India Launches Anti-WTO Peoples Caravan 2005

ActionAid is part of one of the largest movements this year on trade justice. The Peoples Caravan for Justice and Sovereignty was launched in India on 24 October 2005 . As in the other Asian countries, the Caravan in India will pass through places where events connected with the struggle are taking place, such as Andhra Pradesh, where farmer's suicides following crop failure have become a phenomenon, tsunami hit areas and so on.

The Caravan process will voice the unheard demands of the poor, dalits, tribals, women and men, forest dwellers, people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, in other words, all those affected by the neo-liberal policies brought up by the neo-liberalisation regime.

18 million people per year or 50 thousand per day dies due to poverty related causes. This scourge must stop. 

Twelve countries, in Asia including India launched the Peoples' Caravan for Justice and Sovereignty in protest against the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial 2005 on   17 October 2005 . 

The day was observed as the International Day for Eradication of Poverty. The day calls for:

• Action to end poverty
• Stop WTO Negotiations, unequal Trade systems
• Demands for Food Sovereignty,
• Women's Rights,
• Universal Health care including care for HIV and other diseases

The Caravan is a long journey of people's struggles in the wake of WTO Hong Kong Ministerial. The journey includes a wide range of activities all over Asia . In keeping with the diverse range of people and associations, the Caravan's organization is also polycentric, and multi-funded. In ndia, a series of meetings at the state level decided on modalities such as issues to be highlighted as well as a route that best covers the issues. A press conference on 24th October 2005 announced the Cravan. The caravan will lead up to a series of protest events during the Hong Kong Ministerial.