The International Alliance for Localization

 

In addition to producing educational materials and organizing events, we have helped to establish international alliances that work to resist corporate power while simultaneously promoting the renewal of local communities, economies and cultures. ISEC is a founding member of the International Forum on Globalization (IFG) and the Global Ecovillage Network.

Over the next few years, we aim to launch The International Alliance for Localization (IAL). The IAL will be a network of individuals and organizations dedicated to exploring new approaches to today’s ecological, social, and economic crises – approaches that respect and protect cultural and ecological diversity while expanding international dialogue and exchange. The IAL will formalize the social networks ISEC has developed over three decades of work across the globe. We began laying the immediate groundwork for this project in 2006 at our conference in Ladakh, India called “Beyond the Monoculture: Strengthening Local Culture, Economy, and Knowledge.”

The broad objectives of the IAL include:

  • to identify common threats to cultural and biological diversity and discuss the institutional supports (at all levels – local, national and international) needed to sustain this diversity;
  • to enhance the capacity of members to make reasoned, well-informed choices on issues related to economic development, resource use, and cultural and environmental integrity;
  • to expand the existing knowledge base about strategies being implemented to localize economies, rebuild resilience and adaptive capacity, strengthen food security, and maintain cultural integrity in different parts of the world;
  • to forge global partnerships in support of such renewal and resilience-building initiatives;
  • to discuss alternative strategies in the production of basic needs, especially food;
  • to examine the relationship between cultural diversity, biological diversity, and economic security.

If you are interested in supporting this crucial effort, either as an individual donor, or as an institutional sponsor, please contact us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .