Global Justice Merseyside

We believe a fairer world is possible

Expose the Gates Foundation

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Bill GatesGlobal Justice Now has uncovered evidence to show that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s activities are directly benefitting big business.
With assets of $43.5 billion the foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the world. It is arguably the most influential player on issues of global health and agriculture, and distributes more aid for global health than any government.

The trend to involve business in addressing the world’s problems is increasingly part of international development aid. The UK government is a keen advocate and has been strongly criticised by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact for pursuing this model without ensuring that partnerships with business actually make a difference to poverty and inequality.

Take Action.
Follow the link: http://action.globaljustice.org.uk/ea-action/

or you could adapt this letter and post Shephen Twigg MP at the House of Commons: Dear Rt Hon Stephen Twigg MP

With assets of $43.5 billion, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the world. It is arguably the most influential actor on issues of global health and agriculture, and distributes more aid for global health than any government.

This influence has earned the foundation a place in the regular reporting of aid to the global south, as compiled by the OECD. But this has not been matched with the corresponding accountability and scrutiny to the public that we have in aid programmes run by governments. At present, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is obliged to only report its high level financial figures to the US government and its programmes are not subject to independent or public evaluation.

Global Justice Now’s recent report Gated Development highlights serious concerns about the foundation’s close relationship with corporations and its promotion of private sector solutions to poverty and inequality, despite evidence to suggest these are not effective.
Although business is playing an ever greater role in international development, in a recent review of the relationship between business and the UK’s Department for International Development, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact is highly critical of how this is failing to benefit people living in poverty.

I ask that the UK’s International Development Select Committee conducts an inquiry into the Department for International Development’s relationship with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to assess the impact and effectiveness of any joint activity in addressing poverty and inequality.

Yours sincerely,

Email the chair of the International Development Select Committee, Stephen Twigg MP, asking the committee to investigate the relationship between DfID and the Gates Foundation.

Ban Monsanto’s toxic chemical weed killer known as Roundup

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Please tell Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Liz Truss to listen to people, not big business, and vote against the relicensing of glyphosate.

Follow this link:
http://action.globaljustice.org.uk/ea-action

and tell Liz Truss that we want to ban this relicensing of this toxic substance from Monsanto called Roundup at the earliest possible date.

The EU is soon to renew the license for glyphosate, a chemical weed killer – best known as Monsanto’s Roundup – that the World Health Organisation has found to probably cause cancer. Yet the chemical is now so widespread that traces are found in one out of every three loaves of bread consumed in the UK.

Relicensing a product that puts our health at risk, but makes millions in profits for Monsanto, is another example of the corporate control of our food system which many of us are resisting across the world.

Food campaign

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Join us in fighting for justice for the poor by ensuring big agribusiness corporations do not grab their land and seeds and make them their own through greed and by their international trade deals.

http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/campaigns/food

The above link is where you will get all the information you need to support our campaign to stop Big Business and the New Alliance for Food and Nutrition grabbing both land and seeds from African farmers

The Development Committee in the European parliament is reviewing the New Alliance through an ‘own-initiative report’ process. The final report with its recommendations will be sent to the European Commission and the Commission will have to formally respond.

In March 2016 there will be a vote on the contents of the report and crucially we want to ensure that the report recommends that the EU withdraw its support from the New Alliance.

Email your Euro MP to call for the EU to withdraw its support from the New Alliance.

Corporations V Farmers. The battle for food sovereignty in Tanzania

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Dan Illes with a group to Tanzanian farmers on his recent Fact Finding visit to Tanzania
Dan will speak at our event on 27th April in Liverpool

dan Illes Tanzania talk

On 27th April we have a great opportunity to hear Dan Illes on  how the farmers in Tanzania are fighting  back against the new agribusiness corporations  stitchup and land grab of their assets and live hoods.

The central venue for this important meeting is yet to be decided.

Here’s what Dan will be talking about on the evening:

Tanzania is a country at forefront of the global battle for control over our food. On one side corporations are lining up to seize control over the country’s land, seeds and soil. On the other side passionate small-scale farmers are strengthening their networks and deepening pre-existing knowledge in an attempt to keep control of their resources.

For this reason, Dan Illes from  Global Justice Now spent 10 days traveling around the country with the job of collecting stories and finding out how we can offer our solidarity to the growing food sovereignty movement. In this talk Dan will guide you through the main players in struggle over Tanzania’s food system and discuss the wider context in Africa and around the world