2017-04-17
Vivienne Glance
What an inspiration! The Fourth Global Greens Congress was an exciting and informative experience that I will remember for a long time to come.
I was planning to be in the UK for a family celebration in March, and so when it was announced that the Congress would be held in Liverpool, England from the 30 March to 2 April, I decided to extend my visit and attend. I must admit I didnt fully appreciate the interest or impact the Greens are having around the world, but after 4 days in Liverpool I was much better informed.
Rosanne Bersten, the Australian Greens National Communications Coordinator, has written a great summary of the Congress in the recent Greens Magazine, which can be found here, but Id like to focus on one aspect that is closer to home: the Asia-Pacific Greens Federation.
First a little background for those new to the Global Greens:
The Global Greens took shape at the first Congress in Canberra in 2001, championed by Australian, Margaret Blakers, who is also the out-going convenor. The Global Greens is organised into four federations, one each in the Americas, Africa, Europe and, the one Australia is part of, the Asia-Pacific Greens Federation (AGPF). Made up of 12 Greens parties as full members and 6 as associate members, AGPFs global area reaches from Lebanon, to Mongolia, Taiwan to Fiji. A full list of members can be found here: https://www.globalgreens.org/federations#asia.
All members are either national green parties, or social and environmental organisations from countries across Asia and Oceania who work towards realising the values outlined in the Global Greens Charter. These 6 values reflect our own four pillars: social justice, sustainability, non-violence, participatory democracy, respect for diversity and ecological wisdom.
The APGF is active through various committees and regionally-based action groups, and includes an Asia-Pacific Young Greens Network (APYGN).
Penny Allman-Payne from the Queensland Greens and the immediate past co-convenor of the Australian Greens, worked hard over the Congress to manage the formal business of reaching consensus on APGF resolutions. As a co-convenor, she helped develop the APGFs strategic plan during the Congress, and facilitated knowledge exchange and networking amongst individuals across the membership. Penny also took it upon herself to make sure a photo album of Margaret Blakerss time with the Global Greens was signed by her friends and colleagues.
What struck me most during the Congress was not only the similarity of vision and hope we all share for the future, but also the common passion that drives us. For example, formed in 2007, Sarekat Hijau Indonesia or the Indonesian Green Union is a full member of the APGF and 2 other Indonesian Green parties are associate members: Atjeh Greens and Partai Hijau Indonesia (PHI). Each is working towards political education, alliance building and international networking to offer an alternative to the dominant political-economic power of established parties. Sound familiar? Theyre also raising awareness of the damage done by unsustainable exploitation of the environment, the threat of rising inequality and the need for a more inclusive and politically engaged society.
However, I also began to appreciate how fortunate we are with our democratic institutions and processes. In Australia, its relatively easy for someone to form a political party, requiring 500 signatures from eligible voters. In Indonesia, a party is required to have formally established party structures in a minimum of 33 (or 60% of) provinces, 375 districts and 90 municipalities in each province (that is, 50%), and in 25% of the sub-districts in each district or municipality. This is a significantly higher barrier to participation and affects how the Green movement can engage in politics in Indonesia.
Similarly, the Green Party Korea struggled against legal barriers to becoming a political party. In 2012, they gained 100,000 votes (0.48%) in the National Assembly elections, mainly standing on a platform to phase out nuclear power, improve agriculture and regional security. But Korean electoral law disbands a party if they gain less than 2% of the vote, so the fledgling party had to de-register. They re-registered under a new name – Green Party Plus, but, in 2014, this law was ruled unconstitutional. So, the Green Party reverted to its original name and in the National Assembly election in 2016, it gained 0.76% of all votes. By November 2016 its membership had passed 10,000 and is still growing.
Another growing party in the APGF is Midorino-to Green Japan, which formed in 2012. Committed to putting global interests before national ones, it currently has a capital branch in Tokyo, 9 prefectural and preparatory branches, and 1 regional branch. In the Japanese Diet, only 9.5% of members are female, and it ranks 150th out of 190 countries for female political representation. Greens Japan aims to address this inequality internally and its rules require gender equity for all roles. As the party grows it is hoped this will be a leading example of how to do politics differently.
There are so many more examples of how greens values and interests are growing in the Asia-Pacific region, and of the challenges faced by different parties in our region. The Global Greens Congress was a unique chance to meet, discuss and exchange ideas and learning, and find out more about this planetary movement. During the Congress, we attempted to resolve how we could collectively help one another build our movement and sustain our parties.
As the Congress closed and I headed to London to spend a few days with friends and family, I reflected on how inspiring it is to belong to such a committed group of individuals who share common goals and values, and whose presence in both our region and globally is growing in influence. It was an invaluable experience and I hope to see how much further weve come at the next Congress in around 5 years time.
To find out more about visit:
Global Greens: https://www.globalgreens.org/
Asia-Pacific Green Federation (APGF): https://www.asiapacificgreens.org/
Friends of Global Greens (FROGG): https://www.globalgreens.org/FROGG
Photos: Header: Congress mural. In text: Presentations by Margaret Blakers and Christine Milne