distributed at G-20-related events. It is available as a free PDF download at Reading from the Left.
This talk was transcribed for Climate and Capitalism by Derrick O’Keefe.
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July 10th, 2010 |Categoria: Cambio Climático- Conferencia de los Pueblos | Tags: Cambio Climático, Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Publicado por Kaosenlared.net
Escrito por Eva Golinger
8 Julio 2010
Esta semana, los alcaldes del Departamento de Pando, territorio amazónico en Bolivia, emitieron un pronunciamiento público expulsando a la Agencia Internacional de Desarrollo de Estados Unidos (USAID) de su región. Según el pronunciamiento, los alcaldes de Pando también resolvieron expulsar a los operadores, contratistas y agencias que colaboran con la USAID en su jurisdicción, debido a la “infiltración de organizaciones sociales bolivianas con fines desestabilizadoras” contra el proceso de cambios que lidera el Presidente Evo Morales.
“Como alcaldes del mayor territorio amazónico, poblado por hombres y mujeres dignos, decidimos soberanamente en cada una de nuestras jurisdicciones expulsar a todas las ONGs, empresas, agencias y proyectos financiados por el gobierno de Estados Unidos, a través de USAID y sus aliados”, destacó el pronunciamiento.
Leer más aquí | Incluye texto completo del pronunciamiento de municipios
July 9th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Pueblos Indígenas, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Publicado por Kaosenlared.net
Escrito por Wilson García Mérida
8 Julio 2010
Pando es declarado “territorio amazónico libre de Usaid”. Son expulsadas de sus comunas autónomas varias ONG’s dependientes de la agencia de cooperación de Estados Unidos como “Conservation Strategy Fund” (CSF), “Herencia”, “Puma”, “WCS Rainforest Alliance” y “Armonía”. Tienen plazo hasta el 30 de julio para entregar sus informes y documentos de cierre de gestión.
Un hecho de trascendencia acaba de suceder en el Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Los alcaldes de los municipios en el departamento autónomo de Pando, dentro la Amazonía boliviana, decidieron expulsar de sus jurisdicciones a varias ONG’s, fundaciones y empresas que operan en este territorio con financiamiento de la Agencia de Cooperación de los Estados Unidos (Usaid, por su sigla en inglés), al haberse constatado que estas entidades “son las que generan conflictos internos dentro el país, interfiriendo en nuestro proceso histórico de liberación nacional para socavar la legitimidad democrática de nuestro Gobierno”, según un pronunciamiento emitido el pasado 6 de julio por las autoridades municipales de esta región amazónica fronteriza con Brasil y Perú.
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July 8th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Published by UpsideDownWorld,org
Written by David Solnit
07 July 2010
Written for Fifth Estate (fifthestate.org), Summer 2010
In spring 2000, the people of Cochabamba, Bolivia rose up against the privatization of their water, forcing out the US based corporation, Bechtel, and Bolivia’s neo-liberal government to back down. The rebellion opened up new political space in Bolivia, catalyzing the most powerful, radical, visionary mass movements and mobilizations on the planet.
My friend and collaborator, Mona Caron, a public muralist from San Francisco, and I spent six weeks in Cochabamba, a city in central Bolivia, during March and April co-creating art and visuals with local communities and organizations. We came at the invitation of the organizing committee for the International Feria del Agua (Water Fair) commemorating the ten year anniversary of what has come to be known as the Water War. We also participated with 30,000 others in the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, organized by the Bolivian government of President Evo Morales.
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July 7th, 2010 |Categoria: Cambio Climático- Conferencia de los Pueblos | Tags: Cambio Climático, Documentos, Proceso de Cambio. | Comentarios: 0
Publicado por Rebelión
Escrito por Marc Gavaldà
28 Junio 2010
Lula y Evo Morales se abrazaron en la húmeda y amazónica población de Villa Tunari para sellar la construcción de la carretera Villa Tunari a San Ignacio de Moxos. Para el presidente brasilero, que costeará el 80% de los 415 millones de dólares del proyecto, esta vía de 306 km acercará a su país a los mercados del Pacífico para hacer más competivas sus exportaciones de agrocombustibles y soja. Para el gobierno boliviano, se conectará el céntrico departamento de Cochabamba con la región del Beni sin tener que pasar por Santa Cruz, fortaleciendo el control estatal en una región considerada “tierra de republiquetas”, según palabras de Álvaro García Linera.
