Catholic groups address natural resource crisis at World Social Forum

Published: 2007-01-23

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) -- Catholic international aid agencies urged governments and multinational corporations to address the problems caused by competition and the exploitation of natural resources as part of the seventh World Social Forum held Jan. 20-25 in Nairobi. The aid agencies issued a statement demanding that governments and multinational corporations be required to have consent from the local community before resources are extracted. They also called for accountability so that the local community can reap the benefits of its natural resources and for practical and enforceable steps to be taken to ensure such accountability. The World Social Forum provides a global platform of meetings, debates and marches to address international policies that exploit the poor, women and children, and the environment.

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