10 Things You Can Do on Your Campus to Support the S26 Global Day of Action & the World Bank Bonds Boycott

On September 26, 2000 the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will meet in Prague, Czech Republic for their Annual Meetings. Just as tens of thousands of protestors descended upon Washington, DC on April 16 to protest the undemocratic and unjust workings of these powerful agents of the global economy, thousands will gather in Prague on S26 to demand a more just and equitable world. Activists across the U.S. will join in solidarity with the protestors in Prague.

You can take action on your campus on the September 26 Global Day of Action in a variety of ways, including through the World Bank Bonds Boycott campaign. The World Bank gets 80% of its money from bond sales to institutional investors, which include universities. By asking your university not to purchase World Bank bonds in the future, you can send a powerful message demanding accountability and an end to structural adjustment at the World Bank. Below are some actions you can take on your campus to support the S26 Global Day of Action and build the World Bank Bonds Boycott! For more information on the campaign, visit the campaignâs website at www.worldbankboycott.org, send e-mail to bankboycott@econjustice.net or call 202-299-0020.

1. Hold a rally on your campus in solidarity with the protests in Prague against the IMF and World Bank. Ideas for the rally:

á Highlight your universityâs investment in World Bank bonds (if any).

á Demonstrate in solidarity with a university in the Global South where students are fighting privatization or fee hikes.

á Work with activists targeting a local Citibank branch (See #2)

2. Hold an action at a local Citibank. Demand that Citigroupâs subsidiary Saloman Smith Barney no longer underwrite World Bank bonds, which fund the World Bankâs environmentally and socially destructive projects and policies. Contact Rainforest Action Network at www.ran.org for more on Citigroupâs role in the Third World debt crisis, World Bank bonds, and other issues.

3. Release a letter to your Universityâs treasurer, signed by students, asking that your university pledge not to purchase World Bank bonds in the future. A sample letter will be available on the boycott website. Have a table with a petition to generate hundreds of student signatures in the weeks leading up to S26. Deliver the letter to your administration on S26. Invite the local media.

4. Form a local network of student and community groups to work on the World Bank bonds boycott in your town council and on your campus. Announce the formation of the network or coalition in a press conference on S26.

5. Host a teach-in on or around September 26 on corporate globalization.

á Invite a speaker to talk about the impacts of the IMF and World Bank on the Global South, and specifically on the effects of World Bank policies on education and students;

á Highlight the links between the struggles of working people in the US with those in the Global South by inviting a member of a local struggle against privatization or for the living wage;

á Have a speaker specifically address what you can do stop the IMF/World Bank, by working on the World Bank bonds boycott. If you donât know of speakers in your own community, contact the boycott office for a list of available speakers on these and related issues.

6. Host the World Bank Bonds Boycott tour featuring Trevor Ngwane and the film Two Trevors Go to Washington or Oscar Olivera in October. Trevor Ngwane, a local councilor in Soweto, South Africa will bring his stories of struggle from Africa along with the film by Ben Cashdan of the April protests against the IMF/World Bank in Washington. Oscar Olivera is the leader of the successful protests against World Bank supported water privatization by Bechtel Corporation in Bolivia. The film and organizing tour is a great way to follow up on your successful S26 action. Contact us to get more information on the tour.

7. Show a film about the A16 protests and the IMF/World Bank, such as Breaking the Bank, Deadly Embrace, or Two Trevors Go to Washington. Have a discussion afterwards and initiate a campaign to get your university to boycott World Bank bonds. See the website for information on how to get the videos.

8. Do street theatre or guerilla theatre to dramatize global injustice in a prominent location on campus. Contact United for a Fair Economy (www.ufenet.org) for suggestions on skits and other resources on street theatre.

9. Do a stickering and wheatpasting with materials to raise awareness about the World Bank and the bonds boycott. We have creative and fun materials you can use. Send us an e-mail at bankboycott@econjustice.net to request a package of materials.

10. Send a free fax on S26 to raise your voice for global justice. Details to be announced -- See campaign website for details.