Kairos 2000 Project Barcelona , September 1998
“For the Abolition of Foreign Debt and the Payment of the Social Debt”
JUBILEE 2000 - AN OPORTUNITY FOR LIBERATION
“The Jubilee is a kairos time - God’s time in our human time- for the cancellation of debts, including the church’s debts; and it is a powerful time of conversion - individual, community, social and religious conversion- ” ( Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga ).
These words recover from the Judeo-Cristian tradition of Jubilee the deep meaning of a recognition of our own responsibilities and a need for radical changes to correct the injustice and degeneration of our social and political structures. They are a direct contradiction of the predictably banal exploitation of the end-of-century celebrations as commercialised entertainment, and also of the equally predictable reduction of Jubilee to clusters of commemorations of two thousand years of Christianity.
Many in the world feel that the 2000 landmark is a particularly good psychological moment to highlight the urgency of carrying out a profound re-evaluation of our socio-economic norms and thorough reform of our structures and values, while at the same time initing the sfforts and will-power of all those desiring and planning for change.
It is with a view to this that various individuals and organisations in Barcelona have decided to answer the call from Bishop Pedro Casaldàliga by promoting alongside many others fron every Continent, the idea of a briad movement of solidarity action towards the new millenium.
PROPOSAL FOR PROCESS - PROJECTS
We want favour a Reflection-Action Process on the ideas of liberation implicit in the deep meaning of the Jubilee.
We understand that this Process, should not to remain only, in a magnificent ideas exchange or of masterful thesis, in a gather of signatories or in some that spectacular other alternative act. It Must it be materialized in concrete Projects that may have some objectives, also very concrete, but at the same time universal. Such Projects would have two angle :
Debt Abolition. Empowerment of excluded communities (impoverished countries, unemployed, immigrants, women, youth, etc.) to define the concrete debt contracted with each of them by neo-liberal society, within the context of a global vision and coordinated mobilisations of all excluded cpmmunities at all levels .
Transformation. Empowerment of people’s assocciations and their leadership (Christian communities and movements, third and fourth world solidarity groups, feminism, pacifism, ecology, responsible consumption, fair trade, etc.) to work for a change of values and social models, to launch actions for the transformations of individual and community, society and religion, structures and institutions, again within the context of a global vision and a mobilisation coordinating all spheres and levels .
SPECIFICS
a) Broad Objetive :
“For the abolition of Foreign Debt and the payment of the Social Debt accumulated against the life and dignity of excluded people”.
The development of this objetive should involve, ir our view, the following priorities:
Total cancellation of Foreign Debt and, in particular, repayment to the African Continent of the debt contracted by the European States through their colonial and post-colonial intervention and through their support of corrupt and dictatorial governments.
Full legalisation and equality of citizenship rights for all immigrants.
Introduction of a Guaranteed Basic Income as the only instrument for just social redistribution of wealth, as long as the economic system continues to allow mechanisms which generate economic inequality and the non-valuation of women’s domestic and reproductive work.
Strict compliance by our Country with the most advanced international accords and conventions on the limitation of greenhouse gases and also with the Plan of Action on the Mediterranean.
Annulment by our State institutions of all international accords and conventions which bind us to the multilateral institutions of neo-libelism, such as the World Bank, IMF, World Trade Organisation, Multilateral Agreement on Investment, etc.
Each community or entity will decide autonomously on it Specific Project and Goals, in accordance with the above.
b) Means and Timetable :
Set up Steering Committees, Umbrella Groups or Coalitions at local, regional, state, where possible, European or World level. The communities, entities and groups who wish to join these coalitions will begin an exchange of ideas, proposals, organisational methods, en Setember 1998. Fortunately on the world level the need of coalitions is recognised. In some places they have already been put together and they are even working and communicating their proposals.
Create a study pack of materials to assist the task of awareness-raising in the public and promoting reflection within groups.
In December 1998, publication and circulation of a Call to Citizenship. This will be put together autonomously by each Steering Committee, Umbrella Groups or Coalition following as much exchange as possible with others at State level.
From now until 2001 carry out in each socio-geographical area awareness-raising, conscientisation and social mobilisation, using all the instruments produced by the creativity of those involved.
c) Phases of action for the Groups and Coalitions:
Declare 1999 a “year of reflection for liberation”, involving us as participants in a process of reflection, dialogue and proposals directed to both individual and social change on the one hand, and achievement of the general and specific aims on the other.
Declare 2000 a “year of action for liberation”, during which we the participants, using the means at our disposal, develop the right king of actions and mobilisations to persuade the public and private authorities to repay the social and economic debt contracted with the excluded and oppressed communities in our country and worldwide, while also completely eliminating acts of aggression towards the ecosystem.
Declare the early months of 20001 a “time of liberation”, using street protests which we believe should be done by a large number of small widely dispersed groups ( ? in camps) scattered over each urban area in many cities, in many countries and in all the continents.
This street protest will begin simultaneously on the same day worldwide and the same (mean)
time. Afterwards...
CLOSING CONSIDERATIONS
Our activity should extend to all spheres of life, individual and social. In particular we believe that a socially just alternative which is economically viable and ecologically sustainable is impossible without a substantial change ir our patterns of consumption, production and investment.
Across our political and territorial landscape we see the necessity to formulate proposals and achieve specific and verificable goals for the year 2000 in each and every jurisdiction ( local, regional, state and supra-governmental) by devising solid programmes and making the necessary alliances.
For further details, please contact us at
KAIROS EUROPA
Mare de Déu del Pilar, 15, pral.
E - 08003 Barcelona e-mail kairos@ctv.es