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Climate Change

30 November 2018

 

Socialist International

 

‘‘A global call for a sustainable world society – before it’s too late’
 

Despite the efforts of the United Nations and many governments, international organizations and civil society movements against climate change, recent data prove that if we don’t intensify our action it will be too late. 

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), at its most recent meeting, stated that there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people. Urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to reach the target, which is affordable and feasible. 

On the eve of the forthcoming COP24, which opens at the beginning of December, we, leaders of the largest global progressive political family, the Socialist International, are launching an appeal to increase multilateral cooperation on this crucial challenge for humankind, and to deploy more intensive action at all levels. 

The Socialist International has for years been active in identifying the multi-faceted dimension of the fight against climate change. Through the work of its 'Commission for a Sustainable World Society' the SI has also outlined needed policies, such as a global tax on CO2 (and other greenhouse gases). 

We are committed and active in bringing about a revolution in thinking, policies and lifestyles, to address these new challenges. Creating a new paradigm in how we act, how we produce, and how we consume. This mind-shift requires the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to become part of our basic education curriculum, professional training and R&D, as well as our policy decisions. 

It is crucial the SDGs be implemented if we are to fight poverty and illiteracy, secure peace, protect human rights, manage population movements, and guarantee just, sustainable societies for generations to come.

Key to the success of this sea-change is social justice, equality and a healthy, cohesive, participative society which respects the dignity of all. 

We deplore conservative and populist circles around the world who systematically undermine the efforts to combat climate change. Their motives coincide with the powerful oil and gas industries that vehemently lobby against any regulation that might undercut their profits while protecting the environment. We call on all to oppose conscious efforts to distort scientific facts and minimize the catastrophic risks of global warming.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a cornerstone for a wider Global Social Contract. A Social Contract that can unite our planet’s governments and peoples at a time of heightened discord, through common goals that promote responsible cooperation and regulation.  

The social impacts of Climate change are associated with a great number of risks, amongst them, financial risks which need to be assessed in future investment. 

Social partners, civil society and citizens need to rise to the challenge of social responsibility, integrating the efforts for low carbon societies into their daily lives. 

We call on social partners and civil society to unite in our common efforts to implement the SDGs.

We are committed to be front runners in the fight for a more humane, sustainable planet! 

30 November 2018

 

Signatories   
(In alphabetical order)

 
H.E. Mahmoud Abbas President of Palestine, Chairman of Fatah

Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, Ghana

Araz Alizade Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, SDPA

Isabel Allende Vice-President of the SI, Senator, Socialist Party, PS, Chile

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah Vice-President of the SI, National Democratic Congress, NDC, Ghana

Almazbek Atambaev Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, SDPK

Colette Avital Vice-President of the SI, Meretz, Israel

Luis Ayala Secretary General of the Socialist International

Omar Barboza President of the National Assembly, President of A New Era, UNT, Venezuela

Sükhbaatar Batbold Vice-President of the SI, former Prime Minister of Mongolia, Mongolian People’s Party, MPP

Mustafa Barghouti Leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, PNI

Mohamed Bazoum President of the Party for Democracy and Socialism of Niger, PNDS-Tarayya

Mustafa Ben Jaafar Honorary President of the SI, Ettakatol, Tunisia

Victor Benoit President of the Social Democrat Assembly for the Progress of Haiti, Rasanbleman, Vice-President of the SI

Davor Bernardić President of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Croatia

Rubén Berríos President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, PIP, Puerto Rico, Honorary President of the SI

Jorge Bom Jesus President of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party, MLSTP/PSD

Yury Buzdugan Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine, SDPU

Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Honorary President of the SI, Mexico

Carlos César President of the Socialist Party, PS, Portugal, Vice-President of the SI

Ousainou Darboe Leader of the United Democratic Party, UDP, Vice-President of The Gambia

Ahmed Ould Daddah President of the Assembly of Democratic Forces, RFD, Mauritania, Vice-President of the SI

Sher Bahadur Deuba President of the Nepali Congress Party, former Prime Minister of Nepal

Elio Di Rupo President of the Socialist Party, PS, Belgium, Vice-President of the SI, former Prime Minister

Ousmane Tanor Dieng Secretary General of the Socialist Party, PS, Senegal, Vice-President of the SI

Samuel Doria Medina President of the National Unity Party, Bolivia

Mohamed Hadj Djilani First Secretary of the Socialist Forces Front, FFS, Algeria

Colum Eastwood Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, SDLP, Northern Ireland

Álvaro Elizalde President of the Socialist Party, PS, Chile

Turfan Erhürman Leader of the Republican Turkish Party, CTP, Cyprus

Andres Esono Ondo Secretary General of the Convergence for Social Democracy, CPDS, Equatorial Guinea

Elsa Espinoza Vice-President of the SI, Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI, Mexico

Khelil Ezzaouia President of ETTAKATOL, Tunisia

Olivier Faure First Secretary of the Socialist Party, PS, France

Robert Fico Leader of the Social Democracy Party, SMER, Former Prime Minister of Slovakia

Rafael Filizzola Leader of the Progressive Democratic Party, PDP, Paraguay 

Mizuho Fukushima Vice-President of the SI, Social Democratic Party, SDP, Japan

Fofi Gennimata President of the Movement for Change, Greece

Gerardo Giovagnoli Secretary of the Party of Socialists and Democrats, PSD, San Marino

Pedro Miguel González Secretary General of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, PRD, Panama

Ouafa Hajji President of the Socialist International Women

Tarja Halonen Honorary President of the SI, Former President of Finland

Eero Heinäluoma Vice-President of the SI, Finnish Social Democratic Party, SDP, Finland

Janira Hopffer Almada Leader of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, PAICV, Vice-President of the SI

Brendan Howlin Leader of the Labour Party, Ireland

Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana Vice-President of the SI, SWAPO Party, Namibia

Bernal Jiménez Vice-President of the SI, National Liberation Party, PLN, Costa Rica

Walid Jumblatt Leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, PSP, Lebanon

H.E. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré President of Burkina Faso, Leader of the People’s Movement for Progress, MPP

Chantal Kambiwa Vice-President of the SI, Social Democratic Front, SDF, Cameroon

H.E. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta President of Mali

Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh Prime Minister of Mongolia, Chairman of the Mongolian People’s Party, MPP

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu Leader of the Republican People’s Party, CHP, Turkey

Albin Kurti Leader of the Movement for Self-Determination, Vetëvendosje, Kosovo

Driss Lachguar First Secretary of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, USFP Morocco

Ricardo Lagos Former President of Chile, former Special United Nations Envoy on Climate Change, Chair of the SI Commission for a Sustainable World Society

Rasim Ljajić Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia, SDPS

Pia Locatelli Vice-President of the SI, Italian Socialist Party, PSI, Italy

Pere López Leader of the Social Democratic Party, PS, Andorra

Carlos Lupi President of the Democratic Labour Party, PDT, Brazil, Vice-President of the SI

Ahmed Majdalani Leader of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, Palestine

Carlos Maldonado President of the Radical Party, PR, Chile

Hrant Markarian Chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, ARF, Armenia

Shazia Marri Vice-President of the SI, Pakistan People’s Party, PPP

Seiji Mataichi President of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Japan

Julião Mateus Paulo Vice-President of the SI, MPLA, Angola

Mustafa Mauludi Secretary General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran

Attila Mesterhazy Vice-President of the SI, Hungarian Socialist Party, MSzP, Hungary

Rafael Michelini President of New Space, PNE, Uruguay, Vice-President of the SI

Heraldo Muñoz President of the Party for Democracy, PPD, Chile

Mario Nalpatian Vice-President of the SI, Armenian Revolutionary Federation, ARF, Armenia

Riccardo Nencini Secretary General of the Italian Socialist Party, PSI, Italy

Nermin Nikšić President of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Julia Ojiambo Leader of the Labour Party of Kenya

Cemal Özyiğit Leader of the Social Democracy Party, TDP, Cyprus 

George Papandreou President of the Socialist International, former Prime Minister of Greece

Peter Phillips Leader of the People’s National Party, PNP, Jamaica

Vlad Plahotniuc Chairman of the Democratic Party of Moldova, Vice-President of the SI

Henry Ramos Secretary General of the Democratic Action Party, Venezuela, SI Vice-President

Antti Rinne Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Finland

Jesús Rodríguez Vice-President of the SI, Radical Civic Union, UCR, Argentina

Pedro Sánchez President of the Spanish Government, Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, PSOE, Spain, Vice-President of the SI

Tiémoko Sangaré President of African Party for Solidarity and Justice, Adema-PASJ, Mali

Nabeel Shaath Vice-President of the SI, Fatah, Palestine 

Jan J. Sithole President of the Swazi Democratic Party, SWADEPA, Swaziland

Mikalai Statkevich Leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada), BSDP, Belarus

Sandra Torres Leader of the National Unity for Hope, UNE, Guatemala, Vice-President of the SI

Bokary Treta President of the Assembly for Mali, RPM, Vice-President of the SI

Zharmakhan Tuyakbay Chairman of the Nationwide Social Democratic Party, OSDP, Kazakhstan

