International Assembly: Global May Manifes to As hundreds of thousands of people around the world prepare to ta e to the streets this

wee end as part o f a global call for change, the International Global Spring Assembly an internatio nal and inter-movement assembly formed of supporters of Occupy, Ta e the Square and Latin American, African, Asian and Middle Eastern social movements has relea sed its first statement describing concrete suggestions for a global change. The statement the Global May Manifesto calls for systemic change in the global e conomy: the radical democratisation of international institutions li e the IMF, BIS and UN; the replacement of the G8/20 with a democratic UN assembly; a system of global taxation on financial transactions; and for the abolition of tax have ns. It does not represent the position of any local or city assembly; rather it is offered for their consideration. Endorsed by consensus on 4 May 2012 by the International Assembly, this statemen t has been in development since January 2012. It was a process that has seen tho usands of people from six continents and hundreds of cities participating in the discussion and planning for the international days of protests this month parti cularly focusing on the 1, 12, 15 and 18 May. These International Assembly meeti ngs have been convened in bi-wee ly assemblies, over an online VoIP platform (ca lled Mumble, which enables mass conference calls and give the assembly its forma l name the International General Assembly on Mumble). The process for developing this global manifesto which is a wor in progress sta rted by collecting statements from the different local and city assemblies, then merging these into a common statement. Individuals were then invited to ma e ne w proposals through a public website and a number of mailing lists that are used for international inter-movement communication. Alvaro Rodriguez, 31, of the Indignados movement in Spain, who participated in t he process of writing the statement, said: This is the beginning of a new global process of bringing the opinions of many people around the world together. It re presents the beginnings of a form of global democracy in its infancy which is di rect and participatory of the people, by the people and for the people. While th e statement does not represent the position of local and city assemblies, the ne xt step is to present it to assemblies around the world for consideration, discu ssion and revisions, as part of a dialogue of the Global Spring movements ta ing p lace across six continents. Next steps for international coordination Individuals around the world are invited to participate in this process of furth er developing this global manifesto through their local and city assemblies, thr ough the faceboo group and through the website. Global May Manifesto The statement below does not spea , or claim to spea , on behalf of everyone in the global spring/Occupy/Ta e the Square movements. This is an attempt by some i nside the movements to reconcile statements written and endorsed in the differen t assemblies around the world. The process of writing the statement was consensu s based, open to all, and regularly announced on our international communication s platforms, that are also open to all (e.g. the squares mailing list, the wee ly global roundtables and the international faceboo group). It was a long and diffic ult process, full of compromises. This statement is offered to peoples assemblies around the world for discussions, revisions and endorsements. There will be a process of a global dialogue, and this statement is part of it, a wor -in-progress. We do not ma e demands from governments, corporations or par liament members, which some of us see as illegitimate, unaccountable or corrupt.

We spea to the people of the world, both inside and outside our movements. We want another world, and such a world is possible: [1.] The economy must be put to the service of peoples welfare, and to support an d serve the environment, not private profit. We want a system where labour is ap preciated by its social utility, not its financial or commercial profit. Therefo re, we demand: Free and universal ac cess to health, education from primary school through higher education and housi ng for all human beings, through appropriate policies to get this. We reject out right the privatization of public services management, and the use of these esse ntial services for private profit. Full respect for childrens rights, including free child care for everyone. Retirement pensions so we may have dignity at all ages. Mandatory universal sic leave and holiday pay. Every human being should have access to an adequate income for their livelihood, so we as for wor or, alternatively, universal basic income guarantee. Corporations should be held accountable for their actions. For example, corporat e subsidies and tax cuts should be done away with if a company outsources jobs t o decrease salaries, harms the environment or the rights of wor ers. Apart from bread, we want roses. Everyone has the right to enjoy culture, partic ipate in a creative and enriching leisure in service of the progress of human in d. Therefore, we demand the progressive reduction of wor ing hours, without redu cing income. Food sovereignty through sustainable farming should be promoted as an instrument of food security for the benefit of all. This should include an indefinite mora torium on the production and mar eting of GMOs and immediate reduction of agroch emical use. We demand policies that function under the understanding that our changing patte rns of life should either be organic/ecological or else not occur. These policie s should be based on a simple rule: one should not spoil the balance of ecosyste ms for profit. Violations of this policy should be prosecuted around the world a s an environmental crime, with severe sanctions for convicted. Policies to promote the change from fossil fuels to renewable energy, through ma ssive investment which should help to change the production model. We demand the creation of international environmental standards, mandatory for c ountries, companies, corporations, and individuals. Ecocide (willful damage to t he environment, ecosystems, biodiversity) should be internationally recognised a s a crime of the greatest magnitude. [2.] To achieve these objectives, we believe that the economy should be run demo cratically at all levels, from local to global. People must get democratic contr ol over financial institutions, transnational corporations and their lobbies. To this end, we demand: Control and regulation of financial speculation by abolishing tax havens, and es tablishing a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT). As long as they exist, the IMF, Wo rld Ban and the Basel Committee on Ban ing Regulation must be radically democra tised. Their duty from now on should be fostering economic development based on democratic decision ma ing. Rich governments cannot have more votes because they are rich. International institutions must be controlled on the principle that e ach human is equal to all other humans African, Argentinean or American; Gree o r German. As long as they exist, radical reform and democratisation of the global trading system and the World Trade Organization must ta e place. Commercialization of li fe and resources, as well as wage and trade dumping between countries must stop. We want democratic control of the global commons, defined as the natural resourc es and economic institutions essential for proper economic management. These com mons are: water, energy, air, telecommunications and a fair and stable economic system. In all these cases, decisions must be accountable to citizens and ensure their interests, not the interests of a small minority or financial elite. As long as social inequalities exist, taxation at all levels should maintain the

