[GPCA Updates] GP ADVISORY: US Greens attend Global Greens Congress in Brazil, May 1-4

Tue Apr 22 19:53:40 PDT 2008

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, April 22, 2008

US Green Party sends delegation to the Second
Global Greens Congress in São Paulo, Brazil, May
1-4

• Green presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney
is scheduled to speak at the conference on May 2

• More than 800 delegates from over 80 countries
in six continents will attend, with large
delegations from Africa and the Asia-Pacific
Region

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United
States will send six delegates to the Second
Global Greens Congress, to take place in São
Paulo, Brazil, May 1-4, 2008
(http://www.globalgreens.org).

The US Green delegates are Mike Feinstein (former
Mayor of Santa Monica, California), Marnie
Glickman (Oregon), and Julia  Willebrand (New
York).  Alternate delegates will also attend:
John Rensenbrink (Maine), Bahram Zandi
(Maryland), and Justine McCabe (Connecticut).

Ms. Willebrand and Ms. McCabe are co-chairs of
the Green Party's International Committee
(http://www.gp.org/committees/intl).  Ms.
Willebrand and Mr. Feinstein are helping to
organize the Global Greens meeting, serving on
the steering and financial committees of the
event.

Several other US Greens will also attend the
Global Greens Congress, including Lynne Serpe,
one of the organizers of the party's 2008
National Nomination Convention, set for Chicago,
July 10-13.

"The Global Greens meeting together in Sao Paul
may justly lay claim to be one of the only
federations of political parties in the world
that unites in one integrated whole the
aspirations of the peoples of the world for
ecological sanity, social justice, democracy, and
an end to militarism," said Mr. Rensenbrink, a
principal founder of the Global Green Network, a
communication channel for all the Green Parties
in the world.

Cynthia McKinney, candidate for the Green Party's
presidential nomination
(http://www.runcynthiarun.org) and a former US
Congresswoman from Georgia, is scheduled to
deliver a plenary speech on Friday, May 2.  Ms.
McKinney is one of four Green presidential
candidates; the others are Jesse Johnson
(http://www.jesse08.org), Kent Mesplay
(http://www.mesplay.org), and Kat Swift
(http://www.voteswift.org).  Sedinam Kinamo
Christin Moyowasifza-Curry is running for the
Green vice-presidential nomination.

The Global Greens Agenda

The Global Greens is the international network of
officially recognized Green parties and green
political movements.  Its mission is to promote
the Global Green Charter
(http://www.globalgreens.info/globalcharter.html)
among Green Parties throughout the world, as well
as kindred green groups and society at-large; to
stimulate and facilitate action on matters of
global consequence; and to deepen communication
among Greens everywhere.  The Green Party of the
United States is also an active participant in
the Federation of the Green Parties of the
Americas (http://www.fpva.org.mx).

More than 800 delegates from over 80 countries in
six continents have registered for the Congress,
with large delegations from Africa and the
Asia-Pacific Region.

The program for the Global Greens meeting
(http://www.globalgreens.org/brazil2008/working_draft_program)
features a wide range of events, including a
dedication to Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian Green
presidential candidate who was kidnapped by the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in
2002 and is still being held; plenary discussions
on the global climate crisis, biodiversity,
sustainable cities, and the future of the Global
Greens; and approval of a Global Green climate
change action plan.

The US Green delegation will lead a workshop
during the conference on the relationships among
the Green Party of the United States and other
Green Parties around the world, with a focus on
the US Green role as the main opposition party to
the US two-party political establishment and
current US foreign policies
(http://plan21.globalgreens.org/node/48), and US
Green Party responsibilities in the world at
large and in relation to other Green Parties.

The Congress will be officially opened by
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Prominent Green politicians at the meeting
include European Green Party Co-Spokespersons
Ulrike Lunacek and Philippe Lamberts; Reinhard
Buetikofer, Co-Chair of the German Green Party;
Canadian Green Party leader Elizabeth May;
Senator Bob Brown, leader of the Australian
Greens; and several prominent Brazilian Green
leaders.  A media room at the Congress venue will
be provided for journalists covering the event,
and media and communications officers will be on
hand to assist reporters and facilitate
interviews with key participants.

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Video of Green presidential candidates
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/presidential-videos.php
• Green candidate database for 2007 and other
campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau
http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
• Links to Green Presidential Candidates' web
sites
http://www.gp.org/committees/pcsc/index.shtml
• 2008 Green National Convention: Live Green,
Vote Green
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/index.shtml
• Media credentialing
http://www.gp.org/committees/media/kit.shtml
• Links to Green Presidential Candidates' web
sites
http://www.gp.org/committees/pcsc/index.shtml

Second Global Greens Congress, São Paulo, Brazil,
May 1-4, 2008
http://www.globalgreens.org
• Program of events
http://www.globalgreens.org/brazil2008/working_draft_program
• Global Green Charter
http://www.globalgreens.info/globalcharter.html

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