Miguel Vargas President of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, PRD, Dominican Republic, Vice-President of the SI

Faysal Ali Warabe Leader of the Justice and Welfare Party, Somaliland

Svetlina Yolcheva President of the Bulgarian Social Democrats, PBSD, Bulgaria

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Chair of the People’s Pakistan Party, PPP

Martin Ziguélé President of the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People, MPLC, Central African Republic

 

_______________

 

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Member parties in government

List of SI member parties in government 

Member Party Congresses

Italy, PSI 
Congress
Rome
29-31 March 2019

 

Chad, UNDR
Congress
Mongo
12-14 April 2019

VENezUELA

Resolutions and Decisions of the XXV SI Congress

Report to the XXV SI Congress

 

Finances of the InternationAl

Budget and accounts

Elections

Slovakia
Presidential elections
16 March 2019

 

Ukraine
Presidential elections
31 March 2019

 

Andorra
Andorran General Council

7 April 2019

 

Israel
Israeli Knesset
9 April 2019

 

Finland
Parliamentary elections
14 April 2019

 

Spain
General elections
28 April 2019

Resolutions and Decisions of the XXIV Congress

 


Report of the Secretary General




venezuela

SI welcomes the release of political prisoner Manuel Rosales

02 JANUARY 2017

The release from prison of Manuel Rosales, leader of Un Nuevo Tiempo, UNT, of Venezuela, an SI member party, has been warmly welcomed by the Socialist International. He was unjustly imprisoned following his arrest in October 2015, returning to the country after six years in exile. While celebrating his release, we vigorously protest against the conditions imposed on his freedom, including the need for him to regularly report to authorities, and forbidding him from leaving the country. The International salutes his courage and strength, and expresses its support and solidarity to his family, friends, and comrades...

IRAN

SI condemns terrorist attack against member party KDP-Iran


21 DECEMBER 2016


The Socialist International firmly condemns the terrorist attack against the party headquarters in Arbil of the SI member Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP-Iran, which took place on 20 December. The attack was carried out as party members were leaving a memorial ceremony honouring former party leader Abdulrahman Ghassemlou, who was assassinated in Vienna in 1989. Four party members, a member of the youth organisation and a security guard died in the attack and several others were seriously injured. Our International extends its deepest condolences to the families and comrades of those killed. The SI reiterates its strong solidarity with all members of the KDP-Iran at this difficult time.

POLITICAL PRISONERS

Political Prisoners

turkey

SI calls for respect for democracy in Turkey and the release of detained HDP leaders

4 NOVEMBER 2016

The Socialist International firmly deplores the arrest this morning of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, Co-Chairs of the People’s Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi), HDP, an SI member party, and the detention of 11 other HDP parliamentarians, in a further blow to Turkish democracy following earlier crackdowns and restrictions on the freedoms and rights of the citizens of that country. The HDP is the third largest political party in Turkey and won seats in parliament in June 2015 despite the existing 10% threshold, and again in the elections re-called in November 2015. In May this year, the immunity that MPs usually hold from prosecution was removed from HDP members. Party members have subsequently protested against repeated raids of their homes and offices...

 

veneZuela

SI Declaration on Venezuela

21 OCTOBER 2016

The Socialist International deplores the decision adopted yesterday, Thursday 20 October, by the Electoral National Council (CNE) of Venezuela to postpone until a new judicial order the process of collection of 20% of signatures required to activate a recall referendum on the government of Nicolás Maduro scheduled for 26, 27 and 28 of this month. In its public declaration, the CNE bases its decision on compliance with the Constitution and observance of precautionary measures adopted by the criminal courts of Valencia, San Fernando Apure, Aragua and Bolivar, after accepting complaints for alleged electoral crimes against the political forces which are members of the Mesa de Unidad Democrática (MUD), an alliance which includes member parties of the SI, in the process to activate the recall referendum...

 

SYRIA

Socialist International calls for an immediate end to the ongoing bloodbath in Syria and for united efforts by the international community to end the conflict


14 OCTOBER 2016


As the world continues to witness the tragedy taking place in Syria, the Socialist International calls for renewed concerted efforts by the international community to stop the carnage and human suffering which has intensified following the breakdown last month of the brief ceasefire that lasted less than a week. The Syrian people are hostages to a conflict that transcends their country and whose solution today lies primarily outside their borders. According to United Nations figures, some 13.5 million Syrians are today requiring humanitarian assistance…


COLOMBIA

   

Standing with Colombia for peace

 

Colombia

Standing with Colombia for peace


26 SEPTEMBER 2016


The Socialist International greets the historic signing today in Cartagena of the Peace Accord between the government of Colombia and the FARC, successfully concluding a process which began more than four years ago in Havana. Our International is among those accompanying this significant event, maintaining its commitment and support for peace in Colombia today and for the post-conflict period of disarmament and reconciliation.

