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Egypt: Roadmap for a Nation of Rights and the Rule of Law
Thirteen Egyptian independent human rights organizations proposed to the new authorities a “roadmap for a nation of rights and the rule of law”. It includes not to provide legal immunity for the former president Hosni Mubarak, to constitute a civilian body to oversee the country’s affairs for a one-year transitional period, the postponement of presidential elections, and the dissolution of the People’s Assembly, the Shura Council, the local councils and the State Security Investigations Services. This coalition of NGOs also suggested the drafting of “a new constitution for a civil, democratic state that respects human rights and grants all citizens equal status regardless of religion, belief, or race”.
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After Egypt’s Peaceful Revolution –What’s Next?
After the fall of the authoritarian Egyptian and Tunisian regimes, the European Union (EU) must focus on “the principles and values of the Euro-Med partnership Agreement” in the Arab world as a whole, such as “respect for human rights, the promotion of equality and democracy, as well as adherence to the rule of law,” said Ziad Abdel Samad, Director of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND). “The EU must demonstrate its commitment to solidarity and mutual respect between peoples, and the eradication of poverty,” he added. Eurostep published a brief report about the next steps.
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Israeli crimes in Gaza still umpunished
To date, only one Israeli soldier has been sent to prison for stealing a credit card” as a result of the investigations about the Israeli assault on Gaza that killed at least 1.400 Palestinian. Thirteen Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations published an open letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanetham Pillay, to demand justice.
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Whose Aid is it Anyway?
The effectiveness of international aid, both in meeting urgent needs and in tackling entrenched poverty, is being undermined in some of the world’s poorest places. Some donors’ military and security interests have skewed global aid spending; and amidst conflict, disasters and political instability have too often led to uncoordinated, unsustainable, expensive and even dangerous aid projects. Oxfam launched a detailed report about this issue, “Whose Aid is it Anyway? Politicizing aid in conflicts and crises,” that sets out how these commitments are being disregarded, and how this trend can be reversed.
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Women Are Only 22,3 percent of Turkish Workforce
The UNDP confirmed Social Watch’s red alert about the inequity suffered by women in Turkey: its last report “exposed Turkey’s failure to enable an increase in women’s participation in the labor market as well as the absence of women in top positions both in the public and private sector,” informed Today’s Zaman, the major English-language newspaper in this country.
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Climate Change Torments Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is severely affected by hard rains, landslides and other effects of climate change. As the floods are yet to recede, the estimates of losses are being released by various governmental sources. Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform launched a detailed report about the disaster.
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Proposals of Egyptian NGOs for More Democracy
This is an abstract of the statement launched last Saturday by the Forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations, coalition that includes Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies, Arab Network for Human Rights Information, Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance, Hesham Mubarak Law Center, Misryon Against Religious Discrimination, New Woman Research Center, The Arab Penal Reform Organization, The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement (Social Watch’s focal point in Egypt), The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and The Human Rights Association for the Assistance for the Prisoners:
“The Forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations congratulates the Egyptian people for their successful revolution and the removal of the dictator Hosni Mubarak, who denied dignity and humanity to Egyptians for three decades. The Forum especially salutes the revolution’s martyrs and the young people who sparked the uprising, creatively mobilized and organized, and bravely fought to achieve the first goal of deposing the dictator under a coalition of youth leaders. […]
“Furthermore, the Forum salutes the role of the armed forces in protecting the revolution and supporting its demands up to the achievement of its first goal. In particular, it applauds the third communiqué issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which stated that the council “will not be an alternative to the legitimacy approved by the people.” As such, the Forum calls on the supreme council to quickly release a timetable for the transfer of power to a civilian body to manage the transition phase to a civil, democratic state that respects human rights, in cooperation with the armed forces, and with the participation of civil society, which can monitor the implementation of the roadmap. […]
“The Forum offers the following proposals:
“I. Dissolve the People’s Assembly, the Shura Council, and local councils, which are the product of the most fraudulent elections in Egypt’s history [… ]. Moreover, all officials involved in the administration of elections to these bodies must be investigated. […]
“The next elections must be held after a transitional period of at least one year during which time public liberties are respected in full, particularly the right to form political parties, professional and trade unions, civic associations, and all forms of media.
