International Issues
Greens are internationalist by nature. We believe our place in the world is made more secure when the world's environmental and social problems are being solved by successful international relations based on global co-operation.
These relations must be underpinned by a commitment to real progress on peace, democracy, mutual common security and economic fairness.
The Green Party will implement a truly ethical foreign policy, with real progress on international social justice and equitable sharing of the world's resources. We will work towards the trade policies of economic localisation as the only viable, long-term basis for peace and security.
Green Party aims include:
- Increasing the overseas aid budget to 1% of the UK's Gross National Investment (GNI).
- Cancel the UK's debt for the 52 poorest countries.
- Replace or modify international institutions to move their focus from profit to people and the environment.
Debt and Aid
The world's poorest countries collectively owe $300bn. This level of debt destabilises national economies because the need to service the debt overrides any long-term vision for the future. Destabilised countries that feel they have no alternatives are more likely to go to war or be involved in terrorism. Therefore, as well as being a matter of social justice, it is also in our national security interest to reduce the debt of the poorest countries in order to help them become more stable.
A more co-ordinated approach to international aid is required. High priority must be given to cancelling the debts of the world's 52 poorest, indebted countries, and whilst this process is being carried out debtor nations should be able to restrict repayments to a smaller percentage of their export earnings.
As a first step we will exceed the UN's target and allocate at least 1% of UK Gross National Investment (GNI) for aid by 2010. We will continue to increase this level through recycling the revenues raised by the introduction of a Tobin tax on speculative currency exchanges. Additional revenue transfers may also be available to developing countries through implementation of carbon emissions trading between North and South.
Reforming International Institutions
We will work to reform and democratise both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. This will ensure that their work prioritises conflict prevention and eradication of poverty and disease, and enhances environmental sustainability.
The European Union needs to be reformed. The European Constitution was a missed opportunity which had the potential to define the values, objectives, and decision making procedures of the Union, and set out the rights and freedoms of the citizens.
We believe the EU should be transparent and accountable. It should respect the ability of people to make decisions about their own communities. We believe in a Europe that is culturally, ethnically and economically diverse, where rights are protected for all and discrimination, poverty and inequality are consigned to history.
Europe is strongly placed to enforce climate agreements and persuade other nations to implement them. We call for the EU to adopt a policy of contraction and convergence; to gradually reduce the planet's Co2 emissions and ensure entitlement to emit is proportional to population, not affluence.
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules must be amended to allow states to discriminate in favour of local production, ethical and environmentally friendly practices. For a sustainable future, world trade needs to be reformed to become fair trade, emphasising local economies and respecting the human and environmental contexts in which trading takes place. Incorporating a General Agreement on Sustainable Trade (GAST) would favour local over global and give individual states back the right to discriminate over the type and quality of trade they engage in.
The current structure of the UN Security Council, with permanent seats for France, the UK, the US, Russia and China, is made undemocratic and often impotent by the right to veto. We will work to reform this institution by abolishing all permanent seats on the Security Council and introduce decision making by majority vote.
More detail
International issues sections of full policy document
