World Development Movement blog

Julian Oram, used to be head of campaigns and policy

Arriving in Cancun over the weekend, it was quickly clear to me that this was going to be a fairly surreal week. So far, that initial impression has not let me down, either inside or outside the UN Conference of Parties (COP) 16 climate talks.

Kate Blagojevic, used to be press officer

I was invited to speak on a panel organised by our allies Equity and Justice Working Group in Bangladesh looking at the issue of forced migration as a result of climate change. I agreed, but hastened to add that I am not an expert in migration, but my knowledge comes from my spare time activity with asylum seekers in the UK rather than detailed knowledge of climate forced migration. Reza who was organising the panel promised it was no big deal. Imagine then, my alarm when Kumi Naidoo, the Chief Exec of Greenpeace International and the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh joined me on the panel.

Kate Blagojevic, used to be press officer

In John Vidal's blog post in the Guardian today,  he gives a real sense of the bizarreness of this conference with its heat, vast military operation and the huge number of bus rides you have to take to get to the Moon and back.

As we arrive in Cancun with people from across Mexico and around the world, concerns about a repeat of the dismal failure of the shambles that was Copenhagen abound. The deepening of the outrageous behaviour that was seen in Copenhagen seems more likely than ever. Today I heard of rumours of a new negotiating text that completely disregards any progress painstakingly made during the year through the ongoing drafting of the negotiating text.

Gary Dunion, used to be food campaigns officer

The financial crisis has exposed the power of unregulated financial markets to wreck the real economy most of us depend on. And the bailouts and bonuses have shown that when bankers get it wrong, they aren’t the ones that suffer the consequences.

At the heart of WDM sit its fifty-two local groups. Our groups are made up of people who are committed to campaigning against global injustices and targeting the government and business policies which are keeping developing countries locked in poverty. Through their actions and campaigning efforts, these groups are instrumental in winning our campaigns. One of the ways in which they do this is by lobbying their local MPs.

...to win the worst lobby award.

In July 2010, in just one month, the price of wheat increased by 60 per cent. For us in the UK this could mean higher prices for our biscuits and bread but for those in developing countries, price hikes in basic foods like wheat are disastrous and leads to hunger and malnutrition.

By the end of August, demonstrations against rising food and fuel prices were held in Maputo, capital of Mozambique. “I can hardly feed myself. I will join in the protest because I’m outraged by this high cost of living.” said Nelfa Temoteo, a local resident.