Meeting here in Bangkok and coming from different countries in Asia and elsewhere, and comparing the experiences of our economies and people; listening to the stories and cries of farmers, women, indigenous peoples, fisher folk, the urban poor and slum dwellers of Thailand, and hearing similar stories from India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka; we are struck by the commonality of the consequences of debt and the globalization of the economy on our societies and on nature.

We would like to communicate to you what they said and what we found:

You have gone beyond your original tasks, which were formulated originally in terms of assistance to countries with balance of payments problems. Most people perceive your role now as being a master rather than a facilitator, interfering with legitimate national policies. Also you do not really honour the UN human rights instruments, including the declaration on the rights of the child, which we see as compulsory pre-conditions for all your activities. You sometimes legitimate your policies by speaking about "necessary sacrifices" which is in fact a term with religious significance which we totally reject; never can the suffering of the poor be accepted as a means or tool to contribute to the success of the economy. By imposing structural adjustment programmes on countries, you hijack governments' accountability to their own people while you yourselves are accountable to no one.
Looking at the consequences of the Asian crisis in general and the role of your policies in particular, the strong impression we have is that you see signs of economic recovery, but underestimate the sufferings of the people and their communities and the ongoing destruction of the environment by the over-exploitation of mother earth. There was a deep concern that by stimulating economic growth in the modern sector alone, resources are used to feed the process of a growing consumerism, while basic needs remain unfulfilled.
Necessary renewal asks for respect for the principle that every culture is entitled to have and to develop its own economic system. We remind you that the concept of jubilee as it can be found in the Bible links the real renewal of the economy with the willingness to make the basic resources of life (land and capital) available to all, and not only to the privileged. The Washington consensus is bulldozing all other cultures, creating a consumerist attitude and taking away the life of agricultural communities.

We advise you strongly to try to regain the respect of those who are now deeply afflicted, and not to see them as obstacles for reaching your own objectives.

The symposium was jointly organized by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the World Council of Churches, the Christian Conference of Asia, the Church of Christ in Thailand, and the Asian Cultural Forum on Development. It was attended by over 60 people from various sectors of society in Thailand and from 19 other countries, namely, Canada, China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Uganda, and Vanuatu.