Peoples’ Alternatives is a global collective effort to organise people across the world to build a different economic system for an equal future, to face the current crisis run by the greed of the rich and powerful. The current economic system works for the few and not the majority. The solutions to the crisis cannot and should not be dictated by the elites. The same elites who created the problem in the first place and benefit from the status quo. What is needed are solutions that come from people who are confronted by the challenges.The World Bank and IMF will meet in Marrakech, Morocco on African soil for the first time in over 50 years in October. They have failed to give the answers that people demand. It’s time for
Peoples’ Assemblies (14 - 21 August)
What will we be doing?
At the country level across the Peoples’ Alternatives we will convene Assemblies where members come together to highlight their inequality struggles, alternatives and demands on how inequalities should be addressed. In these Assemblies we will show the role of governments and IMF and World Bank collusion in pushing more and more people towards breaking point. The Peoples’ Assemblies will be a dynamic and inclusive space for people to raise their voices and share their demands.
These Assemblies will take place both physically and online to ensure wider participation and engagement. The Peoples’ Assemblies space will create wider awareness of the correlations between the IMF and World Bank and rising levels of inequalities. Additionally Assemblies will be a space for the Alliance nationally to collate demands and alternatives for the Peoples’ Tribunals taking place in September 2023.
Peoples’ Caravans (28 August - 2 September)
What will we be doing?
The Peoples’ Caravans will build on and a continuation from the People's Assemblies. At this stage of the action we will be sharing more broadly the inequality struggles confronted by people in the country and how these struggles are of national importance. The Caravans will travel through various communities stopping at key landmarks, public spaces, government offices/buildings and share their demands and alternatives with the wider public at large and government officials.
The Peoples’ Caravans will serve as a moving billboard, capturing public attention and highlighting the urgency around the issue of inequality and the role of the IMF and World Bank. We will use the caravans to invite active and wider participation, people sharing their own experiences, personal stories and create a sense of community and solidarity.
Peoples’ Tribunals (23 September - 30 September)
What will we be doing?
The Peoples’ Tribunals will hold public hearings where selected individuals from the Assemblies and the Caravans share their testimonies on the impacts of inequality and the IMF and World Bank impacts in their contexts. The Tribunals will be open to the public and to the media for wider dissemination and awareness.
Globally inequality is on the rise, many of our countries and our economies are still reeling from the impact global health pandemic and the resulting economic recession. The cost of living is on the rise and austerity measures implemented by our governments are only pushing us to breaking point. We are on course to a climate catastrophe.
There is increasing realisation by people across class, race and gender that inequality is being driven by the existing neoliberal economic model. In this context, our people powered organising from the grassroots up is more urgent than ever to advance alternatives to the current trajectory.
The current trajectory we are on works for the few and not the majority. The solutions to the crisis cannot and should not be dictated to by the elites, the same elites who created the problem in the first place. What is needed are solutions that come from real people who are confronted by the challenges.
People’s Alternatives is being coordinated by the Fight Inequality Alliance, but alongside many, many movements, groups, artists, activists, academics and others across the world. People’s Alternatives is a broad space for the growing inequality movement. Organisations, movements, artists, activists and others who share the vision for this should join.
Not really. This is only one milestone in our agenda. The vast majority of the organising and mobilising will take place in your country over the coming months (see below for the way the timetable for the rest of this year looks at the moment). We must grow our organising as movements in over 60 countries and advance people-powered alternatives from those living on the frontlines of inequality.
Peoples’ Alternatives is not about physically attending the World Bank and IMF meetings in Morocco. It is about us, the 99% coming together in our communities, cities, countries and regions through Peoples’ Caravans, Assemblies and Tribunals, making our voices heard about the impacts of inequality in our lives and on our planet, and making our demands and alternatives heard by our governments, as well as challenging the role of the World Bank and IMF.
To make our criticisms of and alternatives to the global economic system loud and visible, we will also be taking action around the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings from 9-15 October in Marrakech, Morocco. This meeting on the African continent is only the second one since the 1944 founding of the Bretton Woods Institutions. The first and only meeting in Africa was held in Nairobi in 1973. These meetings are an opportunity to speak truth to power with a vision of People’s Alternatives coming from frontline activists across the Global South as these institutions bring their meeting to African soil.
No we are not. The Fight Inequality Alliance is made up of social movements, NGOs, trade unions, community groups, activists and artists around the world who are fighting the root causes of inequality. Some political figures, political parties and others may agree with some or all of our proposals though. Everybody now says that tackling inequality is a problem and uses some of the language of the movement - from the IMF and the World Bank, to governments signing up to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG 10 on fighting inequality), to wealthy individuals, the Pope and many others. However, despite this rhetorical agreement, there is no consensus on the systemic change that is needed to fight inequality.
The heart of Peoples’ Alternatives is large scale physical mobilisations where people on the frontlines of inequality can share their stories as well as create solutions with others. We aim to physically mobilise in over 60 countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia as well as Europe and North America. There will also be action happening digitally throughout the year, as well as globally at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings as one global focal point.
Asia and Oceana
Philippines
India
Nepal
Indonesia
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh
South Korea
Vietnam
Thailand
Fiji
New Zealand
Australia
Middle East
Palestine
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexico
Costa Rica
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Panama
Haiti
Barbados
North America
United State of America
Canada
Europe
Denmark
UK
Netherlands
Spain
Italy
France
Germany
Iceland
Greece
Switzerland
Norway
Portugal
Sweden
Finland
Ireland
Join in! Also, if your country is not on the list you can still be involved by organising action in your country as well as participating digitally.
The call to action to remake our broken economies began at the same time as the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in April 2023. The call to many more groups to join this exciting initiative for Peoples’ Alternatives continues, with activity throughout the year and beyond.
We hope to organise Peoples’ Caravans beginning from May-June 2023, sub-national Peoples’ Assemblies in May-July, national Peoples’ Assemblies in August-September, and Peoples’ Tribunals in countries and in Marrakech in October.
We will join with other key activities including Africa Liberation Day on 25 May, and other relevant national, regional and global moments with allies throughout the year.
Beyond October 2023, we see this energy and momentum continuing into further national and global action in 2024 and onwards.
Through the year, mass actions across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Global North will take place. Debates will be held and solutions will be created amongst people in their millions in person, on social media and through media. People’s Caravans will move across countries holding popular education sessions and local discussions, People’s Assemblies will be held at sub-national and national level. People’s stories and demands will be heard at People’s Tribunals, where the current system, including the role of the World Bank and the IMF will be scrutinised.
If you want to be part of this, sign the call to action or email info@fightinequality.org and we will send you all the information you need to know where in your country these actions will take place, or to organise a meeting with you to set an action together.
As long as we don’t rise up together on a global scale, with coordinated organisation, and throw powerful messages to face the rich and the power holders, the reality of the injustice of inequality is not going to change.
Now more than ever, movements across the globe are putting into the public debate things that during decades will not even be considered seriously. This is a great moment to join together! Now it's the time to come together.