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World Social Forum 2024 Kathmandu

The 16th edition of the World Social Forum (WSF), under the theme “Another World is Possible,” concluded in Kathmandu last week. The WSF served as a platform to vocalize opposition and confront the longstanding issues of neoliberalism and hegemonic globalization, which have historically perpetuated poverty, inequality, and injustice. The forum provided a vital space for the exchange of ideas, sharing experiences, and discussing alternative practices that stand in contrast to hegemonic globalization, neoliberal capitalism, corporatization, market fundamentalism, and political authoritarianism. 

The event opened with a solidarity march where thousands of people from 98 countries came and joined together, carrying banners and placards with slogans stating to seek justice, peace, equality, and an urge to end any form of discrimination. Throughout the forum, participants engaged in meaningful discourse and collaborative efforts.

Climate crisis is political

Climate change is an urgent global challenge and took center stage at the World Social Forum. Hundreds of movement leaders, civil society organizations, activists, people living in poverty and marginalization across the globe came together to demand climate justice. Climate crisis is political; the greed of being wealthy, particularly by the global north has disproportionately affected the global south in more than one way. Every year climate induced disasters hit the poor, vulnerable, and underprivileged communities. Recently global leaders met at COP28 and agreed on transitioning away from fossil fuels, but there is no fair share of finance. As The ongoing discourse centers on the possibility of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, Global discourse on ‘Navigating the Path to Climate Justice’ highlighted the major three issues: climate justice, climate finance, and impacts of climate change in mountains and islands. Climate justice cannot be served to the poor, vulnerable, and underprivileged communities, and countries, especially in the global south, until and unless today’s extractive economic model is transformed into a regenerative one. In the WSF, a session shed light on these disparities, where the speakers and participants highlighted the urgent need for concrete climate actions. Countries in the global south cannot bear the disproportionate impacts of climate change while the global north continues to profit.

Global South demanding climate justice

At the WSF, climate activists from different parts of the world such as Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Denmark, Jordan, Kenya, India, Italy, Nepal, Uganda, and Vanuatu came together to deliberate on various climate justice issues. The activists representing diverse movements from island nations to mountain regions, underscored a crucial message: the climate crisis is inherently gender-biased, disproportionately affecting women compared to men. Emphasizing the need for a gender-sensitive approach, they stressed that women bear unique and heightened burdens in the face of climate change. Their united call at the WSF sought to elevate awareness and foster collaborative efforts to address the gender-specific impacts of the climate crisis, promoting a more inclusive and equitable response to global environmental challenges.

The impact of climate change in mountain areas is a sad reality. The hydrological cycle is changing, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, and extreme events have become more frequent and severe, causing the mountain’s population to shrink. Similarly, mountains that provide freshwater to the land are slowly turning into barren rocks. Those communities in mountain regions face an uncertain future. Climate change affects multiple dimensions of well-being. Temperature rise, sea level rise, shifts in precipitation patterns, ocean acidification, and an increasing number of extreme weather events have an impact on how and where we produce our food. Our food system is broken, and vulnerable people are losing their faith and trust in it. And the discussion highlighted the interconnectedness between mountain regions and islands like Vanuatu. Glacial and snow melting have a linkage with sea level rise. No parts of the world remain untouched by the impacts of climate change, while the impacts and scale may vary. Undoubtedly climate change is the root cause but what’s exacerbating the crisis? It’s ‘flows of finance in the wrong direction’. A solution can indeed be found through the divestment of investment. 

Exposing private sector investments’ role in climate change

Fossil fuels and industrial agriculture are the two major sectors contributing to climate change.  A recent study report by ActionAid shows that the global private sector, especially banks, is investing in fossil fuels and industrial agriculture which the report claims is flowing in the wrong direction. Banks have provided an annual average of 20 times more financing to fossil fuels and industrial agriculture in the Global South than Global North governments have provided as climate finance to countries on the front lines of the climate crisis. The combined average annual bank financing for fossil fuels and industrial agriculture in the Global South between 2016 and 2022 was $513bn, while only $22.25bn was received as financial support for climate action in the Global South in 2020. Despite banks’ pledges to address climate change, the banks have financed $3.2trn for fossil fuels and $370bn for industrial agriculture in the Global South over the past seven years since the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Global climate financial infrastructure 

The global financial infrastructure under UNFCCC, mandates developed countries to provide $100bn of climate finance annually for climate action to developing countries by 2020.  However, reaching the pledged amount has proven challenging. During the discussion on climate finance in WSF, the speakers highlighted how the richest five billionaires have doubled their fortune since 2020, after Covid-19, whereas five billion people across the world have been poorer. Climate change escalates the economic gap between these two classes in the community. Countries in the global south are dealing with debt crises and employing widespread austerity measures worsen the challenge of addressing climate change.

Public financing has the potential to significantly contribute to climate change solutions. However, it remains a part of the problem when financial sectors fail to consider climate in their investment decisions. $400m a year, which developed countries should be delivering at times, but $10.5bn is going directly to fossil fuel subsidies. This shows how unjust and hoodwinked the global north has been to the global south. Money is there, but it is flowing in the wrong direction. Banks and private sectors are fueling the climate crisis in the global south, and the funding is directed more towards climate-harming businesses and industries.

Climate finance is channeled from developed to developing countries. But looking at the trend of today’s world’s economy, even the developing countries are economically stable. Maybe it’s time to look deeply into the issue and restructure financial flows not only from developed countries to developing countries but also from developing countries to developing countries. The roles of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, like China and India, need to be recognized. And how they can contribute to the solution depending on their capacity to address the issue. However, it remains crucial to stick with the polluters’ pay principle, looking at their historical responsibility of reparation.

