The Association for Taxing financial Transactions and Aid Citizens (ATTAC, see Caravan n°2, December 1998), set up on June 3, 1998 to serve as a platform uniting citizens, associations, unions and newspapers, celebrated its 100,000^th member in France during its first anniversary function in June 1999. This association is behind the establishment of an International Movement for democratic control over financial markets and its institutions which is already present in countries like Switzerland, Belgium, Quebec, Brazil, Senegal and Norway.

Around 60 French members of parliament announced that they would participate in a local group of ATTAC which was formed under the initiative of 5 deputies. One of the unique characteristics of ATTAC is that it incorporates, among its formalized group members those which are part of the national representation, local and territorial communities. This feature is also to be found outside France: in Belgium, it consists of a local group of about 30 international officials of the European Commission; in Brazil, the support of provincial governments to the formal organization of ATTAC has expanded. Having collected 100,000 signatures and having got the petition of ATTAC signed by newly elected European representatives (cf. http://attac.org/fra/asso/doc/petitioneuro.htm), the organization is growing to be a truly international non-partisan political force aiming to unite all those who want to reshape the future of our world.

ATTAC, in association with CADTM – Coordination against the clones of MAI – DAWN – Forum for alternatives, organized an international conference titled "Planet – another world is possible" at the St. Denis University (France) between the 24^th and 26^th of June 1999. The meeting was attended by 1200 delegates of 80 different nationalities. A report enumerating the different activities of the commissions and the workshops was called for at the plenary session. We present hereunder, large extracts of the final resolution adopted at the meeting.

1) The aim of the International Conference organized by ATTAC in June 1999 in association with CADTM, Coordination against clones of MAI, International Forum for alternatives and DAWN, was to help coordinate international networks that struggle against the dictatorship of markets. [...]

2) This aim is not unrealistic. Now that we are faced with globalization, a process supported by governments which are often the first to oppose globalization of democracy and human rights, we have to develop and coordinate counter attacks and establish a link with forces with a different point of view.[...]

3) We must make go public, support the main fights and the international and national resistance programs against the dictatorship of markets, especially through emergency campaigns in support of human rights and social movements. [...]

4) Our actions will start with the new round of multilateral trade negotiations – Millenium Round – which is to begin under the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The ministerial conference of the WTO is to be held in Seattle, United States between the 30^th of November and 3^rd of December 1999. These negotiations will have an effect not only on International trade liberalization but also on investments, public markets and competition, services (health, education, transport etc.), patenting the living. What looms large as a threat is more than a simple clone of the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI); it is the seizure of all domains of human life by transnational companies. This is also true for other clones such as bilateral free trade agreements between countries, for example, Mediterranean countries and European Commission, Korea – Japan – United States, EC-Mexico, which give the subordination of political powers to the interests of investors and businessmen. So we must launch an international campaign of information and mobilization to reject all agreements which go against human rights, people’s rights and sustainable development in the world. Along with movements, against MAI and WTO, we have come together, since summer’99, to ask for a moratorium of this Millenium Round. We also demand that it should be replaced by an Assessment Round of WTO. In each country, organizations will undertake this evaluation through democratic debate and consultation in close association with workers’ unions and small and medium enterprises. [...] We believe in separation of powers and we demand the dismantling of the Organization for Settlement of Disputes of the WTO of which the latter is sometimes the judge and the party concerned. We must also engage in a reflection for the creation of an independent international Court for economic justice. We will be participating in the International week for mobilization to be observed between the 12^th of October (International Day against liberal colonization) and 17^th October 1999 (International Day against misery). There will be programs questioning governments and parliamentarians, with special emphasis on criticizing the strategies adopted by transnational companies. An International Day for mobilization and public initiatives will be observed during the inauguration of the Seattle Conference. Our vigilance will continue even after the negotiations of WTO are concluded.

5) The second theme that brings us together: the fight for the taxation of financial transactions and the outlawry of tax havens. There is an opportunity, in Europe, that we must seize for this campaign: Finland which is scheduled to take over the presidency of the European Union in the second half of 1999, is one of the two countries, along with Canada, where the political authorities are in favor of Tobin Tax. In this context, an international petition will be dismissed in all continents, especially in the European Union which has the critical size to initiate a taxation of speculative capital [....]

6) Third theme: the debt of southern and eastern countries. During the G7-G8 Summit at Cologne in June 1999, the measures taken affect a small portion of the debts of the poor countries and they are conditional to better implementation of the structural adjustment programs recommended by the IMF and the World Bank. We oppose the imposition of such conditions as they force countries to lose their national sovereignty and lead to a further decline in the standards of living of the people concerned. The people must be given back what they have been robbed of. Therefore we call for judicial probes into the activities of profiteers, dictators and corrupt heads of state and the people responsible for these debts. We support the setting up of a group of indebted countries that are for the non-payment of debt. We appreciate the organization of a South-South meeting, which will be held at Johannesburg between 18th of November 1999, to support the cancellation of debts. We must prepare ourselves for new international mobilizations, especially in view of the next G-7 Summit to be held at Okinawa in July 2000, so that the last year of this millenium will be one that witnessed the cancellation of debts of the countries of the South and the East.

7) Fourth theme that brings us together: Genetically modified organisms along with the launching of a campaign to ask governments and parliamentarians to fulfill the following important demands: set up a moratorium on Genetically Modified Organisms in order to free farmers from subordination imposed by transnational seed companies; to encourage the development of alternative agricultural practices and scientific research that is at the service of humanity; to stop all governmental negotiations on patenting the living [...]

8) The nefarious activities of the international financial institutions was once again brought to the fore during the Asian, Russian and Brazilian economic crises. With their liberal steps, they worsened the national economic situation and the price of financial speculation and structural adjustment programs was paid by women, the unemployed, the small peasants, small enterprises and the salaried class. We should analyze the activities of these institutions and support the resistance movements against adjustment programs. We also demand that the control of such activities rests with the people and that an evaluation must be undertaken. We must identify the responsibilities and fight against the impunity of "experts" even in courts, and chalk out a plan on an international scale, giving alternative proposals.

9) Women are affected by globalization; they are the first to feel the effects of poverty and violence. The participants hope to obtain equal rights for men and women all over the world. This is the reason why we support the World Women’s March in 2000 and all other initiatives with similar objectives.

10) Subsequent conferences will enable us to meet again. [...].

(Paris, June 26, 1999)

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