The Global Greens will be meeting both online and in person in Seoul, South Korea.
Amelia Womack was deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2014-22
As I travelled across the country during my time as Green Party deputy leader, there were many aspects of the party that captured the imaginations of people I spoke to. Whether it was our radical yet rational policies, the way we campaign from the grassroots, or our achievements in the communities we represented.
But, no matter where I was, the most intrigue was always from the unique way we genuinely embraced the term “think global, act local”. And Greens have a unique way to do this through the Global Greens.
Our structures begin at the grass roots where local parties feed into regional parties that make up the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). GPEW is a member of the European Green Party where we come together to discuss, debate and vote on our shared policies that we need to be collaborating and working on across borders. In turn, the European Greens feed into the Global Greens where every four years Greens from around the world congregate to work on a global vision of tackling social and economic inequality while tackling the climate and ecological emergencies.
In 2017, GPEW had the privilege of hosting our sister parties for the Global Green Congress in Liverpool. From the opening ceremony to the closing speeches, the whole event was a constant reminder that we are not alone in campaigning for a better future for this planet. The arena in Liverpool was vibrant with the variety of campaign priorities that only a truly global movement can tackle.
Anecdotally, one of my favourite stories from this congress was when our Oxford Green councillor Elise Benjamin (now International Coordinator) was having a conversation with a woman from the Solomon Islands about how many islands they had to visit during their Parliamentary campaigns. Elise described how on election day Oxford Green Party cycled around the city with Green Party flags on the backs of their bikes. She joked about how stereotypical this was for both Oxford and the party there. The woman said “actually we do the same”, “on bikes?!” Elise asked….. “no, on boats”. Our connectivity as a global movement goes deeper than policies, we are part of a shared philosophy that we are proud of and our banners fly within countries and places that most people wouldn’t imagine greens to be represented and campaigning.
The world has changed so much since we last met in 2017, but in just two weeks time The Global Greens will be meeting both online and in person in Seoul, South Korea. Since Liverpool the world has experienced record breaking temperatures, Pakistan was devastated by flooding, fires have ripped through America and Australia, the UK left the EU and, of course, the global covid pandemic changed our way of life – even if it was for a short time. Never has there been a more important time to be working cross border to ensure we tackle social, economic injustice and the ecological crisis while remaining below 1.5º of warming.
After closing the last conference with an invigorating speech about the politics of hope, I am looking forward to handing over the mantle to the Korean Green Party. I will be in attendance with representatives from India, Venezuela, Kenya, Canada and Germany, to name a few countries that are taking part, as well as people from around the world connecting online.
With speeches that promise to inspire, workshops offering a global perspective on issues such as a green economy, workers rights and democracy as well as local perspectives from elected Greens.
You can join us by signing up for your ticket today. I can’t wait to be there, and I hope you’ll join me and take part in a truly global movement working to tackle the biggest issues of our generations.
Sign up for online tickets here: https://whova.com/portal/registration/globa3_202306/saint3dwThis event is a vital part of our international democracy, please donate to help fund the event https://global-greens-congress-2023.raisely.com
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.