The 21-day 2^nd Asian Global Justice School of the IIRE-Manila, last August 1 to 21, 2010, was a big step forward towards the realization of the mission of the institution. In terms of the preparation, attendance, participation, program and discussion, no doubt it can be concluded that the 2^nd AGJS was a big improvement from the previous one.

It should be remembered that the IIRE-Manila was established two (2) years ago, primarily to serve as a venue where activists, progressive forces and scholars in Asia and the Pacific, from different traditions, could come together more accessibly and spend time discussing, debating and assessing different experiences, frameworks and paradigms of different movements towards the emancipation of all oppressed peoples of the world and in confronting burning issues facing humankind.

The preparation of the 2^nd AGJS was more of a collective one. Four (4) fraternal Asian organizations, namely the IIRE-Manila, the Hong Kong based The Association for the Advancement of Research in Marxism, the JRCL and the Labor Party Pakistan (LPP), co-signed and organized the said school. They also helped in raising finances and materials such as magazines and books for the school.

The 2^nd AGJS was attended by eleven (11) participants, five (5) resource-persons/participants and six (6) resource persons. Majority of these attendees came from different movements in Asia; with different traditions and specific contexts. Specifically, the participants came from the Philippines, Japan, Hongkong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka, The Netherlands and France.

The program was also an improvement from the first school, as it was more structured and more systematic. It was divided into three (3) parts: context, movements and on alternative organizing for change. The set-up of the program, as well as the specific topics, opened the discussions on the most urgent and pressing questions faced, not just by Asian movements, but by all movements in the world. These are the developing role of China, the Palestine question, on the LGBT especially in the Asian context, fundamentalism, the struggle for Climate Justice, on the different forms of struggles and strategies, the so-called 21^st century Socialism, among others. Discussions were also richer due to the mixture of participants, who came from various traditions, experiences and contexts.

With the success of the 2^nd AGJS, a much better 3^rd AGJS is in the offing, as participating organizations committed to help, in any way possible, for the realization of the 3^rd AGJS next year. 

* A THANK YOU NOTE

The IIRE-Manila and the participants of the 2nd AGJS would like to express our collective gratitude to all those who supported the 2nd school, either morally, logistically and financially. Without your support, the 2nd school would not be as fruitful as it was.

Thank you so much!