“II. Take immediate steps to hold accountable those responsible for all crimes committed against Egyptians since the beginning of the uprising on January 25. […] No guarantee of immunity should be granted to former president Hosni Mubarak that prevents holding him accountable for any crimes he may have committed, directly or indirectly, during his time in power. […] All officials responsible since 25 January for orders to open fire, killing hundreds of demonstrators, and those responsible for the shutdown of internet and mobile phone services, should be referred to trial, starting with the former interior minister and his aides. All officials responsible for the coordinated withdrawal of security forces and the subsequent release of prisoners, which lead to a wide spread intimidation and terrorizing of citizens, and looting and theft, must be held accountable. An independent judicial body for truth and equity should be formed to investigate and receive complaints of corruption and human rights abuses committed before and after 25 January. The authorities should guarantee and provide every facility to ensure the independence and impartiality of the body. […] Identify and prosecute those responsible for the massacre in Tahrir Square on 2 February and the attacks on the offices of several human rights organizations on 3 February. […] Stop all prosecutions, arrests, and harassment of political activists, journalists and foreign correspondents, and human rights defenders. […]
“III. Take immediate measures to uproot the police state and reinstate the rule of law. […] Dissolve the State Security Investigations Services, a vital pillar of the police state responsible for disappearances, brutal torture, arbitrary detention, the sabotage of political parties, the restrictions on human rights groups, and the erosion of Egyptians’ dignity and the rule of law. […] Issue an immediate declaration rescinding the exceptional state of emergency […]. Immediately release all political prisoners and detainees and review the status of their convictions.
“IV. Adopt a comprehensive program for far-reaching constitutional and legislative reforms that will pave the way for democratization and respect for human rights, in accordance with a specific timetable. This program should include: […] Draft a new constitution that will have enshrined in it the separation of powers, end the executive’s absolute control over the legislative and judicial authorities, and limit the absolute authorities given to the president. […] Guarantee the right of all individual citizens to run for the office of president and limit the presidency to no more than two four-year terms. […] Establish the civil nature of the state as a state for all its citizens based on the principles of equality and impartiality toward all citizens regardless of religion, belief, gender, or race. […] Abolish the political parties’ law (Law 40/1977) and its amendments and adopt a law grounded in international norms that protect the freedom of association, guaranteeing the freedom to establish political parties and gain legal status by notice alone. […] Abolish the NGO law (Law 84/2002), dissolve the General Federation of Civic Associations and the regional federations, and refer to relevant articles in the civil code while observing international norms that guarantee the right to association […]. Take the necessary legislative measures to ensure freedom of the media […]. Amend Article 126 of the Penal Code on punishment for crimes of torture in accordance with the comprehensive definition of the crime and its perpetrators as included in Article 1 of the UN Convention Against Torture […]. Amend the law on the exercise of political rights and Law 174/2005 on the regulation of presidential elections to end the Interior Ministry’s control over general elections, including presidential polls, and grant oversight of all elections to one independent judicial body chosen by judges through the courts’ general assemblies. […] Adopt a proportional, open list system, which can guarantee better representation for political parties and empower social sectors that have long been marginalized in political life.
“V. Draft a clear plan for the gradual activation of all economic, social, and cultural rights to meet the demands of the January 25 revolution, especially a minimum wage and pension standard that is commensurate with the cost of living.”
Source: The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement (EACPE)
Read the complete roadmap at www.en.mosharka.org/index.php?newsid=80
The EU and the Future Arabic Revolutions
The popular revolution in Egypt which led to President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation on Friday 11 February caught governments around the world unprepared. The assumption of power by the military Council, the suspension of the Constitution and a commitment to a rapid transition towards establishing a democratic system of governance marks the start of the next steps in realising the aspirations of the Egyptian people. The successful overthrow of the autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt have ignited the hopes for change by citizens in many other Arabic states looking for democracy and respect for human rights.