principle of solidarity. Those who have more should contribute to maintain serv ices for collective welfare. Maximum income should be limited, and minimum incom e set to reduce the outrageous social divisions in our societies and their socia l political and economic effects. No more money to rescue ban s. As long as debt exists, following the examples of Ecuador and Iceland, we demand a social audit of the debts owed by countries. I llegitimate debt owed to financial institutions should not be paid. An absolute end to fiscal austerity policies that benefit only a minority, and c ause great suffering to the majority. As long as ban s exist, separation of commercial and financial ban s, avoiding b an s too big to fail. End of the legal personhood of corporations. Companies cannot be elevated to the same level of rights as people. The publics right to protect wor ers, citizens a nd the environment should prevail over protection of private property or investm ent. [3.] We believe that political systems must be fully democratic. We therefore de mand full democratization of international institutions, and the elimination of the veto power of a few governments. We want a political system which really rep resents the variety and diversity of our societies: All decisions affecting all man ind shoul d be ta en in democratic forums li e a participatory and direct UN Parliamentary Assembly or a UN peoples assembly, not rich clubs such as G20 or G8. At all levels we as for the development of a democracy that is as participatory as possible, including non representative direct democracy. As long as they are practiced, electoral systems should be as fair and represent ative as possible, avoiding biases that distort the principle of proportionality . We call for the democratization of access to and management of media (MSM). Thes e should serve to educate the public, as opposed to the creation of an artificia l consensus about unjust policies. We as for democracy in companies and corporations. Wor ers, regardless of wage level or gender, should have real decision-ma ing power in the companies and cor porations they wor in. We want to promote cooperative companies and corporation s, as real democratic economic institutions. Zero tolerance of corruption in economic policy. We must stop the excessive infl uence of big business in politics, which is today a major threat to true democra cy. We demand complete freedom of expression, assembly and demonstration, as well as the cessation of attempts to censor the Internet. We demand respect for privacy rights on and off the internet. Companies and the government should not engage in data mining. We believe that military spending is politically counterproductive to a societys advance, so we demand its reduction to a minimum. Ethnic, cultural and sexual minorities should have their civil, cultural, politi cal and economic rights fully recognized. Some of us believe a new Universal Declaration of Human Rights, fit for the 21st century, written in a participatory, direct and democratic way, needs to be wri tten. As long as the current Declaration of Human Rights defines our rights, it must be enforced in relation to all in both rich and poor countries. Implementin g institutions that force compliance and penalize violators need to be establish ed, such as a Global Court to prosecute social, economic and environmental crime s perpetrated by governments, corporations and individuals. At all levels local, national, regional and global new constitutions for political institutions need to be considered, li e in Iceland or in some Latin American countries. Justice and law must wor for all, otherwise justice is not justice, and law is not law. This is a worldwide Global Spring. We will be there in May 2012; we will fight u ntil we win. We will not stop being people. We are not numbers. We are free wome n and men.

For a Global Spring! For global democracy and social justice! Ta e to the streets on May 2012!