- 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.
- the abolition of external debt and reparations.
- against speculative activities: we demand the creation of specific taxes such as the Tobin Tax, and the abolition of tax havens.
- the right to information
- women s rights, freedom from violence, poverty and exploitation.- 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.
- the rights of youth, their access to free public education and social autonomy, and the abolition of compulsory military service.
- the self determination of all peoples, especially the rights of indigenous peoples.
International
"Deklaration der Sozialen Bewegungen" von Porto Alegre
Die Abschlusserklärung in englischer Sprache: "Resistance to neoliberalism, war and militarism: for peace and social justice"
1) 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.2) 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.
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) 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.
7) The collapse of the multinational Enron exemplifies the bankruptcy of the
casino economy and the corruption of businessmen and politicians, eqving
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.
8) 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.
9) 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.
10) 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.
11) 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.
12) 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.
13) 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.
14) 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.
15) 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.
16) 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:
(red)