In 2019, the international Greens space has been busy and full of exciting developments – with much more to come in 2020.
By Vivienne Glance
The role of the International Secretary is varied and wide-ranging. As well as being on the Global Issues working Group (GIG) and the International Development Committee (IDC), it includes liaising with the Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APGF) and the Global Greens (GG); posting to the Australian Greens Go Global Facebook page; overseeing global issues proposals to National Council and during the policy review process; and writing occasional articles for Green Magazine. Finally, the International Secretary is often our contact person for Greens members worldwide.
Since the Australian Greens conference in November 2018, I’ve been active and engaged in all these various parts of the Global Greens family, and benefited from shared ideas, expertise, and supported Green activism worldwide. For Australian Greens members interested in international issues, your first point of contact is through your elected GIG delegate. They will bring their member body’s views on global topics to GIG meetings. GIG delegates are asked to encourage members to become active in campaigns, or become involved in some of the committees and working groups of APGF or GG.
Some key GIG campaigns this year are below:
Global Issues working Group (GIG) campaigns 2018-19
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Support self-determination for West Papua
On 1 December every year, the Free West Papua group encourages supporters to fly the Morning Star flag, the independence flag for West Papua. Indonesia views West Papua as a province and flying this flag in West Papua is a criminal offence that can lead to many years in jail.
Leading up to 1 December 2018, GIG encouraged members, MPs and supporters to join a social media campaign, asking people to post a photo of themselves holding up or flying the flag. As you may know, there has been mass unrest in West Papua over the past few months and many people have died or been arrested.
Our International Relations policy supports self-determination, and by flying the Morning Star this year on 1 December we’re showing our support for this basic right. Hope you can join us.
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International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
GIG has been promoting the global cause for countries to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and some of you may remember Dayrl Le Cornu from ICAN speaking at the November 2018 Greens Conference. He also brought along ICAN’s Nobel Peace Prize medal.
On September 26 this year, which is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, several more countries came on board, bringing the total number of signatories to 79 with 32 ratifications. This is moving ever closer to the 50 ratifications needed for the treaty to come into force. Australia has not signed the treaty, and the Australian Greens support ICAN and others in their demand that we join the rest of the world in banning these world-ending weapons.
Other GIG projects have been:
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trying to support local Mongolian Green activists protesting the proposed mining by an Australian mining company, particularly at Lake Khovsgol, which is considered a sacred lake, and is a significant source of fresh water.
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looking at how Green parties and countries around the world are reviewing glyphosate use after it has been found to cause diseases such as cancer.
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Initiating a review of our federal Oveseas Aid policy, and working with the Multicultural Victoria Group, who then took this on as a project.
GIG state delegates’ activities
The Tasmanian GIG group, including Helen Ryan-Sykes, Matthew Ryan-Sykes and Kay McFarlane, helped organise an event in Hobart Town Hall on 12 April, hosting Tilman Ruff from the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and Senator Nick McKim.
Titled “Why Australia should be a signatory: the International treaty to prevent nuclear proliferation”, other speakers included Hobart mayor Anna Reynolds. This was a well-received event and an example of how GIG groups can work at the member body level. Following this, Hobart joined the ICAN Cities Appeal, where local councils can show their support for the Treaty. Yay!
In Western Australia, GIG delegate Sean Bruce-Cullen and I organised a community event in December on the History, Culture and Politics of Nepal. This event coincided with Greens WA’s hosting of two members of the Greens Party of Nepal, who were in Australia as part of the IDC Study tour. Several GWA members including state MP Diane Evers MLC helped organise the internship projects and other events during their stay.
Queensland GIG’s Jenny Mulkearns worked with Senator Larissa Waters’ office when they hosted a multicultural dinner, which coincided with the visit of many overseas Greens members here for the IDC study tour. GIG contributed a small amount towards the cost of this event.
Thank you also to GIG members Des Lawrence (SA), Dierk von Beherns (ACT), and all the alternate delegates.
Unfortunately, Pete Fry (NSW) and Fia Hamid-Walker (VIC) had to step down as delegates this year. To date, they have not been replaced, and the Northern Territory is not currently represented on GIG. It would be great if we could have full representation to ensure we are informing and engaging all members of the Australian Greens on international issues and the progress of our global Greens movement.
If you’re passionate and engaged with international issues, and your state does not have a delegate, please consider nominating yourself. And if you have ideas and suggestions on how we can further build on our local engagement activities, please contact your GIG delegate.
GIG’s work with Party Room
Claire O’Halloran, foreign policy adviser in Richard Di Natale’s office, represented Party Room in GIG meetings. Party Room (largely through Richard, but with plenty of engagement from other Party Room members) was active on issues driven by GIG.
In recent months and in line with GIG’s priorities, West Papua has been a particular priority. Richard hosted an event with the West Papuan community in Parliament in September to highlight human rights abuses being committed by the Indonesian government and the need for self-determination.
West Papua was also a focus through speeches, motions and questions during estimates. In parallel with GIG’s work, other foreign policy work prioritised by Party Room included ongoing abuses in Palestine; oppression by the Chinese government; the recent crackdown and denial of self-determination in Kashmir; and the need to develop an independent, unaligned foreign policy, amongst other issues. The Greens’ federal election platform included an initiative on peace and demilitarisation, which set out the need to shift spending away from the military to Australia’s appallingly low development budget.
