Alternative Summit in South East

The South East Social Forum is to hold an Alternative Environmental Summit and Demonstration on the weekend of 14, 15 and 16 May. The Alternative Summit and demonstration are being organised to coincide with the meeting of EU environmental ministers which will be held in Waterford over that weekend.

The Alternative Environmental Summit, under the title of 'People and Planet Before Profit: Another Europe is Possible', will be held over three days in four different venues. Topics under discussion at the summit include:

o 'Global Climate Change, Environmental & Economic Sustainability, Genetically Modified Organisms'

o 'Yes to Irish Neutrality — No to a Europe of War and Militarisation'

o 'Yes to a Europe of Worker and Social Rights - No to a Europe of Profit and Privatisation of Public Services'

o 'Waste Solutions'

o 'Our Marine Environment'

There will also be music and entertainment throughout the weekend, the Jenkins Lane market with organic and fair-trade goods, an ENFO and Sustainable Ireland exhibition on sustainability and a workshop and field trip on the marine environment.

The demonstration will assemble in The Glen, Waterford at 2.45pm on Saturday 15 May. It will be organised as a family day out with a carnival atmosphere.

The SESF sees this alternative summit as a platform to deliver information to the public, create debate and provide an opportunity for disparate groups and movements to come together to provide alternatives to the current model of development, and to help promote a society where human and environmental rights take precedence over profit and greed.

The South East Social Forum is a plural and diverse organisation modelled on the World and European Social Forums. The purpose of the forums is to bring together people who share a common cause to create a more equitable society and a more sustainable, healthier planet. The SESF believes that another world is possible through solidarity and the access of information, which can lead to better policy decisions.

Social Forums are born of grass roots social movements dedicated to ensuring that human rights are promoted, protected, and fulfiled by governments, intergovernmental organisations, companies and other non-state actors. The forums are for anyone who wants to challenge the principles that the market is more important than the people who live on this planet.

o For details on the events, contact: Paul Flynn: 086-8581915, Roy Hassey: 086-3274015 or www.freewebs. com/sesf/ or [email protected]