BElarus

Parliamentary elections bring no true democracy and no real change in Belarus


13 SEPTEMBER 2016


Despite the election of opposition parliamentarians for the first time in twenty years, legislative elections in Belarus have not delivered true democracy to the people of that country. The Socialist International reiterates its firm support and solidarity to all those in Belarus engaged in the fundamental struggle for democracy and human rights. On 11 September 2016, Belarusian citizens went to the polls for parliamentary elections, the results of which are now known. The new parliament contains two opposition MPs, the first elected since 1996, but remains overwhelmingly dominated by those who support President Alexander Lukashenko....

GamBia

SI denounces the sentencing of opposition leader in The Gambia


22 JULY 2016


The Socialist International firmly denounces and condemns the sentencing of Ousainou Darboe, leader of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) of Gambia, an SI member party, along with 18 other party members and sympathisers, to 3 years imprisonment, having been arbitrarily detained since 16 April 2016 following a peaceful demonstration. The SI utterly deplores this travesty of justice and calls for their immediate release. We equally call on the international community to join forces in denouncing the conduct of the dictatorial regime of Yahya Jammeh and calling for an end to the continuing violation of human rights in that country...

  • ♦ 23 August 2016
  • With great sorrow the SI has learned of the death while in jail of Ebrima Solo Kurumah, UDP party member, the second such case in five months. The SI calls for an urgent full investigation into the circumstances of this tragic death. The Socialist International remains extremely concerned about the lives of all those protestors incarcerated as we have now seen two political prisoners of this group who have lost their lives in the last few months.

TURKEY

SI condemns coup attempt and supports democracy in Turkey


16 JULY 2016


The Socialist International condemns the attempt by military forces in Turkey last night and in the early hours of this morning, to bring down the legitimately elected government of the country. Our organisation wholeheartedly shares and fully supports the clear and unequivocal statements made by the leaders of the CHP and the HDP, members of our global political family, as the coup attempt unfolds. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the CHP, said that the country had suffered previous coups and these developments should never be repeated in Turkey, adding that his party fully depends on the free will of the people, indispensable to Turkey’s parliamentary democracy…

venEZUELA

SI denounces ruling against amnesty and reconciliation law in Venezuela


12 April 2016


The Socialist International denounces the grave disregard of the sovereign will of the Venezuelan people and the usurpation of powers by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) of the country, which yesterday declared as unconstitutional the Amnesty and National Reconciliation Law that had been approved by a majority in the National Assembly on 29 March this year. The resounding electoral victory in the elections to the National Assembly at the beginning of December 2015 was based on a clear proposal...

CIS, Caucasus and Black Sea

SI calls for an immediate end to the confrontation between Azerbaijanis and Armenians


04 APRIL 2016


The Socialist International has followed with great concern the hostilities and attacks that have taken place in the last 48 hours between Armenians and Azerbaijanis with a regrettable loss of numerous lives. Our International calls for an immediate ceasefire and for an end to these hostilities, and at the same time reiterates the urgent need for a resumption of dialogue within the framework of the Minsk Group, a body accepted by both Armenia and Azerbaijan and recognised by the multilateral organisations, to resolve through negotiation and in accordance with the principles of international law...

PAKiSTAN

SI Solidarity with the Pakistani people


28 March 2016


The Socialist International expresses its solidarity with the people of Pakistan as they come to terms with the horrendous terrorist attack carried out yesterday near Lahore. Over 70 people lost their lives as they enjoyed a Sunday afternoon in the park, including numerous women and children, and over 300 were injured. We strongly denounce this violent act, as we have other such terrorist attacks in Pakistan and elsewhere. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of the deceased and our sympathy is with all those injured and suffering as a result... 


Uganda

In support of democracy in Uganda


22 FEBRUARY 2016


In recent years the people of Africa have continued advancing and moving forward democratic governance in an important number of countries of the region. Today, more and more people in that continent enjoy freedoms and rights, a precondition for progress, development and peace. Members of the Socialist International in a good number of countries in Africa have been protagonists and actors of an era of change that has been bringing new opportunities and a new face to the political life of the continent. Nevertheless, authoritarianism, oppression and other evils of the past still linger in the political life of some of the countries in the region...

Socialist International