The European Union has been reassessing its orientation towards the region. It has been previously criticised for pursuing policies that maintained the Mubarak and Ben Ali regimes in power, and for being effectively complicit in their repressive policies. “The people’s revolutions that have overthrown the dictatorial regimes in Tunisia and Egypt were a response to social and economic hardships in the two countries” said Ziad Abdel Samad, Director of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) “It is now crucial that future EU policies and their implementation are revised to ensure that they support transitions towards inclusive democratic processes and address the real needs and aspirations of people in the region. The principles and values of the Euro-Med partnership Agreement are paramount - respect for human rights, the promotion of equality and democracy, as well as adherence to the rule of law. The EU must demonstrate its commitment to solidarity and mutual respect between peoples, and the eradication of poverty”.
EU High representative Catherine Ashton, Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Council President Herman van Rompuy, welcomed Mubarak’s resignation in a joint statement. “By standing down, he has listened to the voices of the Egyptian people and has opened the way to faster and deeper reforms, and an orderly transition to democracy”, the EU’s top officials stated, acknowledging the Egyptian people’s victory in their peaceful strive for democratic change.
European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek noted “this is only a beginning of a long road to lasting change. It is of utmost importance to carefully cherish and protect the flowers of freedom obtained”.
Ashton followed up with a visit to the region, and was in Tunisia on Monday 14 February where she said that “the EU is wholeheartedly behind the Tunisian people’s aspirations for freedom and democracy”. She also pledged an additional € 17 million from the EU on top of the € 238 million earmarked for the period to 2013. The use of these funds would be “recast” she stated. She also said that the EU “want to both help deliver and underpin political openness, help with the democratic transition, and also support economic and social development. And to do that, support to civil society will play an important role.”
Source: Eurostep
"Is the Goldstone Report Dead, High Commissioner?"
Open Letter from 13 Palestinian and Israeli Human Rights Organisations to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanetham Pillay, on her first official visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
As Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations, we welcome your first visit to the region and take this occasion to ask: is the Goldstone report dead? Over two years have passed since the end of the Israeli offensive “Operation Cast Lead” on the Gaza Strip, and justice for victims has yet to be addressed. Should these victims give up on the UN in their search for accountability? Or is there a way out from the prevailing culture of impunity? The opportunity to achieve justice is being hijacked by political interests and we seek your unequivocal support on behalf of the victims. Achieving justice is essential to prevent further violations of international law and to lay the foundations for a just and long lasting peace in the region.
The Goldstone report, published in September 2009, presents strong evidence that war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity were committed during “Operation Cast Lead.” The report, endorsed by both the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, provides a clear framework to ensure justice for victims in accordance with international law, including referral to the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court and the exercise of universal jurisdiction. Over a year later, justice has not been delivered to the victims.
Israeli investigations, conducted by the military, fail to examine the legality of decisions taken by senior military and political leaders who designed, planned and implemented the attacks. To date, only one Israeli soldier has been sent to prison for stealing a credit card. The Committee of Independent Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council confirmed the lack of cooperation by Israel and its unwillingness, despite its capability, to conduct genuine investigations in accordance with international standards.
On the Palestinian side, the authorities in Gaza have been unsuccessful in carrying out credible and genuine investigations, as confirmed by the UN Committee of Independent Experts. Despite the independent investigations mandated by the Palestinian Authority, no criminal proceedings have been initiated.
Thus far, the international community of States has failed to uphold its responsibility to ensure justice for international crimes. Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority, entrusted to uphold the interests of the Palestinian people before the UN and diplomatic community, has undermined the Goldstone recommendations by capitulating to external political pressures. Palestinian representatives and member States of the UN Human Rights Council persist in prioritising politics over the rights of victims by according more time to continue the façade of domestic investigations.
