December 2006

The EU and Latin America - common challenges?

On 4 December, in Helsinki, Thomas Wallgren led a discussion with Chico Whitaker and four invited representatives of think-thanks in Finland. The event was co-organised by Attac Finland, NIGD, the Independent Left and the Democracy Forum Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (VK).

November 2006

The Feasibility of Democratic Developmental States

On 27-30 November, Teivo Teivainen took part in a workshop on the feasibility of democratic developmental states. The workshop, held in Kampala, Uganda, was organized by the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).

What is the debt problem all about?

On 26 November, Katarina Sehm Patomäki analysed the structural causes behind the debt problem at the Cafe of Philosophy in Turku. The event is organised by the Folkets bildningsförbund-association.

On Monarchization of Democracy?

On 22 November, Teivo Teivainen gave a plenary talk on monarchization of democracy at the Peruvian Sociological Congress, organized in Lambayeque, Peru.

Reviving the campaign on cancelling third world debt

On 16 November, in Tampere, alongside the annual Development Week hosted by the University of Tampere, Attac Finland and NIGD organised a fifth discussion event on debt within the frames of their joint project. Matti Kohonen, Jorge Marchini, and Oscar Ugarteche joined the panel chaired by Marko Ulvila.

Should the debt of the developing countries be forgiven? And if so, how?

On 15 November, in Helsinki, Jorge Marchini and Oscar Ugarteche spoke on debt arbitration as part of the fourth discussion event within the frames of the Attac Finland/NIGD project on civil sociaty mobilisation and debt. Heikki Patomäki chaired the discussion at the University of Helsinki.

October 2006

The International Civil Society Forum of the 6th International Conference on New or Restored Democracies
On 29 October - 1 November in Doha, Qatar, Katarina Sehm Patomäki represented NIGD as a member of the Steering Committee of the International Civil Society Forum. In a panel organised by the World Federalist Movement, Katarina also spoke about what global democratisation can mean apart from aiming at a global parliament. In addition, Katarina and Tapio Kanninen presented their book From Manila to Doha- the evolution of the New or Restored Democracies process at the session preparing for the follow-up of the conference.

An Open Discussion on the World Social Forum
On 16 October, the African Commission of the World Social Forum and KEPA in Helsinki organised a discussion on the WSF process. Teivo Teivainen and Laura Tuominen kicked off by briefing about the latest meeeting of the WSF International Council in Parma, Italy.

Meeting of the International Council of the World Social Forum
On 10-12 October, the International Council of the World Social Forum met in Parma, Italy. This time, NIGD was represented by Teivo Teivainen and Laura Tuominen.

Globalization from a Developing Countries' Perspective
On 2 October, at the Helsinki University of Technology in Espoo, Finland, Katarina Sehm Patomäki talked about globalisation and global democratisation from a non-industrialist country's perspective.

World Public Finances
On 1 October at the Philosophy Cafe in Turku, Finland, Mika Böök discussed the concept of World Public Finances and global taxes.


September 2006

Meeting of the Africa Commission of the WSF in Finland (ACWSF)
On 14 September, at Kepa, the ACWSF held a meeting planning a dialogue on the political significance of the WSF for the Finnish International Solidarity movement as part of a series of dialogues hosted by Kepa. The dialoge is scheduled for mid-October. At the meeting, the participants also discussed preparations for Nairobi.

A Discussion on the Debt Issue with Lidy Nacpil
On 6 September at Cafe Engel, the debt group of Attac Finland and NIGD invited to a public discussion on the debt issue, where Lidy Nacpil from Jubilee South spoke.

NIGD hosted a dialogue on the subject of party systems and global democratisation on 5 September 2006, at Paasivuorenkatu 5 A (Helsinki Congress Paasitorni, room 301), Helsinki. this event was the closing seminar of a series of dialogues that have been conducted during the past year.

NEW! Book Launch: Democratic Politics Globally - Elements for a Dialogue on Global Political Party Formations
On 4 September at Restaurant Kappeli, in Helsinki NIGD launches its new Working Paper on global political parties.


August 2006

Globalization Studies Network, Third International Conference
On 21-23 August, Heikki Patomäki represents NIGD at the third conference of the Globalisation Studies Network, this time meeting in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. At the conference, Heikki presents his paper Global Justice: A Democratic Perspective.

A Nordic Symposium on the Consequences of Globalization
On 18-19 August, at Brinkhall just outside the town of Turku in Finland, Heikki Patomäki and Katarina Sehm Patomäki represented NIGD at a Nordic Symposium. Heikki spoke about "securization" and Katarina introduced the idea of global political parties. The symposium was organised by the Peace Association of Finland.