Para los pueblos indígenas yurakarés, moxeños y chimanes, el proyecto amenaza la supervivencia territorial por la que tanto han luchado. Su posición rotundamente contraria no se ha hecho esperar.
La carretera atravesaría el corazón intacto del Territorio Indígena Parque Nacional Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS), uno de los puntos más biodiversos y a la vez más desconocidos de la Amazonia andina. Sus múltiples ríos y lagunas entre alturas de 3.000 a 189 metros sobre el nivel del mar, han cobijado un refugio del Pleisotoceno, como lo es en Ecuador el Parque Nacional Yasuní.
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June 28th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con Brasil | Tags: Documentos, Ecología, Proceso de Cambio, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Published by TERRAVIVA IPS
Written by Bankole Thompson
27 June 2010
Bolivian ambassador Pablo Solon said the great challenge of this century is to build a new environmental and social contract. Credit:Bankole Thompson/IPS
DETROIT, Jun 27, 2010 (IPS) – The 2010 U.S. Social Forum ended Saturday in Detroit, a city viewed by many as a metaphor for the excesses of U.S. capitalism, with strong parting words from Pablo Solon, Bolivia’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
On Saturday evening, to the thunderous applause of the thousands of civil society delegates who attended the weeklong forum in ‘Motor City’, Solon called on activists to lobby the United Nations for an international tribunal empowered to prosecute those endangering what he repeatedly referred to as “mother earth’s rights”.
Solon said the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is wrecking livelihoods and ocean and shore ecosystems alike, is a perfect example of the kind of issue that should be brought before an international court designed to address such environmental cases.
“There has to be justice. This is something we cannot accept,” Solon said. “The message is we need to build an environmental court of justice when it comes to nature and mother earth.”
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June 28th, 2010 |Categoria: Cambio Climático- Conferencia de los Pueblos | Tags: Cambio Climático, Documentos. | Comentarios: 0
Published by COHA
Written by Research Associate Katherine Charin
23 June 2010
Evo Morales Ayma, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, has many promises and expectations to fulfill as viewed by his fellow indigenous. During his two terms in office, he has created many new opportunities for Bolivia’s native people, by enforcing the government’s new constitution and promoting social and political equality. One of his most momentous undertakings has been his stance on climate change and environmental responsibility. Morales’ ascent to power is historically significant to Bolivia, a country with an explosive history of social and ethnic inequality. His party, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) represents a myriad of social groups and interests and has enjoyed a strong support group among poor, rural, indigenous Bolivians. Morales has offered hope to indigenous communities in his nation, but some skepticism exists over whether he has been true to his roots or if his newfound political power has worn away at his connection to his people.
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June 27th, 2010 |Categoria: Cambio Climático- Comercio Internacional- Conferencia de los Pueblos- Movimientos Sociales e Indígenas- NuevaMatrizRRII- Poder Global | Tags: Cambio Climático, Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Pueblos Indígenas. | Comentarios: 0
Published by CEPR Center for Economic and Policy Research
Written by Alex Main
22 June 2010
When Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela met at the beginning of the month, it appeared that relations between the US and Bolivia were on the verge of being normalized following an 18-month diplomatic chill. Choquehuanca announced to the press that “the two sides are 99% done with a pact that would allow the exchange of ambassadors.” President Evo Morales declared his own hope that the two countries would now “advance with this new framework agreement for full diplomatic, trade and investment relations.”
But hope for improved relations appeared to be dashed two weeks later when President Morales angrily accused the US Agency for International Development (USAID) of financing groups opposed to his government. “If USAID continues working in this way,” he said, “I will not hesitate to expel them because we have dignity and sovereignty, and we are not going to allow any interference.”
