Ten years after the United Nations general assembly adopted the Millennium Development Goals, 鈥渢he fulfillment of these goals are under serious threat鈥, Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations Jorge Valero told the general assembly on September 21.
The goals include cutting world hunger and the number of people living in extreme poverty by half
Bolivian President Evo Morales said they would not be reached unless 鈥渨e put an end to the unjust distribution of wealth鈥. He noted that 40% of the world鈥檚 poorest people own 5% of the wealth, while the richest 20% control 75%.
Evo Morales
A series of problems and challenges are facing the Bolivian government of President Evo Morales, the country鈥檚 first indigenous head of state, and the process of change it leads has emerged. There has been a range of commentary on these challenges. 91自拍论坛 Weekly publishes these two pieces as part of our ongoing coverage of the Latin American revolution. The article below is by Eduardo Paz Rada, editor of Bolivian-based magazine Patria Grande. It has been translated by Federico Fuentes.
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Many analysts have rushed to give their opinions regarding the 鈥渃risis of the MAS鈥 and its consequences.
Yet, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS 鈥 the party of President Evo Morales) has always been in crisis 鈥 if by crisis we mean internal disputes for power and the existence of personal interests.
Despite this permanent 鈥渃risis鈥, the MAS was able to cohere the majority of plebeian sectors through a kind of corporative alliance.
Recent scenes of roadblocks, strikes and even the dynamiting of a vice-minister鈥檚 home in the Bolivian department (administrative district) of Potosi, reminiscent of the days of previous neoliberal governments, have left many asking themselves what is really going on in the 鈥渘ew鈥 Bolivia of indigenous President Evo Morales.
Since July 29, the city of Potosi, which has 160,000 inhabitants, has ground to a halt. Locals are up in arms over what they perceive to be a lack of support for regional development on the part of the national government.
Oliver Stone's new documentary about Latin America's leftward political shift and its growing independence from Washington is being lambasted by the media. This shouldn't come as a surprise as Stone calls out the mainstream media in his new film South of the Border for its mostly one-sided, distorted coverage of the region's political leaders 鈥 most significantly Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez .
When Bolivian foreign minister David Choquehuanca and US assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela met at the start of June, it appeared that relations between the US and Bolivia were on the verge of being normalised following an 18-month diplomatic chill.
But hope for improved relations appeared to be dashed two weeks later when Bolivian President Evo Morales accused the US government-funded US Agency for International Development (USAID) of financing groups opposed to his government.
The following text is from a petition by the World People鈥檚 Movement for Mother Earth, which demands that United Nations climate change negotiations include proposals from the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in April. You can sign the petition . Find out more about the Cochabamba summit, including resolutions passed,
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Ironically, while the left is one of the fiercest critics of biased media coverage, it can also fall in the trap of corporate media distortions, particularly if its coverage dovetails with its own fantasies.
A by Daniel Lopez published on the website of Australian group Socialist Alternative is proof of this.
The article echoes the view of a May 10 article on the BBC website, which has a clear dislike of Bolivian President Evo Morales.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's proposed tax on mining industry super-profits has, to the surprise of no one, attracted a great deal of whining from the mining sector.
Andrew Forrest of Fortescue Metals accused those who supported the tax of engaging in 鈥渃lass warfare鈥 and threatened to sell his mining interests overseas if the tax goes ahead, reported the May 19 Herald Sun. On May 20, he said that he had shelved $17.5 billion in new mining projects as a result of the tax.
The tremendous success of the April 19-22 World Peoples Summit on Climate Change and Mother Earth Rights held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, has confirmed the well-deserved role of its initiator 鈥 Bolivian President Evo Morales 鈥 as one of the world鈥檚 leading environmental advocates.
Since being elected the country鈥檚 first indigenous president in 2005, Morales has continuously denounced the threat posed by the climate crisis and environmental destruction.
Morales has pointed the figure at the real cause of the problem: the consumerist and profit-driven capitalist system.
鈥淭here are two ways forward: Either save capitalism, or save Mother Earth鈥, Bolivian President Evo Morales said, stressing that this was the choice facing governments at a May 7 press conference in New York. There, he discussed the outcomes of the 35,000-strong World People鈥檚 Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
As has become the tradition in recent years, Bolivian President Evo Morales celebrated May Day (May 1, the international workers鈥 day) by announcing the nationalisation of foreign-owned firms.
Morales announced the state take-over of four power companies, as part of his government鈥檚 drive to strengthen the state sector to help reverse centuries of foreign exploitation of Bolivian resources.
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