Visit of Boaventura de Sousa Santos to Lima: Articulating Resistances...
During the third week of August (14-20 August) Boaventura de Sousa Santos visited NIGD and the Programa de Estudios sobre Democracia y Transformación Global, for a series of lectures, debates and workshops, co-organized with the Centre for the Peruvian Woman Flora Tristan. Among the events was the presentation of the first two books of the new collection Transformación Global, organised by the Programa. The books presented are, Conocer desde el Sur and La Universidad Popular en el Siglo XX, both from Boaventura de Sousa Santos. Furthermore Boaventura met various grass roots initiatives (as the Forum for a Culture of Solidarity) and social organizations. Other NIGD members participating in the events were Peter Waterman, Teivo Teivainen, Roxana Crisologo, Johnattan Rupire and Raphael Hoetmer.

Recursos Naturales y políticas energéticas en América Latina, implicancias en las relaciones internacionales y locales
On 11 August, Kirsten Westphal took part in a debate on natural resources and energy policy in Latin America and how these affect international and local relations. The event took place at the University of San Marcos in Lima, and was organised by the Programa de Estudios sobre Democracia y Transformación Global.

Universalism in International Law and Political Philosophy
On 3-4 August at the University of Helsinki, Heikki Patomäki gave a talk on Rethinking Global Democracy/World Parliament: Towards Determinating what International or Cosmopolitan Law is. The event was organised by the Helsinki Collegium of Advanced Studies of the University of Helsinki.


July 2006

Americas Hemispheric Council meeting - WSF
Raphael Hoetmer and Johnattan Rupire represented NIGD at the Hemisphere Council meeting of the World Social Forum process. The meeting took place in Lima on 10-13 July.

Meeting of the Methodology and Content Commission of the WSF
The Methodology and Content Commission of the International Council of the World Social Forum met in Rome on 7-8 July. In the meeting, NIGD was represented by Francine Mestrum.

"Training of trainers"
NIGD's library workshops at the WSF in Mumbai 2004, and at the polycentric WSF in Bamako earlier this year have resulted in a training programme leading to documentation activities. The first step was a "training of trainers"-workshop in Nairobi, 3-5 July, 2006. The purpose of this workshop was to prepare and train around 30 East African librarians for participation in the World Social Forum on 20-25 January 2007, and in the WSF process, both as citizens and in their role as information specialists. In the autumn, participants will arrange a series of similar workshops, where librarians prepare for participation in the WSF. This three-day "Training of trainers"-workshop was arranged under the auspices of the Kenya Library Association (KLA) by a team consisting of Esther Obachi (KLA), Mikael Böök (NIGD, Finland), Kingsley Oghojafor (ISC, Nigeria), Shiraz Durrani (PALIAct, UK) and Mary Wanjohi (Kenya).


June 2006

UNU-WIDER Conference: Aid: Principles, Policies and Performance
On 16-17 June, Katarina Sehm Patomäki analysed the use of the term "partnership" in development & global politics at the UNU-WIDER conference on ODA in Helsinki, Finland.

The World Social Forum: Discourses, Practices and Consequences for Peru
On 15 June, Raphael Hoetmer participated in the debate Foro Social Mundial: Discursos, Parcticas y Repercusiones para el Peru (World Social Forum: Discourses, Practices and Consequences for Peru). The event is organized by Instituto Alameda, CEDEP and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and takes place in Lima.

Follow-up meeting to the International Conference on New or Restored Democracies V
On 1-2 June, Katarina Sehm Patomäki spoke on the development and challenges of the civil society forum of the NRD process at a follow up meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.


May 2006

Porto Alegre, Mumbai, Bamako, Caracas, Karachi, Nairobi and ...?
On 30 May, and in Kepa, Helsinki, Ruby van der Wekken led a discussion on the WSF.

The World Social Forum and its frontiers: Local, Nacional and Autonomous Spaces
On 27 May, Johnattan Rupire chaired the debate: "Foro Social Mundial y sus Fronteras. Espacios autonomos, locales y nacionales" (World Social Forum and its frontiers. Local, Nacional and Autonomous Spaces) in the shanty town of Villa el Salvador at the outskirts of Lima. The event was organized by NIGD and the Programa de Estudios sobre Democracia y Transformacion Global and formed part of the series of Catedras Libres of the Foro de Cultura Solidaria.