As the implementation of the Goldstone recommendations is being delayed, Israel’s closure policy continues to collectively punish 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip, where incursions are intensifying and civilians are being killed while trying to make a living. The denial of justice for victims of “Operation Cast Lead” is compounded by Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, where violations of international law have gone unpunished for over 43 years. Today, Israel’s illegal policies of settlement expansion and forcible transfer of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank, amongst others, contribute to undermine peace efforts and result in the delegitimisation of the international actors involved, while undermining fundamental principles of international law and justice.
As the highest UN official responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights, we urge you to give a voice to the victims of “Operation Cast Lead” and inject momentum into their search for justice. We call upon you to denounce the forfeiture of justice for Palestinian victims of international crimes in the name of politics and to publicly demand the implementation of the Goldstone report, including referral to the General Assembly, without further delay. We also request that you seek immediate clarification from the Office of Legal Affairs of any pending issues regarding the establishment of an escrow fund for Palestinian victims of the offensive to promptly advance its development. Finally, we ask you to firmly condemn Israel’s persistent violations of international law, which prevent the Palestinian people from exercising their universally recognised right to self-determination.
The UN must seize this opportunity to demonstrate its declared commitment to justice as stated by the Secretary-General in his address to the General Assembly in January 2011. We trust that you and your Office will use all means at your disposal, including high-profile advocacy, to ensure that the Palestinian people are fully included in the UN-proclaimed “new era of accountability” and that impunity does not prevail once again.
Yours sincerely,
Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association, Aldameer Association for Human Rights, Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, The Civic Coalition for Defending Palestinians’ Rights in Jerusalem, Defence for Children International – Palestine Section, Ensan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights, Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies, Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling, The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
Source: Al-Haq
Politicizing Aid in Conflicts and Crises
Effective aid helps save lives, protect rights and build livelihoods. Yet in conflicts and politically unstable settings from Afghanistan to Yemen, lifesaving humanitarian assistance and longer-term efforts to reduce poverty are being damaged where aid is used primarily to pursue donors’ own narrow political and security objectives. This is not only undermining humanitarian principles and donors’ development commitments; it impacts on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people affected by conflicts and natural disasters.
• Some donors are increasingly concentrating both humanitarian and development aid on countries and regions seen to threaten their own immediate security interests, while neglecting other equally insecure, impoverished and conflict-afflicted places. Since 2002 one-third of all development aid to the 48 states labelled ‘fragile’ by the OECD has gone to just three countries: Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.1 During this period aid to Iraq and Afghanistan alone has accounted for over two-fifths of the entire $178bn global increase in aid provided by wealthy countries.
• From Afghanistan to Kenya, poorly conceived aid projects aimed at winning ‘hearts and minds’ have proved ineffective, costly, and have sometimes turned beneficiary communities and aid workers into targets of attack. Such practices are growing: US aid funds allocated to front-line military commanders to win ‘hearts and minds’ in Iraq and Afghanistan are now almost as large as the worldwide Development Assistance budget of the US government’s aid agency USAID.
• In Afghanistan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Somalia and elsewhere, donors and military forces have made aid conditional on the political and military cooperation of communities and aid organizations; and have used aid to buy information or compliance with military forces.
• While military assets and logistics have played vital roles in emergencies and natural disasters, aid inappropriately delivered using military forces themselves has sometimes led to wasteful and costly aid, while overlooking the real contribution that military and police forces can make to vulnerable communities’ security needs. For instance, the Spanish army’s high-profile vaccination programme and water distribution following the Haiti earthquake cost over 18 times that of comparable civilian efforts, which the Spanish military partly duplicated.
These problems are not new, but the impact of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as more recent aid policy shifts, have increased the trend. Both in Europe and North America, aid policies and programmes skewed by donors’ foreign policy and national security interests are beginning to be formally embedded in international development strategies and humanitarian practices.
Foreign policy biases have since 2001 been written formally into aid policies and funding decisions in the USA, Canada and France. Elsewhere, including in the UK, Australia and the European Union, such priorities are at risk of being formally embedded in new international development strategies.
