April 2013

Think GlobAl Act locally with the World Development Movement

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Contents

Welcome letter

Action checklist

Campaign update: Climate and energy justiceCarbon Capital campaign launchedMake banks come cleanVisit from Colombian activistAnglo-American AGM demonstrationTricky questionsCarbon Capital video conference

Campaign update: Food Update on MiFiDbankers Anonymousbanks pull out of food speculationFood revolution poster

new campaign update

EventsScottish WDM gatheringActivist training day and skillshareWDM AGM for groups not the G8: a real agenda for global justice (WDM conference)

GroupsGroups’ round-upAusterity Machine posternotes and queriesleave the gift of lasting change

Partner updatesMlk50: 50 years since Martin luther king marched on WashingtonWDM and the Attac networkGlobal day of action on military spending: 15 April

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ContactsWorld Development Movement 66 Offley Road, London SW9 0LS 020 7820 4900 www.wdm.org.uk

Sarah Reader: sarah.reader@wdm.org.uk James O’Nions: james.onions@wdm.org.uk Ralph Allen: ralph.allen@wdm.org.uk

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Dear friends,

We are excited to announce that we have confirmed Raj Patel as a speaker for this year’s conference on 15 June. Many of you will have seen Raj, author of Stuffed and Starved, in the film Growing Change.

We are also delighted to have Cristina Asensi from Attac Spain and the 15M movement at the conference. As well as running a session during the conference, she will introduce the Europe-wide Attac network to WDM groups and activists.

In early March we launched our new Carbon Capital campaign with a media story that was covered by the Guardian and an online action. Carbon Capital focuses on the way the UK’s finance sector is fuelling destructive dirty energy projects and the government’s role in this. We have put together a campaign pack for groups to engage locally with the campaign.

Finally, we’re looking forward to our activist training day in Brighton on Saturday 27 April. Organised jointly with the Brighton and Hove group, it will be a great opportunity to share skills, pick up tips and get inspired for a summer of campaigning. We hope some group members will be able to make it from further afield.

Best wishes,

Sarah Reader Network team

letter from the network team

Food• Progress on MiFID remains stalled as we are still waiting for the finance ministers to agree their

position.• Nine banks have now pulled out of food speculation. Most have cited fear of reputational damage,

feeling the pressure from public campaigning on food speculation across Europe. Climate and energy justice• A third of the UK government is caught up in a web of power with the energy industry and the finance

sector.• In April Julio Gomez, a representative of the local community around the Cerrejón coal mine in

Colombia will visit the UK for the AGM of mining company Anglo American, one of the owners of the mine.

news bites

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Action checklist

GroupsFood

Take step three of the Bankers Anonymous programme: write to your local papers about food speculation. There is a template press release on the Bankers Anonymous website www.bankersanonymous.org.uk

Hold a Bankers Anonymous stall or action in your local area.

Climate

Get clued up on the new climate and energy justice campaign with our booklet: Carbon Capital.

Send a letter to Vince Cable asking banks to come clean about the project they’re investing in.

Write to your local paper about the web of power between the UK government, energy companies and banks.

At your next meetingPlan a Bankers Anonymous action or stall.

Start thinking about a Carbon Capital stunt.

Discuss the new campaign options and feedback by 5 May.

ActivistsGet clued up on the new climate and energy justice campaign, read our booklet: Carbon Capital (available on WDM’s website).

inserts

• Climate and the city booklet *If printed on time - will be posted separately if not. • Food revolution poster• New campaign scoping papers (groups only)• Leave a gift in your will leaflet new climate and energy justice campaign materials (groups only)

• Web of Power media briefing• Local group campaign pack guide• Dirty projects background• ‘Make bankers come clean’ action Q&A• Letter to Vince Cable• Vince cable petition• Template press release

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Campaign update: Climate and energy justice

TAkE ACTionlaunch Carbon Capital in your local areaWe’ve devised a creative pack you can use for a stall or stunt to engage people with the campaign and hopefully get local media coverage about it.

The idea is to set up a ‘Carbon Cocktail’ bar that will also double as a creative stall. This can be set up outside one of the main high street banks that are responsible for bankrolling climate change. The aim is to get people to start a conversation about the campaign in your community, and also to get people to sign our ‘make the banks come clean’ petition on about the ‘Mandatory Carbon Reporting’ regulation, along with a letter to Vince Cable (see below).

