Whenever I hear politicians defending policies that are actually increasing injustice and suffering, I know that WDM will be on their case, confronting them and winning the arguments.
Anita Roddick, OBE
Sign up to E-NewsWDM Scotland timeline
The WDM Scotland office was set up in November 1998 in order to support campaign activity in Scotland, and to adapt WDM campaigns for use in the Scottish context. Here are some highlights since 2000:
2007
November: Malawi speaker tour
WDM friend and campaigner Mavuto Bamusi visited Scotland and encouraged WDM activists to influence a Committe inquiry into the Government's international development strategy - which we did! Read the report here.
June: Edinburgh World Justice Festival
Last year's one-day event becomes a two-week festival. WDM Scotland joins around 30 other campaigning groups hosting events.
May: Scottish Parliamentary Elections
The SNP emerge as the largest party. We hope they keep their manifesto promises on a Scottish climate change bill.
April: Parties policies on Climate Change under scrutiny
WDM Scotland rates the parties standing in the Holyrood elections on their commitment to tackling climate change. This scrutiny continues at an election hustings at the Campaigner's Convention in Dunblane.
March: Election candidate email campaign
Candidates standing at the Scottish parliamentary elections start feeling the pressure from voters using our website to question candidates. Almost 3000 emails are sent during this campaign.
February: Climate Change speaker tour
Richard Navarro, former Chair of Friends of the Earth International and 1995 winner of the Goldman award comes to Scotland.
January: Climate Justice campaign launched
With Holyrood elections set for May this year, WDM Scotland plans to make climate change a key election issue.
2006
October: Office relocation
The WDM Scotland office moves from Haddington Place to Graham Street where improved facilities include heating and working lights.
September: GCAP Scotland formed
First campaigning activity for GCAP (Global Call for Action Against Poverty) is at the German consulate, encouraging Angela Merkel to keep poverty on the agenda at next year's G8 summit.
August: Water for Life, Not for Profit
This Edinburgh Fringe Festival event is hosted by the Tap Water Awards.
July: The first Edinburgh World Justice Festival
This single day event on the anniversary of Make Poverty History brings together 150 campaigners in what is hoped to be the first of many annual events.
March: WTO Debate at the Scottish Parliament
WDM Scotland join a debate entitled "From Hong Kong to Geneva, where now for the WTO?" hosted by the International Development Group at the Scottish parliament.
February: Nigerian Debt
As the UK receives a £1.7bn windfall (twice the UK's aid budget to Africa) from Nigeria, WDM visits Gordon Brown when he speaks in Dunfermline.
2005
December: Trade Justice
Rev Mitchell Bunting skates on thin ice in to highlight the lack of progress since the G8 summit in July. Campaigners put their 'Spotlight on Trade Justice' in advance of the WTO trade talks taking place in Hong Kong.
November: Malawi
A major international conference on Malawi is held at the Scottish parliament where the First Minister signs a co-operation agreement offering practical help to Malawi. WDM Scotland demands that the Scottish Executive call for an end to the privatisation conditions attached to loans, debt relief and aid to Malawi.
July: G8 Summit and Make Poverty History
As the G8 arrive at Gleneagles and world's eyes are upon Scotland.
On Saturday the 2nd July 225,000 anti-poverty activists march through Edinburgh forming a white band. The following day a counter G8 conference is held in Edinburgh.
WDM is a key part of the Make Poverty History campaign with specific anti-poverty demands. Despite the early enthusiasm from politicians and celebrities, WDM's subsequent analysis of the G8's rhetoric revealed that MPH's demands on Trade, Debt and Aid had been rejected or ignored.
March: Water
The Dirty Aid, Dirty Water campaign continues in 2005 when WDM demands an end to the business takeover of third world water. Engineering consultancy Halcrow have been receiving UK aid money for promoting such privatisations. WDM Campaigners target their company offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
February: International Parliamentarians' Petition
This international petition calls for democratic oversight of the World Bank and IMF by allowing elected representatives to have the final say over policies in their countries. WDM Scotland pushes MSPs to join this campaign along with 60 other countries.
January: Executive funding for World-Wise
World-Wise, WDM Scotland's global citizenship programme for adults receives three years of funding from the Scottish Executive.
2004
GATS
The 'Pull the Plug' campaign on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and water was the main campaign focus for the first half of 2004.
The following are some of the key outcomes/successes achieved:
- A motion on GATS and water was submitted to the Scottish Parliament, on our behalf by Sarah Boyack MSP.
- WDM supporters wrote to and met their MSPs, urging them to sign the motion.
- A 'Pull the Plug' stunt was held outside the Scottish Parliament during the week of World Water Day, on 22 March, to highlight the campaign and parliamentary motion.
- The Sunday Herald ran a feature article on the campaign the day before World Water Day.
- 47 MSPs signed a motion on GATS/water, representing over 40% of those eligible to sign motions.
- The campaign prompted First Minister, Jack McConnell, to make a statement expressing that GATS was not a threat to the public ownership of Scotland's water.
Trade
Throughout 2004, WDM Scotland continued to play a major role in the Scottish Trade Justice Movement (TJM) along with other organisations such as Oxfam, SCIAF, Christian Aid and Tearfund.
