11/10/11

10:30 a.m. — Walden Bello Calls APEC ‘Useless’

A member of the Philippine House of Representatives who is known for his critical views on globalization said today that APEC is a “useless organization” that has failed to serve as a nonpartisan, multilateral organization that works on regional problems.

Walden Bello, in his keynote address at the Moana Nui conference, said that Asia-Pacific economies are caught up in a rivalry between the two dominant powers, China and the United States. 

Because of that rivalry, the rights of indigenous peoples and migrant workers are being ignored. As well, the growing problem of climate change is wreaking havoc in Asia as seen in droughts, wildfire and floods.

What to do?

“I think people should go out in the streets and protest,” Bello said. “We must make sure the world sees that this (APEC) is an irrelevant meeting from which people are marginalized.”

— Chad Blair