We have included a stunt pack for groups that have ordered it with this Think Global. If you would like to order a pack, please email Sam on sam.lund-harket@wdm.org.uk

In April staff from the office will be doing a version of this idea outside Black Rock, an investment management company that is one of the main financers of the Cerrejón coal mine, the biggest mine in Latin America. We will make a video of this which we will share with groups – it would be great if you could circulate this on social media.

Make banks come clean As a first step in our campaign, we are demanding that banks, pension funds and other financiers be forced to come clean about the damage to our climate that is being caused by the projects that they fund.

Carbon Capital campaign launchedIn early March, we launched our new Carbon Capital campaign with a media story that was covered by the Guardian, and an online action. Carbon Capital focuses on the way the UK’s finance sector is fuelling destructive dirty energy projects that are devastating people’s lives around the world. We exposed how a third of the UK government is caught up in a web of power with the energy industry and the finance sector, demonstrating how we’re locked into a high carbon model of energy production. We’ve included our media briefing with this Think Global.

We published an infographic online that illustrates this nexus of power, which as been viewed by over 100,000 people. This makes it the most popular thing WDM has posted on Facebook. You can find the infographic on our website www.wdm.org.uk/carbon-capital

For groups, we have included a number of materials in this Think Global to give you a background to the campaign:

• Web of Power media briefing • Local group campaign pack guide• Carbon Capital booklet: This is a background

to how the UK finance sector is bankrolling climate change. It is intended for group members and other activists. *The booklet is currently being printed as Think Global is produced. If it isn’t ready on time it will be posted to groups as soon as possible.

• A Q&A on our ‘make bankers come clean’ action on mandatory carbon reporting.

If you want any more copies of any of these, please email Sam on sam.lund-harket@wdm.org.uk

• A third of the UK government is caught up in a web of power with the energy industry and the finance sector, demonstrating how we’re locked into a high carbon model of energy production.

• We have launched our new climate and energy justice campaign: Carbon Capital, which exposes this web of power.

• Take Action: Write to Vince Cable to demand that banks are made to come clean about the climate destruction they’re bankrolling. You can take action online at www.wdm.org.uk/carbon-capital

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New regulation coming into force later this year will mean the UK’s biggest businesses will have to report on their carbon emissions. But the financial sector has been let off the hook from disclosing the climate impacts of their investments. Banks like Barclays, RBS and HSBC will now have to disclose the emissions from lighting their office but will get away with disclosing nothing of the billions they plough into destructive oil and coal initiatives. TAkE ACTion: We’ve enclosed a template letter to Vince Cable, who as the secretary of state for business, innovation and skills is responsible for this regulation. Please get as many members of your group to sign a copy and send this to Vince Cable.

Visit from Colombian activist WDM hosted a visit from Colombian activist Tatiana who has been campaigning against Cerrejón, one of the world’s largest coal mines that has poisoned water, devastated the lives of people in the area and displaced indigenous communities from their homes. The project produces coal for the US and Europe, meaning it does nothing to increase energy access for local people.

AGM demonstrationIn April Julio Gomez, a representative of the local community around the Cerrejón mine will visit the UK for the AGM of mining company Anglo American, one of the owners of the Cerrejón mine. WDM is working with other UK groups to organise an event called ‘Stories of Resistance’ where activists from across the global south who are resisting destructive energy projects will talk about their struggles. The event will be chaired by John Vidal from the Guardian and will include a range of short films of resistance to dirty energy projects. We will also be organising a demonstration outside Anglo America’s AGM. It would be great if you could join us!

Tricky questionsWe’re compiling a ‘tricky questions’ document on the Carbon Capital campaign which will be included in the next Think Global. Please let us

know your questions by emailing Sam at sam.lund-harket@wdm.org.uk

Carbon Capital video conferenceWe are planning to trial holding a skype video call about the new campaign on Wednesday 24 April at 6.30pm. WDM groups and activists are invited to join a call with a member of the climate team, (Kirsty, Alex or Sam) to find out the latest about the climate campaign and to raise any questions.