The focus of the TJM in 2004 was on the Vote for Trade Justice campaign, which aimed to get people to 'vote' for the TJM demands of fair trade rules, an end to export subsidies and more regulation of big business. The campaign is continuing into 2005, when all the collected votes will be sent to the government. The following are some of the key outcomes/successes achieved in 2004:
- A Scottish Vote for Trade Justice lobby took place outside the new Scottish Parliament in October.
- Over 300 activists attended and 92 MSPs (representing all six political parties and ministers) came out to register their vote.
Debt
The focus of debt work in 2004 was on the International Parliamentarians' Petition, or IPP, for Democratic Oversight of IMF and World Bank Policies. A global coalition of NGOs and parliamentary groups are aiming to get 60 parliamentarians from 60 countries to sign the petition. WDM Scotland launched the IPP at the Scottish Parliament and has been encouraging both MSPs and Scottish MPs to sign.
CORE Scotland
In 2004, WDM Scotland joined the Scottish corporate responsibility coalition, known as CORE Scotland. It is a network of organisations including Amnesty International Scotland, the Centre for Human Ecology, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Oxfam in Scotland, and Save the Children and was established to address the specific implications of the lack of corporate responsibility and accountability in Scotland.
G8
In response to the news that the 2005 G8 summit would be held in Scotland, WDM Scotland engaged in numerous networking and planning events in 2004. These have been aimed at organising events at the time of the G8 to highlight opposition to the policies of the G8 countries, which keep poor countries in poverty.
Outreach
WDM Scotland's main, annual Scottish public conference, 'Small World Big Challenge' was held again in October, in Edinburgh and attracted over 150 people. Speakers included: Charity Musamba, Jubilee Zambia; Paul Kingsnorth, author of One No, Many Yeses; WDM's Director, Mark Curtis; and Des McNulty MSP, chair of the cross-party group on international development at the Scottish Parliament.
Workshops on issues ranging from ethical investment to African drumming took place and there was an exhibition of stalls from many NGOs and fairtrade suppliers.
Other events throughout the year included a supporters' conference in Stirling, husting events around the time of the European elections and talks in Ayr, Edinburgh and Berwick.
2003
June - WDM joins with other organisations to support the Trade Justice Movement, with over 50 Scottish MPs lobbied for fair (rather than free) world trade.
May - Candidates in the Scottish Parliament elections lobbied on how World Trade Organisation free trade rules could impact domestically and internationally.
April - Active Global Citizens education project is relaunched as World-wise in four areas of Scotland - Dunfermline, Paisley, Stirling and West Lothian.
February - Caribbean trade unionist Robert Giuseppi visits Scotland to link with Scottish campaigners over the impact of world trade liberalisation on water services.
2002
December - WDM Scotland encourages Scottish organisations to submit their views to the DTI consultation on GATS.
October - WDM Scotland organises Scottish Parliament seminar on Higher Education to illustrate the threat posed by the GATS negotiations.
October - 250 attend the WDM Scotland Small World Big Challenge conference in Edinburgh.
September - First local meeting to promote the AGC project takes place in Paisley.
June - WDM joins other groups in the largest ever lobby of the Westminster parliament, at which over half of all Scottish MPs are lobbied directly for fairer world trade.
May - WDM launches Active Global Citizens project, with consultation sent to community groups around Scotland.
April - 40 out of 53 eligible Scottish MPs sign an Early Day Motion calling for greater cancellation of Third World Debt.
Spring - Succesful fringe events at Labour, LibDem and STUC conferences help build support for GATS campaign.
January - 34 MSPs sign a Scottish Parliament motion noting the DTI consultation on GATS, and thus call for a Parliamentary debate on the subject.
January - seminar on GATS in the Scottish Parliament attracts an audience of MSPs, trade unionists, local government and campaign groups to discuss the impact of distant trade negotiations on Scotland's domestic agenda.
2001
November - WDM joins with Jubilee Scotland to make the link between the growing AIDS crisis in developing countries and the ongoing debt crisis.
October - Ugandan coffee exporter Yorokamu Abainenamar tours Scotland to highlight the benefits of Fair Trade and the impact of globalisation on Ugandan farmers.
May - WDM moves to larger office premises.
April 2001 - Global Network News (GNN) is launched as a free, e-mail news service on globalisation issues.
March - a WDM supported Motion in the Scottish Parliament (on GATS) becomes the first ever to last for a year, and attracts support of 58 MSPs, a majority of those eligible to sign.
2000
November - first 'Getting to Grips with Globalisation' training session for supporters takes place.
Autumn - WDM holds first events with Shetland, Borders and Ayrshire groups.
May - Doris Calvo, a Costa Rican trade unionist, tours Scotland to highlight the plight of plantation workers employed by multinationals.
March - WDM launches Scottish version of GATS campaign.
1999
October - 300 people attend 'The Globalisation Debate' in Edinburgh.
September - WDM facilitates the launch of the Scottish MAI Coalition as governments attempt to start investment negotiations at the World Trade Organisation.
Autumn - second campaign takes a Scottish angle on the international campaign to allow governments to regulate GMOs.
Summer - the first specifically Scottish campaign encourages supporters to lobby the new Parliament to take Fair Trade goods in the canteen. The campaign is successful.
April - a public launch of WDM Scotland, during the first Scottish Parliament election, bringing over 200 people to quiz senior figures from the major parties on 'Scotland in the World'.
April - an initial, lottery-funded, project over two years, to build WDM's campaign network in Scotland.
February - launch of a WDM Scotland newsletter, produced quarterly.
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