Way forward 

Finally, the WSF came up with the statement that to facilitate the process to transform towards the real solutions. Governments, especially from the global north, must effectively regulate the banking and financial sectors, to stop fossil fuels and industrial agriculture expansion. The statement highlighted an urgent need to scale up support and planning for just transitions to real solutions such as renewable energy and agroecology. Furthermore, redirecting harmful fossil fuel and industrial agricultural subsidies and finance is emphasized. There is an urgent need for transitions through scaled up climate finance, tax justice and debt relief.  Banks and private sectors need to work to bring emissions down to real zero and must stop financing fossil fuel, deforestation, and other harmful industrial agriculture activities, to protect the rights of communities.

Badal is Livelihood and Natural Resources Specialist and Poudel is Trainee (Climate Justice Campaign) at ActionAid International Nepal

The current coalition between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center) has collapsed.

With the collapse of the coalition, it is almost certain that a new equation will be formed between the CPN-UML and the Maoist Center.

CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali said that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will reshuffle the Cabinet and form a new one today itself.

“The Prime Minister will reshuffle the Cabinet and form a new one today itself if he wants,” Gyawali said.

The 13th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference (MC13) has concluded, issuing the Abu Dhabi declaration, which sets out a forward-looking reform agenda for the organization. The conference also took a number of decisions, including renewing the commitment to have a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system by 2024.

The ministerial meeting decided to improve the use of the special and differential treatment provisions for developing and least developed countries (LDCs). As scores of LDCs are graduating, they are demanding a smooth and sustainable transition. 

“Recalling that, at our 12th session, we recognized the role that certain measures in the WTO can play to facilitate smooth and sustainable transition for members after their graduation from the LDC category, we welcome the decision adopted by the General Council in 2023,” the declaration states.

The general council decided to encourage those members that graduate or remove countries from unilateral tariff or duty-free and quote-free preferences programs reserved for LDCs based on their being graduated from the UN list of LDCS. It also decided to provide a smooth and sustainable transition period for withdrawal of such preferences after the entry into force of a decision of the UN to graduate a country from the LDC category.

The member-states adopted the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration, where they expressed commitment to preserving and strengthening the ability of the multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core, to respond to current trade challenges. The  declaration underlines the centrality of the development dimension in the work of the WTO, recognizing the role that the multilateral trading system can play in contributing toward the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. It also recognized the contribution of women’s economic empowerment and women’s participation in trade to economic growth and sustainable development.

The member-states recognized the role and importance of services to the global economy, as it generates more than two-thirds of global economic output and accounts for over half of all jobs. They encouraged the relevant WTO bodies to continue their work to review and build on all the lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic and to build effective solutions in case of future pandemics in an expeditious manner. 

Nepal is graduating from LDC in 2026. But there are fears that the country’s economy will suffer if it loses the preferential treatment from the international community post-graduation. While major countries have pledged to support the countries who face graduation problems, Nepal still needs to come up with a strategic roadmap. 

Speaking with ApEx, Li Chenggang, permanent representative to WTO, said: “With an increasing number of LDCs’ meeting the criteria of graduation and 19 out of 35 WTO LDC member of on their path toward graduation, it is imperative than ever to explore pathways as the WTO to facilitate the smooth transition.”

He further said China supports the smooth transition of graduated LDCs supporting measures such as extending preferential trade arrangements for market access. “This means, after LDCs graduation, China still provides zero tariff treatment for 98 percent tariff lines of products originating from LDCs for another three years,” he added.

I read ‘The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic’ by Sophie Kinsella during high school. It’s the first book in the Shopaholic series. I still have a copy of the book, and it’s the one I read back in school. The pages are a little yellowed and the smell is heavenly. I read it again recently when I was bored and, 20 years later, the book holds the same appeal. I couldn’t stop reading it. Becky is such a frivolous but endearing character. I now want to rewatch its movie adaptation, starring Isla Fisher as Rebecca Bloomwood, that came out nine years after the book’s release. It’s every bit as hilarious as the novel. 

Alternatively titled ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ the story follows Rebecca (Becky) who loves to shop. Whether she can afford it is another matter altogether. Becky is a financial journalist. She tells other people how to manage their money. In reality, she doesn’t have a grip on her finances. The answer to all her problems is retail therapy. She knows it’s not a good habit but she can’t stop. This gets her in messy situations which get even messier when she tries to find a way out of them. As her unpaid overdrafts become unmanageable, will Becky be able to find a solution? And what about her desire to find true love? 

In addition to her shopping addiction, Becky’s tendency to spew out absurd lies without thinking to explain her silly purchases lands her in difficult situations. In funny moments, she manages to position herself in embarrassing ways. She comes across as rather dramatic. It endears her to the reader. You know she’s not bad at heart but perhaps just down on her luck. You can also see that she’s not losing hope, that she’s trying to pull herself together. You realize there’s a Becky in all of us and that relatability, I believe, is what makes the book series work. 

The other books in the series are as funny. Reading them in order helps you keep track of what’s happening in Becky’s life but you can pick up a book at random and it will still make sense. I loaned ‘Shopaholic and Sister’ to a friend who had never read the series before and she loved it. Now, she has borrowed a couple of more books in the series. Read the book (and the rest of the series) if you want a lighthearted read that doesn’t require you to exercise your brain muscles.

Fiction

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic

Sophie Kinsella

Published: 2000

Publisher: Black Swan

Pages: 317, Paperback