If you want to participate, please email Sam for details. For people who don’t have skype, you can also join this on the phone. We are also preparing a talk on the new campaign so we can come and do talks with groups in the coming months.

Dates for your diary Monday 15 April, 6pm: Stories of Resistance, Amnesty International UK Human Rights Action Centre auditorium, 17 - 25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA.

Thursday 19 April, 1pm: demonstration outside Anglo American AGM at The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG.

Wednesday 24 April, 6.30pm: Conference call with a member of the climate campaign team.

WDM campaigner Dan Iles pours ‘oil’ into a champagne glass fiilled with coal at a ‘Carbon Bubbles’ stall in the City of London.

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letter to the editor of your local newspaper (available in the groups area on the WDM website). If your letter gets printed, please let us know!

banks pull out of food speculationThe number of banks across Europe who have been pulling out of food speculation now totals nine. Most cited the fear of reputational damage, feeling the pressure from public campaigning on food speculation across Europe.

Last year, four German banks (Commerzbank, LLB Invest, Deka, Landesbank), an Austrian bank (Volkesbanken) and Scandanvian Nordea bank all announced they were withdrawing or suspending involvement in food speculation. This was followed by Barclays’ announcing their withdrawing from speculative funds and two large French banks also withdrawing from agricultural funds in February of this year: BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole.

German bank Deutsche Bank – one of the leading global players – announced it would not introduce new food speculation products last year but recently made a u-turn when they claimed that they found no connection between speculation and food price movements and would continue speculating on food. Last month, Foodwatch, one of our campaigning allies in Germany, exposed how Deutsche Bank’s own research papers acknowledged that excessive speculation can contribute to food price movements.

The case of Deutsche Bank shows the importance of winning regulation ensuring that banks can’t renege on voluntary commitments once the media attention shifts elsewhere. Regulation will also mean that all banks and financial players in

Update on MiFiDProgress on MiFID (the legislation we hope will contain provision to curb food speculation) remains stalled as we are still waiting for the finance ministers to agree their position. No date has been set yet but it is likely to take place between May to July.

Once the finance ministers have agreed their position, they will enter negotiations (called ‘trialogues’) with the European commission and European parliament. The trialogue stage will take a few months and the three institutions will need to come to an agreement over a compromise text which will then be taken back to a plenary vote in the European parliament, probably around the end of 2013.

We’ll keep you updated with any developments in Europe.

bankers AnonymousStunts and stallsThank you to all groups who have organised or are in the process of organising a Bankers Anonymous stunt or stall. Do get in touch with Dan at dan.iles@wdm.org.uk and let us know how it went. You can also get in touch with Dan if you need a stunt pack with the materials to hold a stunt or stall on the Bankers Anonymous theme.

onlinePlease help spread the word about the Bankers Anonymous website: www.wdm.org.uk/bankersanonymous So far we have launched three steps. The most recent step involves writing to local newspapers to get letters published. Last month we provided a template

Campaign update: Food

• MiFID continues to remain stalled with no date set for the finance ministers meeting to agree their position.

• Please let us know how your Bankers Anonymous stunts and stalls go or if you want a stunt pack or more materials.

• A number of banks have withdrawn from food speculation but regulation remains even more important and necessary.

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Europe will be prevented from driving up food prices and not just relying on one bank at a time to change its behaviour.

Food revolution posterCorporate Watch has produced a new poster on food systems, ‘Food Revolution’. The poster describes the various problems with our existing global food systems, such as corporate control and food speculation, and outlines the socially just and ecologically sustainable alternatives, such as food sovereignty.

We have included a copy of the poster with this mailing. You can order more copies from www.corporatewatch.org

We’re now entering the final round of consultation on WDM’s next campaign! With this edition of Think Global, you’ll find the last three scoping papers for possible campaigns to begin later in 2013. These were chosen after taking into account the feedback that we received from you, from allies in the UK, Europe and the global south and from WDM staff and council.

We’ve set up another online survey, which will allow you to rank the options in your preferred order and give feedback individually on each, if

new campaign scoping process

you’d like to. You can access the survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/VT8J5XR

The deadline for feedback on these three scoping papers is 5 May.

We look forward to hearing your feedback again!