Working with National Council and Conference
One area where we have engaged with National Council has been through a review of how international resolutions are handled. A proposal was recently approved at Council – if you would like to find out more, please contact your GIG or National Council delegate.
We also worked on recommendations to Council and Conference on resolutions and statements about military trade with Israel, issues concerning USA/China, and the current situation of the Kurdish and Yazidi people.
What’s coming up for GIG?
Our focus over the coming year will be to continue to support the above campaigns, and others as they arise, plus work with APGF and GG to determine how we can contribute to the planning of their joint congress in Seoul, South Korea in 2021 (see below).
Thank you to all the GIG delegates and other GIG members for everything you’ve contributed to make this such a wonderful group to be part of. We’ve achieved many things and I look forward to GIG continuing to support Greens international work into the future.
Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APGF)
Over the course of the year APGF has grown and expanded its scope of activity.
During the IDC Study Tour in Lennox Head, NSW between 4-7 Dec 2018, it was wonderful to finally meet many of the people I’d engaged with online since becoming International Secretary. The Study Tour has been reported elsewhere, so I won’t repeat that, except to say thanks to everyone who contributed, and especially to IDC’s Michelle Sheather for managing its organisation, and for all the many IDC-funded projects she oversees from conceptual stage to final acquittal.
Following this, the APGF Council held a face-to-face meeting in Brisbane in December 2018, where the strategic plan was reviewed to update and incorporate fundraising objectives. Furthermore, all members committed to developing a roadmap to improve women’s participation and to annual reporting on this.
The APGF has a thriving Women’s Network including the IDC-funded project, consisting of three sub-projects: mentoring program of Green women, the bi-monthly webinar project, and implementing the Gender Equity Toolkit.
The Green Party of India and the Korean Greens are testing the implementation of the Gender Equity Toolkit. Specifically, India aims to improve recruiting women members, and South Korea aims to train more women candidates. Former senator Scott Ludlam and Senator Mehreen Faruqi contributed videos to the South Korean ‘She Will Run’ campaign, which is part of this training. Both parties will document their key activities to form case studies to help other Greens parties realise gender equity in the future, one of the principles in the Global Greens Charter.
It’s been a real pleasure to be part of the Gender Equity subproject team through the IDC and to see this work bearing fruit. Special thanks to Australian Greens APGF Councillor Rose Read who has played a huge role in realising this work.
APGF membership has grown with Bangladesh and Iraq admitted as full members in April 2019, and the Jordanian Nature Democratic Party recently admitted as an associate member. The India Greens Party (IGP), admitted as an associate member in November 2018, has applied for full membership, now that they have received registration as a political party in that country.
APGF Secretariat of many years Claire Waghorn-Lees has resigned, which means recruitment will occur following a review of the position. There’s one trainee employed from Nepal, Rachana Shrestha, who also supports the Women’s Network.
A Policy Committee has been established to develop and share policy templates for members seeking guidance on policy development.
APGF/GG Joint Congress 2021, Seoul, South Korea
Korea will host the 2021 joint APGF and GG Congresses. This is the first to be held in our region since the inaugural GG Congress in 2001. It is proposed to hold both of these Congress events virtually as well as face to face, to maximise global participation.
Bob Hale, one of our APGF Councillors, is very active within the Global Greens, and is working hard to ensure its success. He and I were endorsed as the Australian Greens interim Congress coordinators and are in the early stages of planning the Australian Greens involvement at this important event. Once we have more information, we’ll pass this on so you can get involved. Stay in touch with your GIG delegate or ask your state director to add you to the Australian Greens GIG General email list.
The last GG Congress was held in 2017 in Liverpool, UK. To find out more about the Global Greens, and to support the 2021 Congress, you can purchase a copy of the GG 2017 Congress papers. Filled with amazing speeches, photos, the Liverpool Declaration, and more, this is not only an important record of the event, but an informative and engaging read. You can find out how other countries such as Rwanda, or Austria, Bangladesh or United States of America are addressing urgent green issues. The book can be purchased online from the Global Greens website, or we’re hoping to have copies available at the Canberra conference – look out for them.
Other activities as International Secretary
The GG Climate Action Working Group is mainly focused on knowledge-sharing and collective action. This group has launched a social media campaign – which followed the UN Climate Summit in New York in September – and will be doing this again for COP25 in Santiago, Chile in December. Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt contributed a video as part of this campaign. The GG are holding a Greens forum at COP25, and any Greens member attending this event is welcome to join this.
The GG are looking to revive their own Women’s Network, and more on this as it develops. As with any global work, cultural and language difficulties need to be addressed, but we wish them well and hope to be able to contribute in the future.
In addition to the above work, during this year’s federal election, I helped the Federal Campaign Management Team with overseas voter engagement. Andrew Beaton and I tried to find and activate Greens members overseas by connecting with Greens parties in other countries. The London polling booth is where the largest number of ex-pat Australians vote.
In total, approx 70K Australians vote overseas, so it was important to ensure key places globally are supported. It will be really helpful if members living or working overseas when an election is on, let their state secretary know where they are. Handing out how-to-vote cards at an overseas polling booth is invaluable overseas as well as at home. Plus, we might be able to connect you to fellow Greens members in the country where you are.
And finally…
Thank you to everyone who has helped me in this role over the past year – I really appreciate your support.
And my sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the Australian Greens global engagement, too. Your efforts are an essential part of our global movement and support our shared Greens values as articulated in the Global Greens Charter.
Vivienne Glance is the Australian Greens International Secretary.