Cancelling Third World Debt: HIPC Program and the Justification of Conditionality
On 23 May, at the University of Helsinki, Saul Banda Jr from JCTR/Jubilee Zambia talked about HIPC and debt relief as a tool to decrease the debt burden of developing countries. This is the second event in the discussion series on debt by NIGD and Attac Finland.

The Bamako Appeal
On 20 May, Francine Mestrum represented ATTAC-Flanders and organised a session on the Bamako Appeal 2006 at the Netherlands Social Forum, Nijmegen, where Peter Waterman was among the invited panelists.

Foward looking perspectives on WSF politics: Nairobi and beyond
On 2 May, at Cafe Kiasma, in Helsinki, Finland, Vijay Pratap spoke about the challenges for the WSF on its road to Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2007.


April 2006

The 2nd Brazilian Social Forum
Matti Kohonen spoke of World Public Finances at the second Brazil Social Forum on 20-23 April, 2006, in Recife (Pernambuco).

International Union Organisations, Global Social Movements and the Augean Stables of Global Governance
Peter Waterman took part in the International Workshop, ‘Global Challenges for Labour’, Universität Kassel, 5-6 April, 2006.

An Open Meeting on the African Social Forum process
On 3 April and at Kepa, Helsinki, the African Commission of the WSF organised an open discussion with Oduor Ong'wen on the WSF process heading towards Nairobi. What is the significance of the WSF process for the political perspectives of organisations and movements and what contributions can be made for the process toward Nairobi 2007?

The 5th Finnish Social Forum 2006
This year, NIGD organised two events at the Finnish Social Forum, taking place on 1-2 April in Helsinki. On Sunday 2 April, and under the chairmanship of Tuomas Ylä-Anttila, NIGD hosted a discussion on the WSF itself. Oduor Ong'wen of the WSF 2007 Kenya organising committee spoke of the challanges and opportunites of the WSF process. On the same day, and together with Attac Finland, NIGD, organised a discussion on the debt issue of developing countries. Katarina Sehm Patomäki chaired when Oduor Ong'wen spoke of the links between trade and debt. This was the first event in the series of four discussions on debt organised by Attac Finland and NIGD.

Globalization & Conflicts
On 1 April, Jordi Lopez spoke in Madrid of NIGD events at the World Social Forum (Caracas) at an event called Globalization & Conflicts organised by the Spanish NGO Paz Ahora.


March 2006

On the Road to Nairobi
On 31 March, the Institute for Developing Studies of the University of Helsinki and NIGD co-host a discussion specifically on the process leading up to the WSF 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. Ruby van der Wekken chairs when Oduor Ong'wen of the WSF 2007 Kenya organising committee informs of the latest WSF developments at the Kenya end.

The Third Polycentric World Social Forum 2006 in Karachi
At the third Polycentric World Social Forum in Karachi, Pakistan, on 25-29 March, NIGD hosted a fifth dialogue on global political party formations.

Global Party Formation and North/South Relations
On 22 March, Heikki Patomäki and Teivo Teivainen presented their paper on global political parties at a panel of the ISA conference in San Diego, CA, USA.

Meeting of the International Council of the WSF
Mika Böök represented NIGD at the IC meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, that took place on 19-22 March.


February 2006

Cafe of Politics
On 13 February, Katarina Sehm Patomäki spoke on globalisation at an event organised by the Swedish Educational Association in Finland. The event was part of the discussion series Cafe of Politics. The discussion was held at the G18 in Helsinki.

Some Radical-Democratic Challenges Of The World Social Forum Process
On 2 February and in Amsterdam, Peter Waterman took part in the panel of the CASA network.


January 2006

The Polycentric World Social Forum 2006
In January 2006, NIGD organises an extensive programme
in Bamako, Mali; Caracas, Venezuela and Karachi, Pakistan.

The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges
On 18 January and together with the University of Helsinki, NIGD co-organises a lecture by Inge Kaul based on the launch of the new UNDP book The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges (Oxford University Press).

"Maracas para Caracas"/The Maracas for Caracas
On 13 January, NIGD coordinated an event in Lima, Peru, in the lead up for the polycentric WSF 2006 in Caracas, Venezuela. The event included discussions on the future of the WSF process.

A Discussion on the State of the Finnish Foreign Policy
- national interest vs global justice?
Leading up to the Finnish presidential elections, Attac Finland organised on 9 January a discussion on the relationship between national interest and global justice chaired by Mika Rönkkö, Attac Finland & NIGD. Also Heikki Patomäki spoke at the event. The discussion took place in the Old Student House in Helsinki.


Rendez-vous with NIGD in 2005
Rendez-vous with NIGD in 2004
Rendez-vous with NIGD in 2003