Brighton and Hove WDM hold a Bankers Anonymous action

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Events

Scottish WDM gathering in PaisleyWhen: Saturday 20 April, 12 – 4.30pm (register from 11.30am)

Where: Oakshaw Trinity Church Halls, Oakshaw Street East, Paisley PA1 2DE

A free, half day event to learn more about WDM’s campaigns, meet other WDM supporters and be part of the movement for global justice. Come along to this inspiring half day event, meet like-minded people and feel part of the global movement for social justice.

• Find out more about WDM’s new climate campaign: how banks and pensions funds are bankrolling dirty energy projects in the global south

• Learn how to campaign on global justice in your local area

• Meet WDM staff from Edinburgh and London and local group members from across Scotland

Free tea and coffee. ‘Pot luck’ lunch: please bring some food to share with others.

This is a free event but please book your place: email jane@wdmscotland.org.uk or phone 0131 243 2730.

Activist training day and skillshare When: Saturday 27 April, 11am - 5pm

WDM AGM 2013 details for groupsAny group wishing to exercise a proxy vote should contact Sarah Reader by the end of May.The deadline for submitting policy motions to the AGM is 26 April. However, to allow us time to circulate any such motions with the agenda, we would prefer to receive them by 15 April. If this is not possible, please at least let us know you intend to submit a motion by 15 April. The contact for this is James O’Nions: james.onions@wdm.org.uk

Further details about the AGM will be available at www.wdm.org.uk/agm-2013

Where: Brighton Friends’ Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AFJoin us for a crash course in campaigning with a day of workshops on what you need to be an effective activist. Sessions will include photography and video skills, street theatre, prop making, lobbying politicians, public speaking and knowing your legal rights.

Free entry but please book a place by emailing groups@wdm.org.uk

www.wdm.org.uk/pier-to-peer

not the G8 (WDM conference)When: Saturday 15 June Where: Leeds University Student Union, Lifton Place, Leeds LS2 9JZ

We have confirmed Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved as keynote speaker for this year’s conference. We will also have Cristina Asensi from Attac Spain.

More international speakers and workshops to be announced.

You can now book your free place at www.wdm.org.uk/not-the-g8

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Groups round upMembers of South lakeland WDM held a joint ‘Boycott Israeli Goods’ stall in Kendal.

Portsmouth WDM held a film screening of Growing Change for Fairtrade Fortnight which went really well. Over 30 people attended including from Fairtrade and green groups and there was a good discussion after the film.

Cambridge WDM is trying to increase its membership and sent a survey to people on their mailing list to find out their interests and engagement with WDM. You can find a link to the survey on the group’s website: groups.wdm.org.uk/cambridge

Jackie from Reading WDM did a talk on food speculation at St Barnabas College for Fairtrade Fortnight.

Edinburgh and lothians WDM held a stall with Jane from the Scotland WDM office at the Rich Man’s World event. The group also held a stall at a local farmers market.

The Watford WDM group held a talk with Jonathan Stevenson from Jubilee Debt Campaign on the campaign for a new debt jubilee.

Members of Merseyside WDM attended a screening of Growing Change organised by Liverpool Quakers and the local transition town group.

Groups

brighton and hove WDM held a great Bankers Anonymous action. Two group members gave a brilliant performance as banker and therapist which attracted a few laughs and created a good buzz. There was a write-up and photo of the stunt in the Argus, Brighton and Hove’s local newspaper. The group also joined WDM staff on a stall at ‘Veg Fest’.

Two members of Richmond and kingston WDM were interviewed on Kingston Green Radio for an hour talking about food speculation and EU food subsidies.

Shropshire WDM held a food speculation stall and collected signatures for their MP on a roulette wheel – a very creative way of getting the message across to their MP!

The leicester WDM group organised a joint event on food sovereignty with Christians Aware. Dan Iles, WDM food campaigner, gave a talk and Friends of the Earth held a stall. Over forty people attended, including a couple of people from the Nottingham WDM group.

Austerity Machine posterThe ‘Austerity Machine’ poster has been produced by the Economic Justice Project, which is supported by JDC, War on Want, WDM and others. The poster maps out the debt and austerity cycle in a colourful and engaging way.