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June 25th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Publicado por CubaDebate
23 junio 2010
El múltiple campeón mundial de ajedrez, el ruso Anatoly Karpov, y el presidente Evo Morales hicieron tablas por cortesía este miércoles tras 12 jugadas en 8 minutos, en una partida en el marco de una campaña para promover este deporte en Bolivia.
El encuentro se realizó en la casona presidencial en La Paz, donde ambos se vieron las caras. Karpov comenzó moviendo rápido sus fichas negras, mientras que Morales lo hizo con mayor lentitud con sus piezas blancas.
En la doceava jugada, el ajedrecista ruso ofreció tablas a su anfitrión, como cortesía, tras lo cual ambos ofrecieron una conferencia de prensa y luego Karpov se enfrentó de manera simultánea con 10 niños bolivianos, con edades de ocho a 12 años.
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June 24th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII | Tags: Documentos, Proceso de Cambio, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Published by COHA
Written by Research Associate Abigail Griffith
18 Jun 2010
Over the last twenty years, almost all applicable Latin American countries have been moving toward full recognition of their multiethnic citizenship. Peru codified indigenous rights in 1993, Ecuador legalized them in 1998, and Bolivia passed a new constitution including embedded indigenous rights in 2009. However, despite a favorable movement in the direction of increased equality for indigenous peoples, an opposing trend of violence and discrimination has persisted between the state and indigenous populations in these three countries. Last year in Bagua, Peru, for example, a violent clash occurred between indigenous protesters and the national police, resulting in thirty-four deaths and one hundred wounded. In Ecuador, an indigenous group recently prosecuted a man for murder, punishing him with public humiliation and beatings, a sentence many Europeanized Ecuadorians saw as barbaric. In May, indigenous peoples lynched four police officers in the Amazonian region of Bolivia. As these three cases show, the lack of a clearly defined process to mediate often hostile interactions between indigenous custom and Western law has left room for tension, conflict, and violence to brew between indigenous people and the state. Thus, national laws concerning the links between indigenous and state justice must be better developed to prevent conflict and human rights abuses from breaking out.
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June 24th, 2010 |Categoria: Constituyente y Constitución- Movimientos Sociales e Indígenas- Poder Global | Tags: Proceso de Cambio, Pueblos Indígenas. | Comentarios: 0
Published by Bolivia Rising
Written by Alex Main
22 June 2010
When Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela met at the beginning of the month, it appeared that relations between the US and Bolivia were on the verge of being normalized following an 18-month diplomatic chill. Choquehuanca announced to the press that “the two sides are 99% done with a pact that would allow the exchange of ambassadors.” President Evo Morales declared his own hope that the two countries would now “advance with this new framework agreement for full diplomatic, trade and investment relations.”
But hope for improved relations appeared to be dashed two weeks later when President Morales angrily accused the US Agency for International Development (USAID) of financing groups opposed to his government. “If USAID continues working in this way,” he said, “I will not hesitate to expel them because we have dignity and sovereignty, and we are not going to allow any interference.”
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June 23rd, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Publicado por Transnational Institute
Escrito por Amira Armenta
Junio 2010
Cómo se podrían reducir los impactos ambientales que genera la producción de la sustancia más chic de la lista de famosos estupefacientes.
Mientras haya demanda para la cocaína, los países productores seguirán cultivando la materia prima del alcaloide. Y mientras el cultivo de la coca reporte más ingresos que los cultivos convencionales los campesinos caerán en la tentación de plantar coca, aun conociendo los riesgos y perjuicios que esta actividad comporta: el riesgo de dedicarse a una actividad ilegal y el perjuicio ambiental de un monocultivo que se desarrolla sin ningún tipo de regulación.