Policy coordination across foreign, defence and development departments can help better address common obstacles to development: for example, tackling climate change and capital flight; protecting civilians in conflict; preventing irresponsible arms transfers. But recruiting aid and aid institutions for donors’ own national security objectives risks undermining the effectiveness of aid in meeting humanitarian needs and maximizing poverty reduction. Not only does this damage impartial attempts to provide aid and tackle poverty, but it often fails to build long-term security for recipient
Download the report at www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp145-whose-aid-anyway-100211-en_0.pdf
Source: Oxfam
Turkey Far Behind Targets in Female Employment
By Şule Kulu Yilmaz, Istambul
The UNDP says Turkey needs to develop serious policies to increase female employment. A report on the status of Turkish women in education, politics and the workforce, announced by the General Directorate of Women’s Status (KSSGM) last week, has come as bad news for Turkey, with the report finding that it is lagging behind targets set for women’s participation in employment and highlighting the need for radical policy changes on the issue.
The report once again exposed Turkey’s failure to enable an increase in women’s participation in the labor market as well as the absence of women in top positions both in the public and private sector. The report noted that the failure to establish the necessary mechanisms to better incorporate women into the labor market was a major reason behind the disappointing figures.
According to the report, the overall participation of women in the workforce is 22.3 percent in Turkey, which is much lower than many EU countries where this figure is around 60 percent.
Turkey’s performance with regards to increasing female employment is not very optimistic. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report on the gender empowerment measure of the human development index released in October 2009, Turkey ranked 101st out of 109 countries. A World Economic Forum (WEF) report also indicated that Turkey ranked 129th out of 134 countries in terms of dividing its resources and opportunities among men and women. According to the organization Social Watch, Turkey has regressed precipitously since 2004 in terms of gender equality.
The EU’s Lisbon Strategy also required that Turkey achieve 60 percent of women in the workforce by 2010, a requirement that obviously could not be met.
Hülya Gülbahar, chairwoman of the Association for Educating and Supporting Women Candidates (KA-DER), says the state should make radical policy changes to increase the employment of women. Noting that many EU member countries such as Portugal and Spain have been able to achieve the Lisbon Strategy’s 60 percent requirement, Gülbahar said Turkey cannot achieve this goal under current legislation and urged the government to take radical steps to achieve this target. “How did these countries reach this goal? They employed women for three of every five vacant positions. Turkey also should do the same,” she told Sunday’s Zaman.
Gülbahar recalled that affirmative action for women was set as a constitutional guarantee in September of last year after a referendum to approve a constitutional reform package. “Affirmative action for women was included among these changes. But this article has not yet been implemented. For a constitutional amendment to be fully in force, relevant legislation should be passed and the government should immediately enact these laws,” she said.
Mentality shift also needed
The KSSGM report also highlighted the “invisibility of women” who have been employed at top posts both in the state and the public sector. According to the report, only 7 percent of high-level bureaucrats are women. The report did note that there is a high percentage of female academics in universities in Turkey, at the level of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, research assistant and lecturer, which at 38.7 percent is higher than many other countries. However, the report highlighted that although this rate can be accepted as high, males still dominate the top posts at universities, occupying the positions of rector and dean, with only 15.3 percent of these post filled by women.
Gülbahar says only 8 percent of the employees at State Economic Enterprises (KİT) are women. She notes that there isn’t a single female governor in Turkey in any of its 81 provinces. “These figures clearly show that the state does not want to employ women as workers, high-level bureaucrats, governors or civil servants. The state also does not support the women who are currently employed, either, as it does not improve facilities to help working women, such as childcare services,” she complained.
Commenting on the dominance of men in top positions in the workforce, Nilüfer Yılmaz from the Diyarbakır-based Women’s Consultation and Solidarity Center (KAMER) says the main reason behind this situation is the perception that woman are secondary citizens. “These are problems that are caused by gender inequality in society. “Although women do the same work as men and receive the same pay, they cannot be promoted. A woman needs to leave behind many men in order to be promoted in a management role, which is very difficult as men do not want to feel inferior to a woman. This is a power struggle,” she told Sunday’s Zaman.
