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Global Greens 2001 was organised by the Australian Greens www.greens.org.au
Greens Senator Bob Brown was the Host.Margaret Blakers was the Conference
Convener Email: conference2001@global. greens.org.au
Phone:
+61 2 6247 6305 Fax:
+61 2 6247 6455 Write to:
GPO Box 1108, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia. For a
comprehensive record of Global Greens 2001, order the Global Greens book and video |
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In April 2001, 800 people gathered in the Australian capital,
Canberra, for Global Greens 2001. It was an emotional, exhilarating and exhausting meeting of Green parties and political
movements from more than 70 countries, hosted by Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown. The week before, hundreds of young
people from 20 countries attended the first ever meeting of Global Young Greens in Sydney. This was followed by the Rio+10
International Workshop which drew over 200 participants from 54 countries to prepare for the 2002 Earth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
800 delegates at the Global Greens 2001 conference To be Green is to be international and for over a decade the links between Greens have been
developing steadily. The Australian meetings were held in the wake of the shock announcement by
newly inaugurated President George W. Bush that the USA would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol to
combat climate change. Earlier, the Greens versus greed divide had shown up in the 'battle for
Seattle' and subsequent protests from Prague to Melbourne to Thailand where Greens joined the
protests against globalised capitalism. These events highlighted the need for the Greens to become
more connected and coordinated – to be able to act globally as well as locally.
Global Greens 2001 was planned as our inaugural meeting of the new century. It took four years to
organise but in the last months the momentum grew exponentially. The anticipation intensified as
people began to arrive from all the corners of the world. By the time the conference started on
Saturday morning, the emotional pitch was as delightful as it was overwhelming. The Indigenous
welcome, the opening speeches, the Kanak delegation from New Caledonia, the music and finally
the roll call of such an array of countries reduced many to tears. The mood was indescribably moving and full of good expectation.
All weekend, activity surged around the Convention Centre with dozens of workshops, children
playing in the foyer, brilliant speeches, and in every corner people meeting and talking in dozens of
languages. Saturday night's organic dinner at Australia's New Parliament House was a symbolic
highlight that everyone will remember, especially those who danced in the forecourt until the early hours of the morning!
Global Greens Reference Group
At the same time, serious work was in hand. Global Greens 2001 produced tangible outcomes that will endure. The generosity of spirit that enabled our Global Greens Charter to be negotiated and
agreed, its imperfections notwithstanding, was remarkable. Similarly the acceptance of resolutions,
especially to establish the Global Greens Coordination and Network, was a vital step to building the
global movement. As a result, we have both a statement of beliefs and a means to implement it.
And we have cemented the personal and political links that will underpin the development of the global green movement.
The Global Young Greens meeting was also instrumental in linking people around the planet and
around Australia who have decades of politically active life ahead. As one of the organising
collective, Kate Walsh, put it: "The participants were an inspirational and active group of people. It
was an amazing opportunity to meet each other and form friendships and engage in such an
intelligent and vigorous debate." We hope that the next Global Greens meeting can give much stronger support to bringing young Greens together. The
Rio+10 International Workshop, coordinated by Sarojini Krishnapillai, was a collaboration by the
Heinrich Böll Foundation (Germany), Friends of the Earth Australia and the newly formed Green
Institute (Australia). A recurring theme was that we are here to make a difference and, though time
is short, we can for the first time talk about a common strategy between the green movement and the Green party in preparation for Johannesburg and beyond.
After the Australian conferences, 2001 unfolded as a turbulent, uncertain opening to the new
century. Many feel less secure but more than ever we know that we are all neighbours on this one
planet and must act accordingly. The Greens are a bright thread in this modern tapestry, holding
fast to our ideals and our optimism, becoming stronger and more influential.
At the year's end, we celebrated the new Green Party in Papua New Guinea, the federal registration
of the Green Party in the USA and, in Australia, the re-election of Bob Brown to the Senate and the
doubling of our national vote to 5%. In 2002 we look forward to supporting Greens in elections in
Colombia, France, Korea, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and the USA, amongst others, and to making an impact at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.
Thanks to everyone who made the long journey to Australia. Thanks to everyone who helped make
the three meetings so successful. We are looking forward to the next Global Greens conference in
2006 in Africa and in the meantime, as our Charter says, we will continue to "support each other
personally and politically with friendship, optimism and good humour, and not forget to enjoy ourselves in the process!" Margaret Blakers November 2001
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