Aunque el último informe mundial sobre drogas de la ONU señala una disminución de la producción total de cocaína en los últimos dos años, el informe más reciente del Observatorio Europeo de las Drogas y las Toxicomanías (OEDT) de 2009 señala que, “Durante el último decenio se ha observado un aumento general del consumo y la incautación de cocaína en la Unión Europea… principalmente en los Estados miembros de Europa occidental”. Y más adelante: “La cocaína sigue siendo la segunda droga ilegal más consumida en Europa después del cannabis… Se estima que 13 millones de europeos la han consumido al menos una vez en la vida… y que 4 millones de europeos han consumido esta droga en el último año”. En Europa el consumo fuerte de cocaína parece concentrarse en unos pocos países, sobre todo Dinamarca, Italia, Irlanda, España y el Reino Unido, y es en estos dos últimos en donde se presenta la mayor prevalencia de consumo y se registra hoy todavía una tendencia general al alza.
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June 22nd, 2010 |Categoria: Coca y Narcotráfico | Tags: Coca, Documentos. | Comentarios: 0
Publicado por ALAINET
Escrito por Fortunato Esquivel
16 Junio 2010
A principios de este mes, el presidente Evo Morales, volvió a denunciar a la Agencia para el Desarrollo Internacional de Estados Unidos (USAID) y tras acusarla de infiltrarse en los movimientos sociales, para provocar conflictos al gobierno tendentes a su desestabilización, advirtió sobre su expulsión de persistir en esos afanes.
Tarea imposible para Morales. USAID jamás se moderará. Esta es una entidad, parte del dominio que ejerce el imperialismo norteamericano en América Latina, Africa y Asia. Es engranaje de una elaborada estrategia del capital monopólico destinado a cooperar en el incremento de los intereses del imperio.
Esta maquinaria fue montada después de la segunda guerra mundial y está constituida por USAID, Alianza para el Progreso (CIAP), sustituida luego por la Fundación Interamericana (IAF), el Banco de Importaciones y Exportaciones (Eximbank), Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI), Banco Internacional de Reconstrucción y Fomento o Banco Mundial (BM), Organización para el Fomento de Inversiones en América Latina (Adela) y sus otros brazos financieros.
USAID inició actividades bajo el gobierno de Harry S. Truman en 1946 y desde entonces ha distribuido más de 200 mil millones de dólares en “ayudas” militares y económicas a los países donde ejerce su dominio en protección de sus intereses. ¿Cuánto le debe Bolivia a este organismo?, es un dato que se debe conocer.
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June 21st, 2010 |Categoria: Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
Publicado por Rebelión
Escrito por Hugo Moldiz
12 junio 2010
Bolivia y Estados Unidos están cerca –con un avance del 99 por ciento- de iniciar una “nueva era”1 en sus relaciones bilaterales. Si el acuerdo marco, que gira en torno a cuatro puntos, se firma –pues la discrepancia en torno al 1% restante puede abrir otros cauces todavía inesperados-, el gobierno indígena-popular le habrá dado a su similar estadounidense una agenda muy difícil de cumplir o, por el contrario, Obama tendrá la oportunidad de meter la cabeza en condiciones más favorables de las que ahora tiene para desarrollar su política exterior hacia América Latina.
Vayamos por partes. El 21 de mayo de 2009 –cerca de nueve meses después de que el embajador Philip Golberg fuera expulsado de Bolivia por sus estrechos vínculos con la oposición no democrática-, el canciller boliviano David Choquehuanca y el entonces secretario de Estado Adjunto de Estados Unidos para Latinoamérica, Thomas Shannon, quien se reunió por una hora con Evo Morales, anunciaron estar trabajando en torno a un acuerdo marco de cuatro puntos.
Además de Golberg -un embajador que desempeñó un papel de primer orden en la división de Yugoslavia-, de Bolivia también fueron expulsadas en el segundo semestre de 2008 la agencia antidrogas DEA –que cumplía un papel de inteligencia política- y USAID cuyos recursos no inscritos ante el gobierno boliviano se destinaban principalmente a ONG con actividades de subversión a título de derechos humanos, participación ciudadana, democracia y medio ambiente.
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June 20th, 2010 |Categoria: NuevaMatrizRRII- Relaciones con EE.UU. | Tags: Documentos, Relaciones Internacionales. | Comentarios: 0
