about the bankers intent through the consciousness of Mr. Bello--he was so far ahead of it all back then. And too, I was helping to build a double haul wa'a to heal from the protest wounds. But, of course that never happened because two weeks before Sept 11, 2001 (Mohammands birthday), I was in New Orleans with firefighters and their family members. These firefighters perished in the 911 horrific WTC, New York. Just, love your Ohana and hug your babies feel the love that we have in our hearts for our beautiful earth.
This list of people deserve open prayers and tremedous consciousness of partnership from all of us because they are embarking into a huge undertaking of the worlds economic woes just as it happened in 2001. Ke Akua be with you all.
MOANA NUI: Pacific Peoples, our Land and Economies
Mahalo
Moana Nui 2011 - Pua Mohal I Ka Po
Save Pacific Peoples Resources and Economies
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International Conference creating a forum for Pacific Island Peoples strategizing alternatives to APEC, Militarization and Globalization
When: November 9 - 11, 2011
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
Information: http://moananui2011.org and http://ifg.org/programs/apec.html
Honolulu, HI—
Organized by a partnership of Pacific Islander cultural practitioners, scholars, and environmental and social activists, and in collaboration with the International Forum on Globalization (San Francisco), Moana Nui is intended to provide a voice for Pacific Islanders and set a direction for their economies in an era of powerful transnational corporations, global industrial expansion, and climate change.
The three-day schedule will include a Pacific Island Open Forum where participants will begin to draft working guidelines that will frame a pathway to a Moana Nui Declaration.
The organizers of the Moana Nui Conference have planned for three days of panel presentations, public discussions and breakout sessions that include:
1) Indigenous Rights, Pathways to Independence
2) Militarization in the Pacific
3) Globalization, Development and Geopolitics
4) Pacific Resources, Lands and Economies
5) APEC & TPPA: What We Must Know, What We Should Do
Participants include:
Walden Bello (Philippines) Member, House of Representatives, Philippines, Akbayan (Citizens' Action Party), Senior Analyst, Focus on the Global South;
Jon Osorio (Hawaii) Director of Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawaii, Manoa;
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Igorot, Philippines) Tebtebba Foundation. Former Director, UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues;
Lori Wallach (US) Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch;
Kyle Kajihiro (Hawaii) DMZ Hawaii/Aloha Aina;
Mililani Trask (Hawaii) Vice Chair, General Assembly of Nations, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organizations (UNPO);
Dr. Joseph Gerson (US) Author, Director of Programs, American Friends Service Committee;
Anuradha Mittal (India) Director, Oakland Institute;
Richard Heinberg (US), Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute, Author, "The End of Growth";
Christine Ahn (South Korea) International Peace Activist;
Santi Hitorangi (Rapanui), Arist, Farmer, Representative of Hito Clan;
Dr. Lisa Natividad (Guam) University of Guam;
Julian Aguon (Guam) Indigenous Chamoru Activist, Attorney, and Author;
Suzuyo Takazato (Okinawa) Co-Chair, Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence;
Yumi Kikuchi (Japan/Hawaii) International Peace and Anti-Nuclear Activist;
Mayumi Oda (Japan/Hawaii) International Peace and Environmental Activist, Global Peace Campaign;
Arnie Saiki (Hawaii) Statehood Hawaii/Imi Pono Projects;
Jane Kelsey (New Zealand) Prof. of Law, University of Auckland, Author of Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Digest;
Adam Wolfenden (Australia) Trade Justice Campaigner, Pacific Network on Globalization (PANG);
Walter Ritte, Jr. (Molokai, Hawaii), Hawaiian sovereignty activist, Anti-GMO movement;
Meenakshi Raman, (Malaysia) Third World Network;
Sanya Reid Smith, (Malaysia) Third World Network;
Dr. Noelani Goodyear (Hawaii) University of Hawaii;
Galina Angarova (Russia/Siberia) Pacific Environment;
Terri Keko’olani (Hawaii) DMZ Hawaii/Aloha Aina, Sovereignty Activist;
Q’orianka Kilcher (Peru) Executive Director, On-Q Initiative, Actress/Indigenous Activist;
Moana Jackson (New Zealand/Maori) Director, Nga Kaiwhakamarama I Nga Ture (the Maori Legal Service); Maori Law & Philosophy degree programme, Te Wananga o Raukawa;
Koohan Paik (Hawaii), Film maker; Kauai Alliance for Peace & Social Justice; Co-Author, "The Superferry Chronicles;”
Victor Menotti (US) Executive Director, International Forum on Globalization
Jerry Mander (US) Founder, Distinguished Fellow, International Forum on Globalization
The Impact
APEC’s stated goal is the “promotion of free-trade and investments in the region and whose members make commitments to liberalizing regulations on trade and investment”. As we have seen with the 2008 financial collapse of the housing market, as well as the struggles of independent farmers against GMO/agri-business over the last 20 years, "free-trade" is a doctrine that means “free of regulations,” another term for owning or leasing public resources for the benefit of shareholders profits. For Pacific Islands, regional "investments" include new mining technologies that require the development of infrastructure and security that further alienates peoples from their lands and traditional resources.
Financial institutions and transnational corporations will be the largest recipients of this ongoing exploitation of people and resources. The Pacific Ocean is about one-third the size of the earth, and it is what many Pacific Islanders from across these vast distances historically call “Moana Nui” (vast ocean). Why this should be of concern is that, these new investment projects threaten the bio-diversity of fragile reef systems and will vastly contribute to climate change, likely turning several small island populations into refugees.
This is the first time an international economic conference of this magnitude is taking place in Hawaii, on the shores of the United States Pacific Command Center. Over $45 million is being spent on funding the security of APEC 2011 and over 15,000 people, including dignitaries, business executives, government trade ministers and representatives of financial institutions will be in attendance.
We need your help to raise awareness and protect this vital region from continued exploitation. Your contributions will promote the restoration of the traditional stewardship of our land and ocean resources, a tradition that considers the balance of people and planet, placing it above profit. It is an arduous road, but our hope is that we might reduce
environmental degradation and resource depletion while working towards sustainable communities.
What We Need & What You Get
We aim to raise $15,000. These funds will help to pay for organizational costs, airfare, video documentation, and promotional material. If we are able to reach or exceed our goals, we will use these funds to make a larger impact towards challenging these economic and strategic negotiations taking place within APEC. According to experts who have been critically following these negotiations, many of these new agreements will not only hurt labor or increase the costs of medicines and foods, but they will alienate people from their common resources.
These struggles between peoples and investment regimes will go on long after this conference is over, but your help is your commitment of support to the hundreds of new struggles that will pour our like a flood as a result of new investment agreements in the Pacific.
Agreements like the Trans Pacific Strategic and Economic Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will likely move forward. Called a NAFTA on steroids, the TPPA is more like the Terminator IV unleashed on the Pacific. These negotiations entail the building of infrastructure and implementing security, which means new ports and large scale developments over fragile reefs and small island economies, and will likely involve the participation of the military and private government contractors.
Throughout this short fundraising campaign, more perks will become available. These will include: music downloads, art, signed books, videos, subscriptions, whatever our partners can commit to contributing with such short-notice.
Other Ways You Can Help
Moana Nui is being presented by a partnership between the International Forum on Globalizaion (IFG) and Pua Mohala I Ka Po.
Another way that you can help is also donate to IFG for their contribution to Moana Nui. http://www.ifg.org/
Even if you are unable to help with funds, we thank you for giving this attention.
Mālama ‘Āina, Mālama Kai, Mālama Pono.
(Give care to the land, give care to the water, give care to what is just)
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