This text is part of the special International Solidarity section
The pandemic has exacerbated inequalities on several fronts. On the occasion of the Quebec Days of International Solidarity, the Quebec Association of International Cooperation Organizations (AQOCI) calls for renewed collaboration between the North and the South.
The activities of the Journées québécoises de la solidarité internationale (JQSI), which are held across Quebec throughout the month of November, will have the theme this year: Call for the co-construction of a just and united world. The choice was made with the members of AQOCI. “It was quite a process of reflection,” says Michèle Asselin, Executive Director of AQOCI. The Association brings together some sixty Quebec members in international cooperation, who work in Quebec and abroad.
Co-building the world of tomorrow
While we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the JQSIs are a good opportunity to draw attention to the importance of thinking globally about the issues that affect us. If we foresee a return to a semblance of normality in Quebec, several countries of the South are still plunged into the crisis and do not have access to vaccines. “The countries of the North are in full economic recovery, but we must think about a viable economy for all, and not a recovery that will continue to exacerbate inequalities”, insists Mr.me Asselin. To build a more egalitarian world, we must therefore call on collective knowledge and value that of the South as much as that of the North.
To co-construct, we must also first listen. “We are told ‘do not speak for us, let us carry our own voice'”, underlines Mme Asselin. International cooperation organizations thus establish real partnerships with local authorities, and attempt to decolonize their practices and share their powers. “Partnerships have a lot to bring to Quebec. We must learn from the knowledge developed all over the world, ”believes the Director General. The mandatory switch to virtual during the pandemic has also facilitated the exchange between several partners in the South and the connection of people from all over the world.
Courses of action
The awareness-raising activities of the JQSI – some of which will take place face-to-face – are part of nine major courses of action defined by AQOCI and its partners. Promotion of knowledge from the South; fight against tax evasion; fight against inequalities, systemic racism and gender-based discrimination; promotion of agroecological knowledge; conflict prevention and peace building: the themes cast a wide net. “We want to co-build another world. These nine major concerns allow us to gain a global perspective on the issues, ”remarks Michèle Asselin.
These themes are all very hot at the moment when we see the scale of the problem of tax havens, revealed again by the Pandora Papers. “How much money could be invested in social programs, development aid and to counter inequalities? »Asks Mme Asselin. The Association is also committed to the fight against all inequalities and discrimination, starting with systematic racism against indigenous peoples here.
Partnerships have a lot to bring to Quebec. We must learn from knowledge developed all over the world.
Not only are the JQSIs highlighting the actions that Quebec citizens and leaders can undertake now, but the AQOCI has also drawn up a declaration that it wants to have the Quebec Parliament ratified. Because if everyone can do their part, the establishment of structures is essential to real change, both locally and internationally.
Rethinking the future
Repercussions on supply chains, rapid circulation of the virus: the pandemic has clearly demonstrated the interrelationship of global players. Most of the issues that will affect us in the coming years must also be thought about more broadly. “WHO invites us to think globally,” recalls Michèle Asselin. Climate change, for example, will reinforce inequalities, as the actions of major polluters (in the North) first reach southern or marginalized communities.
It is the sum of these gestures that will make it possible to co-construct a better future for the generations to come. “We must take this moment to act more, concretely and immediately”, summarizes Mr.me Asselin.