Shropshire WDM use a roulette wheel to collect signatures for their MP on the food campaign

Edinburgh and Lothians WDM campaign at a local farmers market

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If you would like order a poster please contact Ralph at Ralph.allen@wdm.org.uk

We have up to two posters free for each group. We will be selling additional copies of the poster for £1.50 at the AGM to cover production costs.

notes and queriesFollowing a request from the horsham WDM group, we are going to trial including a ‘notes and queries’ section in Think Global. This is an opportunity for groups to write in so we can answer questions other people may have had about WDM and our campaigns. To kick things off, we have a question about Barclays food speculation announcement.

Frank from horsham WDM asks: In March Think Global we read that the Barclays Group have ceased trading soft commodities for speculative purposes. Without admitting they had listened to campaigners I am sure I am not the only one to question ‘a campaigning success’. The truth may be that other factors have led to changes of policy.

Christine haigh, food policy officer, replies: In terms of the Barclays announcement on food speculation, we recognise that Barclays’ statement about food speculation comes as part of a bigger overhaul of Barclays’ image. We recognise that there will always be a number of factors contributing to any decision or change – but WDM is the only group that has been challenging Barclays publicly about its role in food speculation, so we do think we played a part in helping this to come about.

It is very rare for targets of our campaigns to admit that they have changed their actions as a result of a campaign – but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had an impact. Whatever the reason, the announcement is likely to have contributed to less overall food speculation and make other financial players more wary about engaging in the practice – which we think is worth celebrating regardless of what role we played in causing it to come about.

You can read our public statement of the announcement on the WDM website.

If you would like to submit a question or comment to WDM staff, please send an email with the subject notes and queries to groups@wdm.org.uk

leave the gift of lasting changeBy leaving a gift in your Will you will be able to extend the support you have given WDM during your lifetime. Many of our supporters and members have already chosen to leave a gift to us in their Will. Doing so is a great way to help the next generation of activists fight poverty and injustice.

We understand that this is a personal decision however, if you would like to discuss it further please contact Kathryn by calling 020 7820 4900 or email kathryn.excell@wdm.org.uk

The Austerity Machine poster, available for groups

Partner updates

Diary dates 15 April: Stories of Resistance with Julio Gomez from Colombia. Amnesty International UK Human Rights Action Centre auditorium, 17 - 25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA 19 April: Demonstration at AGM of Anglo American, The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG 20 April: Scottish WDM gathering, Paisley. 27 April: Brighton activist training day and skillshare, Brighton. 15 June: Not the G8: a real agenda for global justice (WDM AGM and conference), Leeds.

Mlk50: 50 years since Martin luther king marched on WashingtonEffie Jordan from WDM attended the launch of MLK50 at the House of Commons. MLK50 is an initiative that has been set up by BARAC (Black Activists Rising Against Cuts). BARAC was set up in response to the cuts to, and privatisation of, our public services that has been driven by the neoliberal ideology of the Con-Dem government.

The MLK50 campaign calls for ‘Equality in our Lifetime’ and, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, celebrates and emulates Martin Luther King’s quest for equality. One of the aims of the MLK50 campaign is to increase the currently low voter participation rate among the black and ethnic minority communities in the UK so that politicians can be held accountable to, and represent, these communities on matters of national importance.

We will keep you updated on how the MLK50 project develops. Find out more: www.blackactivistsrisingagainstcuts.blogspot.co.uk

WDM and the Attac networkAttac is an international movement working towards social, environmental and democratic alternatives in the globalisation process. It is a network of groups campaigning on economic justice and finance. WDM has worked with some Attac chapters on several campaigns, including our current food speculation campaign. We are hoping to work more closely with Attac, sharing research and supporting actions and events.

Cristina Asensi from Attac Spain will be speaking at our conference ‘Not the G8: a real agenda for global justice’ on 15 June and will be introduced at the AGM.

Find out more about Attac at www.attac.org

Global day of action on military spendingIn 2010, global military spending surged to an all-time high of US $1.63 trillion. That’s around $240 each for every person on the planet. Imagine what could be achieved if $1.63 trillion was put to work to meet human and development needs rather than increase militarisation...

Take action on 15 April to challenge the government’s military spending. Find out more at www.demilitarize.org.uk