International socialist economic committee meets in Casablanca
Morocco-Regional, Politics, 5/5/2001

The International Socialist Organization committee on economy, social cohesion and environment started proceedings of a two day meeting in Casablanca Friday to debate issues pertaining to globalization and social justice.

In an opening address, Moroccan Premier and vice-chairman of the International Socialist, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, pointed out that the world population unequally shared the benefits of the accelerated liberalization of exchanges over the past twenty years.

This liberalization entailed a distortion, described by NGOs as "the rift of shame" of the contemporary world, Youssoufi said. "Less than 10 percent of the world population produces and consumes more than 70 percent of goods and services, while half the world population lives on less than $2 per day," he said, adding that nearly 800 million inhabitants of the globe cannot meet their food needs because of lack of resources, at a time surplus is scored in some parts of the world.

Underlining that gaps are widening despite a world economic growth of 4 percent in 2000, Youssoufi said a fairer integration of developing countries in the globalization process requires that exchanges be manned better, that developing countries products have easier access to developed countries' markets, that the debts swapping process be speeded up and that backing to macro-economic policies initiated by the countries of the south be enhanced.

Youssoufi also called for redefining the role and mission of international financial organizations which should prevent financial crises rather than resolve them, and stressed the need to privilege partnership between industrialized and developing countries.

Youssoufi further deplored the obstacles erected to hamper the implementation of the Kyoto protocol and said the reaction of the IS to the rejection by the United States of this protocol was "fair and unequivocal," calling for more efforts to materialize the goals of the protocol.

In his address before the opening session, chairman of the

IS committee on economy, social cohesion and environment, Christophe Zopel, also voiced worry over the hampering of the Kyoto protocol and called for a stronger cooperation so hat negotiations on limiting greenhouse effects be crowned with success.

Participants from Finland, France, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Palestine, Spain, Sweden, and Tunisia are debating topics related to the "economic policy and globalization and their relationship with growth and social justice," "environment and protection of the world heritage," as well as the committee's future activities.

Previous Stories:
  Youssoufi calls for Arab union   (4/28/2001)
  Morocco calls for more backing to developing countries to promote sustained development   (4/25/2001)
  King Mohammed: We need inter-Arab cooperation far from demagogy   (4/25/2001)

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