Rwandan protest and the Global Greens

Our International Coordinator has already been writing a protest about this and both the Global Greens and the European Green Party have issued press releases condemning it. Caroline Lucas has also sent a message of protest to the Commonwealth, together with Senator Bob Brown from Australia, Russell Norman , leader of the New Zealand Greens.

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/16-07-2010-commonwealth-rwanda.html

Yesterday we had a meeting of the international committee where we discussed the Global Greens.

One of the issues we discussed  is that for the first time an African Green Party (the Senegalese) is proposing to host the Global Greens conference in 2012. This is an important development as previous conferences have been in Europe or Australia and last time around in South America. Many African parties are very small and trying to operate in very hostile environments.

I asked that our party be more involved in the GG conference this time. Last time in Brazil, 2008, while I was International Coordinator, we only sent one delegate and I set up facilities in London to watch the live streaming of the conference, which was mainly funded by the GPEW MEPs. Unfortunately very few people availed of it, partly because it was just after the London Assembly elections. The next conference will also be just after the London elections but I am hoping that more people in the UK will take an interest in it this time and also that the live webstreaming will be set up at an earlier date as the last time around the information was a bit last minute. Unfortunately the technology was not interactive which meant that we could only watch proceedings but not participate. 

For more info on the Global Greens see their website.

http://www.globalgreens.org/statements/kagwa_rwisereka_assassinated

The meeting yesterday was the last of the current international committee and a new one will be elected at conference. I will be standing again as one of those who has been most active in the international affairs of the party and I am hoping that the new committee will take on board the issue of how GPEW can be more involved with the Global Greens and the 2012 conference. It is imporant to recognise that we are part of a global movement and to participate more fully in that movement.