Headscarf ban continues to discourage thousands of women
Neslihan Akbulut, secretary-general of the Women’s Rights Association against Discrimination (AK-DER), agrees that women are obliged to work under circumstances that are not attractive for them. “Heavy workloads as well as a lack of childcare facilities hinder married women from entering the workforce in particular,” she says.
Akbulut highlights another point, saying that women who choose to wear the headscarf face more difficulties both in the workforce and during the job application process. She recalls a recent study that suggested links between the downward trend in women’s employment and the headscarf ban in the public sector.
In that study, Dilek Cindoğlu, a professor of political science at Bilkent University, suggested that society should be aware of a possible link between the declining employment of women and the headscarf ban in Turkey. Her study, titled “Headscarved Women in Professional Jobs: Revisiting Discrimination in 2010 Turkey,” was conducted for the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) last year.
“Today, many women who have received a higher education, such as doctors, lawyers and teachers, among whom there are AK-DER members, prefer to remain outside the workforce due to the discrimination they are subjected to in the workplace,” she said.
Source: Today’s Zaman
Rain rain, go away from Sri Lanka
By Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe
Sri Lanka government has roughly estimated that the floods have caused a damage worth of Rs. fifty billion to the economy while affecting people of 18 districts.
Minister of Disaster Management Mahinda Amaraweera says that thousands of acres of cultivations, around 450 small and big irrigation schemes, at least 75,000 cattle and many thousands of poultry and other animals were destroyed in floods.
Sri Lanka Minister of Peasants' Services and Wildlife S.M. Chandrasena says that 300,000 acres of paddy cultivations were completely destroyed due to recent floods.
Floods inundated 500,000 acres of paddy fields, damaged 458 big and small scale reservoirs, broke around 1000 irrigation canals and binds, the Minister stated.
Nine Peasants' Services Centers and seven fertilizer warehouses are also among the damaged property, he said.
Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Mannar districts are the worst flood affected areas.
However, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Yapa Abewardhana said to media that no scarcity of rice would be experienced by the country although floods hit the paddy cultivation hard. He said the country has buffer rice stocks for eight months. But the other government Ministers also contradict him and the rice mill owners have already rung the alarm by telling that they cannot supply rice at the government controlled prices due to the effects of the bad weather.
Meanwhile, the prices of vegetables has escalated to historical records in Sri Lanka. About 32 thousand hectares of vegetable cultivation have been destroyed due to the inclement weather says Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture K.E. Karunathilaka.
Nearly 1.2 million people were affected by recent floods in Sri Lanka. Reports say the affected people are facing severe shortage of food commodities. Malnutrition will definitely follow the natural disasters.
One problem createsmore problems and the world is in a vicious circle of effects of climate change.
World has begun to pay the costs of capitalist plunder of nature in the past few centuries. After all, all the rhetoric of the scientific and technological advancements of the capitalism has gone to dead silence before the embarrassing helplessness of the system.
Asian Development Bank has launched a project to improve the understanding of climate-induced migration, and stimulate policy debate on how to tackle the anticipated movement of millions of people due to changing weather patterns in the coming years.
ADB says that the ultimate aim of this is to encourage the adoption of responsible, foresighted policies and practices that improve management of human displacement due to climate change, and where practical, enable communities to stay where they are.
It is interesting to examine why the ADB had to take the climate change as a serious issue. Densely populated Asia Pacific region of the world has become the most vulnerable area of the Earth. ADB says that 207 million people were affected world wide due to natural disaster and of them 87% are from Asia. South Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives are facing serious adverse effects of climate change. Rarely a day passes without reports on massive destruction caused by adverse effects of climate change.
The situation is no doubt the pay back of plunder of nature for two centuries under capitalist production. The system has failed to prevent further plunder and to initiate remedial measures to heal ailing nature. The crisis proves that the human society needs a better production system than the present system that plunders man and nature to satisfy the greed of some.
Source: Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform.
