Porto
Alegre II - Call of social movements
Resistance
to neoliberalism, war and militarism: for peace and social justice
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In the
face of continuing deterioration in the living conditions of people, we,
social movements from all around the world, have come together in the tens
of thousands at the second World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. We are here
in spite of the attempts to break our solidarity. We come together again
to continue our struggles against neoliberalism and war, to confirm the
agreements of the last Forum and to reaffirm that another world is possible.
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We are
diverse - women and men, adults and youth, indigenous peoples, rural and
urban, workers and unemployed, homeless, the elderly, students, migrants,
professionals, peoples of every creed, colour and sexual orientation. The
expression of this diversity is our strength and the basis of our unity.
We are a global solidarity movement, united in our determination to fight
against the concentration of wealth, the proliferation of poverty and inequalities,
and the destruction of our earth. We are living and constructing alternative
systems, and using creative ways to promote them. We are building a large
alliance from our struggles and resistance against a system based on sexism,
racism and violence, which privileges the interests of capital and patriarchy
over the needs and aspirations of people.
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This system
produces a daily drama of women, children, and the elderly dying because
of hunger, lack of health care and preventable diseases. Families are forced
to leave their homes because of wars, the impact of 'big development',
landlessness and environmental disasters, unemployment, attacks on public
services and the destruction of social solidarity. Both in the South and
in the North, vibrant struggles and resistance to uphold the dignity of
life are flourishing.
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September
11 marked a dramatic change. After the terrorist attacks, which we absolutely
condemn, as we condemn all other attacks on civilians in other parts of
the world, the government of the United States and its allies have launched
a massive military operation. In the name of the 'war against terrorism',
civil and political rights are being attacked all over the world. The war
against Afghanistan, in which terrorists methods are being used, is now
being extended to other fronts. Thus there is the beginning of a permanent
global war to cement the domination of the US government and its allies.
This war reveals another face of neoliberalism, a face which is brutal
and unacceptable. Islam is being demonized, while racism and xenophobia
are deliberately propagated. The mass media is actively taking part in
this belligerent campaign which divides the world into 'good' and 'evil'.
The opposition to the war is at the heart of our movement.
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The situation
of war has further destabilised the Middle East, providing a pretext for
further repression of the Palestinian people. An urgent task of our movement
is to mobilise solidarity for the Palestinian people and their struggle
for self-determination as they face brutal occupation by the Israeli state.
This is vital to collective security of all peoples in the region.
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Further
events also confirm the urgency of our struggles. In Argentina the financial
crisis caused by the failure of IMF structural adjustment and mounting
debt precipitated a social and political crisis. This crisis generated
spontaneous protests of the middle and working classes, repression which
caused deaths, failure of governments, and new alliances between different
social groups. With the force of 'cacerolazos' and 'piquetes', popular
mobilisations have demanded their basic rights of food, jobs and housing.
We reject the criminalisation of social movements in Argentina and the
attacks against democratic rights and freedom. We also condemn the greed
and and the blackmail of the multinational corporation supported by the
governments of the rich countries.
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The collapse
of the multinational Enron exemplifies the bankruptcy of the casino economy
and the corruption of businessmen and politicians, leaving workers without
jobs and pensions. In developing countries this multinational engaged in
fraudulent activities and its projects pushed people off their land and
led to sharp increases in the price of water and electricity.
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The United
States government, in its efforts to protect the interests of big corporations,
arrogantly walked away from negotiations on global warming, the antiballistic
missile treaty, the Convention on Biodiversity, the UN conference on racism
and intolerance, and the talks to reduce the supply of small arms, proving
once again that US unilateralism undermines attempts to find multilateral
solutions to global problems.
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In Genoa
the G8 failed completely in its self-assumed task of global government.
In the face of massive mobilisation and resistance, they responded with
violence and repression, denouncing as criminals those who dared to protest.
But they failed to intimidate our movement.
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All this
is happening in the context of a global recession. The neoliberal economic
model is destroying the rights, living conditions and livelihoods of people.
Using every means to protect their 'share value', multinational companies
lay off workers, slash wages and close factories, squeezing the last dollar
from the workers. Governments faced with this economic crisis respond by
privatising, cutting social sector expenditures and permanently reducing
workers rights. This recession exposes the fact that the neoliberal promise
of growth and prosperity is a lie.
