<nettime> Invitation Press Conference 28.1.00

[Jolanda Piniel <davos@evb.ch>]

     [orig not to nettime]

Invitation: Media Conference "The Public Eye on Davos"

Zurich, January 2000

Dear Sir/Madam:

The 30th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will take place in
Davos on 27 January - 1 February 2000. For the first time, an independent
NGO coalition will monitor the World Economic Forum and advocate NGO
concerns in Davos. Under the motto of "The Public Eye on Davos", this new
effort is being organized by the Berne Declaration, Friends of the
Earth/US, and the Globalization Challenge Initiative.

Please find below some information on the planned NGO activities in Davos,
including an invitation to a media conference and a panel debate with
prominent NGO and WEF representatives on 28 January.

We invite you to attend these events. We would also be happy to answer any
questions which you might have.

Our contact details are: "The Public Eye on Davos", c/o Berne Declaration,
Ph +41 1 277 70 06, F +41 1 277 70 01, e-mail davos@evb.ch, www.evb.ch

Contact details during the WEF in Davos: "The Public Eye on Davos",
Ph +41 79 478 91 94, F +41 81 417 81 99, e-mail webmail@evb.ch, www.evb.ch

Thank you for your interest.

	Sincerely yours,


Peter Bosshard							Jolanda Piniel
Berne Declaration 
	Berne Declaration


Invitation to an NGO Media Conference

The Public Eye On Davos
A new NGO project monitoring the World Economic Forum

Friday, 28 January, 2 p.m., Dutch Asthma Clinic, Scalettastrasse 19, Davos
(next to the Congress Centre)

Davos has become one of the capitals of globalization. Formal and informal
gatherings provide opportunities to shape opinions and prepare decisions on
important issues such as international trade, financial relations, and the
environment. The failure of the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI)
and the WTO Millenium Round demonstrates that in today's world, the public
interest cannot be negotiated behind closed doors any longer.

Now, a new NGO project is being launched to challenge the fundamental
premises of the World Economic Forum: "The Public Eye on Davos", a joint
project of the Berne Declaration, Friends of the Earth/US and the
Globalization Challenge Initiative. At the media conference, the goals of
"The Public Eye on Davos" and the planned NGO activities, and a broad-based
NGO statement which summarizes the critique and recommendations of the NGO
communitiy toward the World Economic Forum in Davos will be published.

The following speakers will make presentations:

Peter Bosshard (Berne Declaration)
Andrea Durbin (Friends of the Earth/US)
Nancy Alexander (Globalization Challenge Initiative)
Manuel Chiriboga (Asociación Lationamericana de Organizaciones de
Promoción, ALOP)

After the media conference, prominent speakers will discuss the NGO
concerns regarding the WEF in a panel debate. This debate will take place
at 3 p.m. at the same venue and will feature Vandana Shiva (Third World
Network), Manuel Chriboga (ALOP), Klaus Schwab (WEF), Göran Lindahl (ABB,
invited).

We would be happy to welcome you to this media conference. A media package
will be available on site, or will be sent to you upon request. We are
happy to answer any question you might have:
Tel. +41 1 277 70 06; Fax +41 1 277 70 01; e-mail: davos@evb.ch
During the Annual Meeting of the WEF:
Tel. +41 79 478 91 94; Fax: +41 81 417 81 99; e-mail: webmail@evb.ch


The Public Eye on Davos

A new NGO project monitoring the World Economic Forum

Davos has become one of the capitals of globalization. About 2000 leading
business people, politicians, academics and editors convene there every
January for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Formal
and informal gatherings provide opportunities to shape opinions and prepare
decisions on important issues such as international trade, financial
relations, and the environment. The upcoming 2000 meeting will discuss
topics such as "Building the new financial architecture", "Tackling the
challenges of the Millenium Round", "How many people can the earth
sustain", "What is left to privatize", and "The fate of the universe".

So far, the World Economic Forum has been a closed event and has lacked any
kind of accountability to the public at large. Non-governmental
organizations and social movements have so far hardly been present in
Davos. A new NGO project is now being launched to challenge the fundamental
premises of the World Economic Forum: "The Public Eye on Davos".

"The Public Eye on Davos" is a joint project of the Berne Declaration
(coordination), Friends of the Earth/US and the Globalization Challenge
Initiative. It plans to carry out various activities in Davos during the
WEF 2000 (see below). And it will disseminate information about the WEF to
interested NGOs, social movements, and individuals around the world.

The failure of the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) and the WTO
Millenium Round demonstrates that in today's world, the public interest
cannot be negotiated behind closed doors any longer. NGOs believe that the
World Economic Forum has two choices: If the WEF intends to remain a Forum
where important public concerns are discussed, it must radically change ist
perspectives, rules, and proceedings. Its agenda must include topics such
as debt cancellation, fair trade, democratic control of international
institutions, and changing unsustainable consumption patterns. WEF
participation must be expanded to include a fair balance of all social
sectors, particularly the groups who have so far been marginalized by the
globalization process. If on the other hand the WEF intends to remain an
exclusive club of the world's elites, it should restrict its agenda to
management issues, and should not aim to deal with global public concerns.


"The Public Eye on Davos" - Program of Activities

Panel debate in Zurich: "Who Governs the World?"

Date and venue: 27 January 2000, 8 p.m.; Volkshaus, Stauffacherstrasse 60,
Zurich. Featuring Elmar Altvater (Free University Berlin), Peter Bosshard
(Berne Declaration), Nicola Bullard (Focus on the Global South).


Media conference in Davos: "The Public Eye on Davos"

Date and venue: 28 January 2000, 2 p.m.; Dutch Asthma Clinic,
Scalettastrasse 19, Davos (next to the Congress Centre). Featuring Peter
Bosshard (Berne Declaration), Andrea Durbin (Friends of the Earth/US),
Nancy Alexander (Globalization Challenge Initiative), Manuel Chiriboga
(Asociación Lationamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción, ALOP).


Panel debate in Davos: "The Public Eye on Davos"

Date and venue: 28 January 2000, 3 p.m.; Dutch Asthma Clinic,
Scalettastrasse 19, Davos (next to the Congress Centre). Featuring Manuel
Chiriboga (ALOP), Göran Lindahl (ABB, invited), Klaus Schwab (WEF), Vandana
Shiva (Third World Network).


Comments from the NGO community on the WEF proceedings

Representatives of the following NGOs will be present throughout the WEF in
order to comment speeches and announcements of the official Forum, and to
bring in NGO perspectives on the topics covered in Davos: Asociación
Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción, Berne Declaration, Focus on
the Global South, Friends of the Earth/US, Globalization Challenge
Initiative, Third World Network.


Get in touch!

"The Public Eye on Davos" c/o Berne Declaration
  P.O. Box 1327 8031 Zurich, Switzerland
Ph +41 1 277 70 06
F  +41 1 277 70 01
e-mail: davos@evb.ch www.evb.ch

Contact details during the WEF in Davos:
"The Public Eye on Davos"
Ph +41 79 478 91 94
F  +41 81 417 81 99
e-mail: webmail@evb.ch www.evb.ch


Jolanda Piniel, Berne Declaration, January 2000


********************************************
Erklärung von Bern - Berne Declaration
Jolanda Piniel, davos@evb.ch
Tel. ++41 1 277'70'06; ++41 1 277'70'00
Fax. ++ 41 1 277'70'01
www.evb.ch

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