HSA Bulletin December 3, 2008
1. Summit of the Peoples in Bahia called for Latin America and the Caribbean.
December 12-15, 2008 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Later this month, the Presidents of Latin America and the Caribbean will meet in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil in three consecutive meetings: The Summit of Presidents of Mercosur, the Unasur Summit, and the Latin America and Caribbean Summit. With the axis of the meetings the actual crises, the presidents will be moving forth an agenda which is crucial for the destiny of our people. They will be making decisions about commerce, regional integration, economic and social policies, security and militarization, productive integration, migration and many more fundamental themes for our future. The conference will be a kind of ‘dress rehearsal' for the upcoming Summit of the Americas, which will happen in April 2009 in Trinidad Tobago, and is the first since the Summit in Mar de Plata in 2005, where the FTAA was practically speaking, defeated.
During these years, in Latin America and the Caribbean the unions, along with social, indigenous, women's, campesino, and student organizations have been in resistance to neoliberalism and the FTAs, imperialism and militarization, and we have been promoting alternative policies and debating the solutions to the hemispheric problems. We have been pushing integration processes, based in vindications, interests and rights of our people; defending food and energy sovereignty; the elimination of national and regional asymmetries; and concretizing proposals for ecologically sustainable development. In the same way, we are looking for a model of societal equality, which combats exclusion, eliminates gender and racial discrimination and recognizes cultural and ethnic diversity, resolves the historic problems of education and health o the region and contributes to the struggle of the people for the construction of a democratic society.
The political panorama of the region presents important changes. Especially after the failure of the FTAA, various countries have begun the search for alternative paths to social well being and integration, which necessarily takes into account the expectations and demands of the people and social movements of the region. The world economic crisis, with expressions in food, energy, social, environmental and financial areas, demands a response from the people.
We call together the movements and social organizations of all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to participate actively in the Summit of the Peoples, which will happen in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil from the 12-15th of December, where we will look to deepen our debate regarding the development and integration that we want.
Hemispheric Social Alliance
Assembléia Popular - Bahia, Asamblea Popular Nacional, CEBRAPAZ, CECUP, CESE, CMB, Comitê Político da Articulaçión de Mujeres Brasileras, CONAM, CONTAG, CPT, CSA, CTA Argentina, CTB, CUT, FAMEB, FASE, FENAFAR, FETAG - BA, FETRAF, FDIM, FMBA, GAPA-BA, GAPA-SP, Instituto EQÜIT, Instituto Paulo Freire, Jubileo Sur, MMM, MNLM - BA, MST- BA, REBRIP, SRQP-CNQ-CUT, UBM, UNAMES, UNE, UNMP-UMP, Rede Brasil.
2. Countries of the ALBA propose the Sucre (as a new currency) to confront the financial crisis.
The central discussion in the Third Summit of Presidents of the ALBA countries was the crisis in the financial system. The Presidents of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras and Ecuador as invited, meeting in Caracas, agreed to the putting together of a Monetary Common Zone, to protect their countries from the effects of the world financial crisis, and the creation of a common currency, called the Sucre, named after the Single System of Regional Compensation.
More information (Spanish):
http://www.alternativabolivariana.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3727
http://www.telam.com.ar/vernota.php?tipo=N&idPub=126417&id=264037&dis=1&sec=1
Primeras críticas a la propuesta: http://www.latribuna.hn/news/44/ARTICLE/49934/2008-11-28.html
3. The opposition in Canada accuses Harper of complicity with Uribe for signing the FTA
The Canadian opposition parties criticized President Alvaro Uribe and Prime Minister Harper over the signing of the FTA between their countries. They declared their concern about the situation of human rights in Colombia. The opposition, from the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party categorized the signing of the Free Trade Agreement as an act of complicity by the Canadian Prime Minister with the corruption of the Colombian government. Faced with these criticisms, Harper reaffirmed his support for Uribe.
In French:
Noticia reacción Harper: http://actualidad.terra.es/articulo/html/av21716750.htm
4. Women speak about the impacts of the financial crisis
Women's organizations from around the world, meeting in Cape Town, South Africa from November 14-17th made a pronouncement against the direction being contemplated subsequent to the recent G20 Summit in Washington, of continuing with neoliberalism. They reiterated their analysis of the multiple dimensions of the crisis: financial, economic, food, energy and climatic, with disproportionate impacts in the lives of women.
This conclusion is shared by the organizations of women meeting in Doha, Qatar, prior to the meeting of the Official Conference on Financing for Development which was happening in Doha. They stated: "The negative combined effects of the crisis in the real economy, in the increase in prices make it more difficult for women to struggle for the condition of their lives; for food security, for the well being of themselves, their families and communities." These declarations coincide with the commemoration of the 25th of November as the Day of No Violence against Women, whose activities extend to December 11th all around the world.
G 20 declaration in English: http://www.awid.org/eng/Women-in-Action/Announcements2/Statement-The-G20-committed-to-save-the-global-economy-at-the-cost-of-women
5. President Evo Morales proposes ending capitalism to fight climate change
The President of Bolivia, Evo Morales sent a letter to the people of the world and the governments meeting in Ponzan, Poland, where the preparative meeting for the Parties to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was meeting prior to the meeting in Copenhagen in 2009.
"'Climate change' has placed all humankind before a great choice: to continue in the ways of capitalism and death, or to start down the path of harmony with nature and respect for life"; the president said, in his letter, and invites us to recover the principles of solidarity, complementary ways and harmony to save the planet.
Full text in English: http://art-us.org/node/395.
-Text in Spanish: http://www.maippa.org/content/view/13131/72/
-Noticia sobre Ponzan: http://www.ansa.it/ansalatina/notizie/rubriche/mundo/20081201125134779657.html
6. Workshop in Brazil on ‘biofuels as an obstacle to food security' ends
The participants in the international workshop recently held in Sao Paulo Brazil from November 17-19, categorized biofuels as an obstacle to the achievement of food sovereignty. The workshop was in response to the Brazilian government's International Conference about Biofuels.
The strategy of promoting biofuel production, principally in the hands of Brazil and the U.S. (which together produce 70% of the world's ethanol), "represents an obstacle to the necessary changes to the systems of production and consumption." This results in the expansion of monocultures, the concentration and invasion of lands, the excessive use of agro-toxics, the threats to biodiversity, the "degradation of work conditions" and the threat to food security.
-News in Spanish: http://www.nexotrans.com/nexobus/noticia.php?id=11231
-Declaración Final: http://www.ecoportal.net/content/view/full/82927/
7. Campaign ‘No to the Embankments' travels around Argentina to protect wetlands
Non-governmental organizations in Argentina have developed a campaign called ‘No to the Embankments' in defense of the water reserves which are being filled with dirt to move forward civil works in the country. The campaign began with a legal challenge to the company San Ignacio in the province of Corrientes, against their construction of an embankment, which will affect thousands of acres, and the ecosystem in Ibera.
Página de la campaña: http://www.noalosterraplenes.org/
Noticia con audios: http://www.agenciapulsar.org/nota.php?id=14076