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The global
movement for social justice and solidarity faces enormous challenges: its
fight for peace and collective security implies confronting poverty, discriminations,
dominations and the creation of an alternative sustainable society. Social
movements energetically condemn violence and militarism as a means of conflict
resolution; the promotion of low intensity conflicts and military operations
in the Colombia Plan as part of the Andes regional initiative, the Puebla
Panama plan, the arms trade and higher military budgets, economic blockades
against people and nations especially against Cuba and Iraq, and the growing
repression against trade unions, social movements, and activists. We support
the trade unions and informal sector worker struggles as essential to maintain
working and living conditions, the genuine right to organise, to go on
strike, to negotiate collective agreements, and to achieve equality in
wages and working conditions between women and men. We reject slavery and
the exploitation of children. We support workers struggles and the trade
union fights against casualisation, subcontracting of labour and lay offs,
and demand new international rights for the employees of the multinational
companies and their affiliates, in particular the right to unionise and
space for collective bargaining. Equally we support the struggles of farmers
and peoples organisations for their rights to a livelihood, and to land,
forests and water.
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Neoliberal
policies create tremendous misery and insecurity. They have dramatically
increased the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children.
Poverty and insecurity creates millions of migrants who are denied their
dignity, freedom, and rights. We therefore demand the right of free movement;
the right to physical integrity and legal status of all migrants. We support
the rights of indigenous peoples and the fulfillment of ILO article 169
in national legal frameworks.
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The external
debt of the countries of the South has been repaid several times over.
Illegitimate, unjust and fraudulent, debt functions as an instrument of
domination, depriving people of their fundamental human rights with the
sole aim of increasing international usury. We demand unconditional cancellation
of debt and the reparation of historical, social, and ecological debts.
The countries demanding repayment of debt have engaged in exploitation
of the natural resources and the traditional knowledge of the South.
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Water,
land, food, forests, seeds, culture and people s identities are common
assets of humanity for present and future generations. It is essential
to preserve biodiversity. People have the right to safe and permanent food
free from genetically modified organisms. Food sovereignty at the local,
national, regional level is a basic human right; in this regard, democratic
land reforms and peasant s access to land are fundamental requirements.
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The meeting
in Doha confirmed the illegitimacy of the WTO. The adoption of the 'development
agenda' only defends corporate interests. By launching a new round, the
WTO is moving closer to its goal of converting everything into a commodity.
For us, food, public services, agriculture, health and education are not
for sale. Patenting must not to be used a weapon against the poor countries
and peoples. We reject the patenting and trading of life forms. The WTO
agenda is perpetuated at the continental level by regional free trade and
investment agreements. By organizing protests such as the huge demonstrations
and plebiscites against FTAA, people have rejected these agreements as
representing a recolonisation and the destruction of fundamental social,
economical, cultural and environmental rights and values.
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We will
strengthen our movement through common actions and mobilizations for social
justice, for the respect of rights and liberties, for quality of life,
equality, dignity and peace.
We
are fighting for:
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democracy:
people have the right to know about and criticize the decisions of their
own governments, especially with respect to dealings with international
institutions. Governments are ultimately accountable to their people. While
we support the establishment of electoral and participative democracy across
the world, we emphasise the need for the democratisation of states and
societies and the struggles against dictatorship.
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the abolition
of external debt and reparations.
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against
speculative activities: we demand the creation of specific taxes such as
the Tobin Tax, and the abolition of tax havens.
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the right
to information.
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women
s rights, freedom from violence, poverty and exploitation.
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against
war and militarism, against foreign military bases and interventions, and
the systematic escalation of violence. We choose to privilige negotiation
and non violent conflict resolution. We affirm the right for all the people
to ask international médiation, with the participation independant
actors from the civil society.
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the rights
of youth, their access to free public education and social autonomy, and
the abolition of compulsory military service.
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the self
determination of all peoples, especially the rights of indigenous peoples.
In the
years to come, we will organise collective mobilisations such as:
In
2002:
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8 March:
International women s day
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17 April:
International day of peasant s struggle.
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1 May:
labour day.
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7 October:
world day for the homeless.
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12 October:
cry of the excluded.
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16 October:
world food day.
Other
global mobilisations will take place:
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15 - 16
March: Barcelona (Spain), summit of the EU.
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18 - 22
March: Monterrey (Mexico), United Nations Conference on Financing for Developement.
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17 - 18
May: Madrid (Spain), summit of Latin America, Caribbean and Europe. May,
Asia Development Bank Annual Meting, Shanghai China
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1 May:
'International day of action against militarism and peace'
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end of
May, 4th preparatory meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development,
Indonesia
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June:
Roma (Italy), world food summit;
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22 -23
June: Sevilla EU summit
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July:
Toronto and Calgary(Canada), G8 summit.
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22 July:
USA campaign against Coca Cola
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September:
Johannesburg (South Africa), Rio+10.
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September,
Asia Europe Meeing (ASEM), Copenhagen
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October:
Quito (Ecuador), Social continental forum 'A new integration is possible'
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November:
Cuba, 2nd Hemispheric meeting against FTAA
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December:
Copenhagen (Denmark), summit of EU.
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In 2003:
April: Buenos Aires (Argentina), summit of the FTAA.
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June:
Thessaloniki EU Summit
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June,
France, G8
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WTO, IMF
and World Bank will meet somewhere, sometime. And we will be there!
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