Parallel zum Weltsozialforum in Tunis tagte das Weltparlamentarierforum. Helmut Scholz nahm an den Beratungen teil. Wir dokumentieren die Entschließung des Forums.
WORLD PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
The World Parliamentary Forum was held in Tunis on 26 March 2015 as part of the World Social Forum. Parliamentarians from various countries and political orientations that share the Charter of Porto Alegre, representatives of social movements, and citizens engaged for alternatives to neoliberal policies, adopted the following 5 motions:
Motion on Debt
The World Parliamentary Forum declares that debt is used as a tool of domination over peoples by forces of capital. The current problems faced by the democratic transition in Greece is a concrete example of this.
The WPF supports the establishment of debt audit committees in all countries, in the same vein as the process launched by the Greek Parliament. Citizens should be able to take part in these committees and women should be fairly represented. The WPF calls for an evaluation of colonial debt, and a rapid return of assets from banks in northern countries.
The WPF supports the United Nations' call for debt cancellation in countries devastated by the Ebola disease.
The World Parliamentary Forum condemns the application of austerity policies that are strangling peoples, damaging employment prospects for young people, and making women even more vulnerable.
---------------
Motion on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights violations
The World Parliamentary Forum condemns the abusive power of Transnational Corporations, which has intensified as a result of Free Trade Agreements such as the EPAs, DCFTAs, TISA, TTIP and TPP, and expresses indignation at the impunity they enjoy while violating human rights, destroying the environment or evading tax payments.
The World Parliamentary Forum:
- welcomes the Resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in establishing an Inter-Governmental Working Group (IGWG) on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights, adopted despite the opposition of the UE, the USA, and some other countries;
- calls on national and regional Parliaments to carry resolutions supporting this Working Group that will hold its first working session in July 2015 with the aim of developing a new binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights;
- calls on national and regional Parliaments to reject both the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that benefit Corporations and major international investors, as well as the abusive Bi-lateral Investment Treaties (BITs), that some governments have already cancelled;
- calls on governments to reject Investment to State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms which allow TNCs to both escape public justice by using special arbitrary bodies to sue governments for enormous amounts of money and dissuade governments from adopting regulations that protect citizens' wellbeing, preserve public goods, and protect the environment.
- encourages national and regional Parliaments to oblige corporations, by binding norms, to assume in their country of origin, the responsibility for their actions abroad, and those of their subsidiaries ;
- calls on national and regional Parliaments to establish a permanent inter-parliamentarian committee to support the work of movements that fight for peoples' sovereignty and to dismantle corporate power.
---------
Motion for Peace
The World Parliamentary Forum condemns the increasing levels of terrorism and expresses its solidarity with all of its victims, in particular those of the last attacks in Tunis. It underlines that this reinforcement of terrorism is linked to the support that imperialism has provided to fundamentalist organisations such as IS or Al Qaeda and to the policies of aggression and western interference against Middle East, Maghreb and Mashrek countries.
- The WPF reiterates its support to the struggles of liberation all over the world. It reaffirms the right of peoples to self-determination and rejects all form of occupation and colonialism.
- The WPF rejects any measure aiming to reinforce military capacities and repressive policies of authoritarian regimes to be implemented with the pretext of the fight against terrorism.
- The WPF condemns the rearmament and the destabilisation actions by NATO and its member states. It calls for the dismantlement of NATO.
- The World Parliamentary Forum recalls that security policies should not undermine citizens’ democratic rights and freedoms. It supports the political resolution of conflicts in full respect of International Law and the UN Charter.
----------------
Motion on migration
- The World Parliamentary Forum denounces the increasing restrictions being put on freedom of movement of people across the world.
- The World Parliamentary Forum calls on States to meet their responsibilities to grant international protection to men, women and children in fear of persecution, including through a strong commitment to resettlement. It calls on States to respect the international principle of non-refoulement.
- The World Parliamentary Forum denounces walls being built across the world to keep migrants and asylum seekers out as well as the externalisation of borders to third countries. The World Parliamentary Forum calls for an end to criminalisation and detention of undocumented migrants and refugees. The World Parliamentary Forum calls for investigations into violations of the fundamental rights of migrants in all countries.
- The World Parliamentary Forum condemns specifically Fortress Europe and its increasing closure of borders that turn the Mediterranean into a graveyard and calls for the end of the Dublin regulation.
----------------
Motion on Citizens Basic Income
- In order to attain the objectives of justice, real freedom and dignity for all, eradication of absolute poverty and peace, the World Parliamentary Forum encourages all nations to implement a Citizens' Basic Income. This should be unconditional, and the right of every person, regardless of origin, race, age, sex, or social-economic background. It should be sufficient to meet the basic needs of each person, taking into account the cost of living in each country.
Helmut Scholz ist seit 2009 Mitglied des Europaparlaments.
Er ist Mitglied im Ausschuss für Internationalen Handel und stellvertretendes Mitglied im Ausschuss für Konstitutionelle Fragen. Er ist zudem Mitglied bzw. Stellvertreter unter anderm in den Delegationen für die Beziehungen zu den USA und zur Volksrepublik China.
