From: Beka Economopoulos (beka@beka.org)
Date: Fri Aug 09 2002 - 12:23:54 EDT
A REQUEST FROM ECUADOR, FOR U.S. & CANADIAN
ACTIVISTS:
JOIN AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT LINKING GRASSROOTS GROUPS
HERE AND IN NORTH AMERICA IN THE FIGHT FOR GLOBAL
JUSTICE
Hyderabad...Seattle...Washington,
D.C....Gothenburg...Prague...Quebec
City...Genoa...QUITO
On October 31, the 7th summit of the Free Trade Area
of the Americas (the FTAA, or ALCA in Spanish) will
take place in Ecuador. As the Youth of North America
don witch, cowboy, and NY Fire Dept. costumes, a far
scarier bunch of middle-aged men, dressed up like
corporate executives, will be converging on the
capital city of Quito. 34 foreign ministers and
secretaries of state from across the Americas are
coming to Quito to negotiate the FTAA.
As you probably know, the FTAA will give unprecedented
power to major corporations and investors,
exacerbating poverty and insecurity, and causing
widespread environmental disaster. The meeting in
Quito is critical, because the FTAA´s backers are
hoping that major portions of the agreement will be
finalized here.
But people here in Ecuador have other ideas. Tens of
thousands of campesinos (small farmers), indigenous
people, trade unionists, students, and other groups
are mobilizing to non-violently surround the summit,
reject the FTAA, and, if possible, stop the
negotiations. And thousands of people from Colombia,
Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and other countries, are coming
to join in.
The CONFEUNASSC-CNC, a powerful national campesino
federation, views October as an opportunity to create
new mechanisms of solidarity and build networks of
resistance that span the continent. We are looking
for global justice networks, student groups, community
organizations, union locals, collectives,
environmentalists, environmental justice activists,
small and/or organic farmers, food coops, and anyone
else who would like to join ALCA-NUNCA (Americas
Linked, Cooperating Against Neoliberalism and for
Unity, Community, and Autonomy).
THE PROJECT:
ALCA-NUNCA will link up grassroots groups in the U.S.
with ¨sister groups¨ in Ecuador, local and provincial
campesino organizations. The idea is to learn from
each other, strengthen the mobilization in October,
and build a foundation for future coordinated action.
Sister groups will begin by exchanging
messages/photos/posters/videos describing what´s at
stake for their community in the struggle against the
FTAA, and how they are fighting back. Groups in
Ecuador and North America will coordinate during the
continental days of action planned during the FTAA
summit. North American groups will help get the word
out about the mobilization, and will be ready to apply
pressure if we are met by severe repression.
U.S. and Canadian groups will also, if possible,
provide resources that are critically needed to
strengthen the mobilization in Ecuador. Funds will
help pay for transportation to the Quito protest, and
to support four “caravans” that will visit hundreds
communities in September and October. These caravans
will reach thousands of people with popular education
workshops on the FTAA, Plan Colombia, art and
resistance, and nonviolent direct action. (We are also
inviting participating North American groups to send
volunteers to join the caravans).
This is a critical moment for people of the Americas.
If the protests fail, the FTAA process will likely
take a “great leap forward,” accelerating what
amounts to a death sentence for communities from
Anchorage to Argentina. If the protests succeed, not
only will we disrupt the FTAA process, but it will be
impossible for the architects of corporate
globalization to continue claiming that the only thing
standing between prosperity and the global south is a
bunch of anarchists, misguided students, and selfish
trade unionists.
It has become increasingly clear that the only way to
stop corporate globalization, (or “neoliberalism” is
it is called pretty much everywhere outside of the
U.S.) is through concerted international action. There
is no doubt that resistance to “free trade,” and
neoliberalism exists in literally every corner of the
world. Our goal is to build relationships that will
allow for the coordination of that resistance. Please
join us in working to realize a vision of another
America, another Abya Yala, one based on principles of
solidarity, reciprocity, justice, and respect for
natural and human diversity.
HOW YOU CAN JOIN ALCA-NUNCA: If you think your group
might be interested, or if you have any questions,
please contact grito@andinanet.net,
ssc-cnc@campesinos-fmlgt.org.ec or
dosomething@eudoramail.com .
For more info about the FTAA, check out
www.stopftaa.org
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