Organisers of the upcoming Ecosocialism 2025 have released an initial conference agenda, along with an exciting updated list of international speakers.
This year’s Ecosocialism conference, themed “Ecosocialism not Barbarism”, will be held in Balam Balam Place in Naarm/Melbourne over September 5–7.
As with the previous five Ecosocialism conferences, it is being organised by Green Left (GL), Socialist Alliance (SA), Links — International Journal of Socialist Renewal and Resistance Books.
Among the new international speakers to be confirmed by the conference organising committee are:
- Nilüfer Koc, spokesperson for the Commission on Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan National Congress;
- Mahendra Kusuma Wardhana and Rizaldi Ageng Wicaksono, from Perserikatan Sosialis (Socialist Union) in Indonesia.
- Denys Pilash, an activist with Ukrainian democratic socialist organisation Sotsialniy Rukh (Social Movement) and editorial board member of Commons: Journal of Social Criticism; and
- Gandipan Natha Gopalan, a Parti Sosialis Malaysia (Socialist Party of Malaysia, PSM) central committee member.
Organisers are hoping to confirm speakers representing socialist and progressive organisations from Singapore, the United States and Brazil in coming weeks.
They will joined by Adam Hanieh, a scholar of Middle East political economy whose research focuses on the dynamics of capitalism and imperialism in the Middle East; Ammar Ali Jan, Haqooq-e-Khalq Party (Pakistan) general secretary; Jess Spear, from the Global Ecosocialist Network and an activist with People Before Profit (Ireland).
Also confirmed to attend are: Amanda Shweeta Louis, chairperson of the PSM’s youth wing; N Sai Balaji; from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation; Merck Maguddayao, of the Party of the Labouring Masses (Philippines); and Youngsu Won, director of Pnyx — Korean Institute for Marxist Studies (South Korea).
New local speakers have also been added to the bill, including: Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung activist and Independent Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe, Merri-bek councillor Sue Bolton, SA national co-convenor Sam Wainwright, GL co-editor Pip Hinman, Naarm-based Korean socialist Seona Cho, transgender activist Elizabeth Bantas, artist Mariota Spens, housing campaigner Rachel Evans and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel advocate Markela Panegyres.
The conference will feature close to 30 panels, covering topics ranging from Palestine, the struggle of peace and justice in South Asia, and the role of art in changing society, through to resisting US President Donald Trump and the far-right billionaire class, the fight for trans rights, and organising workers in the 21st-century economy.
Other panel discussions will focus on First Nations’ struggles for sovereignty, the people’s power movement that toppled South Korea’s far-right president, the case against AUKUS and militarism, current debates on imperialism and women’s liberation today.
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