As we start a new decade, the global Covid-19 pandemic continues to claim lives, and devastate economies globally. The impacts of the virus and the worsening climate emergency are increasing social inequalities everywhere. Fighting both crises is the fight for survival of humankind, our lives and our livelihood, for decency and humanity. This year is crucial to address both crises.
In the past popular movements have put forward the need for a system change; they have improved the lives of millions, especially of the marginalized majorities. For example, the labor, women’s, social justice, anti-slavery and anti-racism, liberation, peace, youth, environmental, ecological, peasant and indigenous movements have many times achieved with their struggles historical changes.
Today we need to join our forces to forge an even stronger movement because on top of the old problems caused by harmful relations between humans and nature, capitalism, patriarchy, racism and colonialism we are faced with even greater challenges. The deep and multi-faceted crises of today are characterized by extreme concentration of wealth and power, precariousness of work and livelihoods, failures of the public health system, authoritarian and many times militaristic response to the Covid pandemic and manipulation by the old and new information technologies.
Solutions can only be found and implemented by articulating the different regional and territorial levels of action: from the grassroots to the global. Changes should come from below, supported by people and their organizations. In this context we have to realize that all our different thematic areas of specialization are inter-connected: peace cannot be achieved without the protection of the environment and economic relations cannot be restored without social justice; the environment cannot be preserved without a radical change in the social imaginary and peace cannot be achieved without social justice and the transformation of our monetary system. Otherwise the one-sided power and profit motive would harm the interests of all.
That’s why we are committed to building a broad-based movement for social, ecological, economic, and political transition with intersectional equality, recognizing the rights of the Earth, nature and community participation democracy as core values. By binding the different initiatives together we want to address the concerns of common people and everyday life in order to prevent humankind from experiencing devastation by wars, hunger and ecological catastrophes.
Local initiatives in both rural and urban communities that enable local populations to take control of land, housing and other resources are important. This gives access to making a living enabling a buen vivir, a good life. Such initiatives are food sovereignty and agroecology, mutual aid to help each other in both times of crisis and in a better future both in the countryside and the towns and to build democratic economic forms of cooperation to strengthen local economies.
In order to achieve this, the movements participating in the World Social Forum 2021 have decided to establish, for the coming future, a GLOBAL AGENDA OF COMMON ACTIONS, starting with mobilizations at the end of April and in the first weeks of May demanding Universal Disarmament for Social Justice and an Ecological Transition, highlighting the following demands:
1. A universal cease fire in all military conflicts, a radical reduction of all military spending, a general nuclear disarmament and a radical reduction on big per capita energy consumption.
2. Protection of life everywhere through free access to Covid-19 vaccines and medicines as well as equal, quality health services for all. Fight against corporate patent rights that leads to a sort of health apartheid. Promotion of community-based solutions to the pandemic. Protection of wildlife to prevent new virus and future pandemics to emerge.
3. End austerity, especially shrinking public services, social security and welfare, and abolish the illegitimate debts, private and public, in the global South as well as in the global North!
4. Stop the commodification of commons, water, animals, plants,food, water tables, woods, rivers, lakes, beaches, minerals, but also of working conditions, education, health, culture and nature!
5. Economy must respond to the legitimate needs of individuals and not profit. Therefore: no to unjust free trade agreements. Promote transformative economy, fair trade and mutually beneficial international agreements instead of so-called „free trade” sell-outs and investment regimes that benefit investors and rich countries.
6. No to inciting nationalist identity fears and to proliferation of racist or religious hate-speeches and xenophobia, and against scapegoating enemy images which have led to a new Cold War scenario! No to sanctions as an economic tool for military actions.
7. Stop repression by states and private militias of social movements and defenders of territory, nature and human rights, respecting the democratic right to dissent peacefully. Condemn and demand justice for the murders of environmental and rights activists.
8. Promote ecological democracy and participation in the community and the right to self-determination for all peoples, including comprehensive empowerment, e.g. by developing food based on sovereignty and agroecology, especially of indigenous communities, women, and all oppressed peoples!
9. Give particular attention and support to the migrants by creating sanctuary cities all over the world and special commissions on a regional level to protect their right to mobility.
10. Democratize spaces for science and technological research, cultural cultural expression in arts, sciences, and traditional healthcare, including abolition of intellectual property and patent regimes.
11. Create a social and ecological transition by dignifying the life of small farmers, craftsmen and industrial workers, establishing a mutually beneficial relationship between rural and urban economies. Develop and harness sustainable renewable energy technologies under democratic governance.
12. We advocate for the right of all peoples to sovereignty and self-determination, particularly of the Saharawi people and the people of Palestine.
13. We urgently need an international supply chain law that obligates multinational corporations to enforce labor law, social and ecological standards.
14. Full solidarity with activists facing repression everywhere, in the West and the East, the North and the South!
In particular we want to suggest to all movements participating in the World Social Forum 2021 and all others around the world to form an action period for peace, social and ecological justice and transition, from 17 April to 1 May.
17 April – International Peasant Struggle Day,
22 April – International Mother Earth Day,
26 April – International Chernobyl Day
30 April – Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) including International Anti-Military Base protests,
1 May – International Workers’ Day: For socially just and dignified work
In the tradition to oppose the Davos forum, we call for 15 May a day of action for universal mobilization for the right to health and social protection to counteract the neo-liberal agenda of the World Economic Forum convening 25-28 May in Singapore.
We suggest also that we continue to combine efforts further on such occasions as:
8 March International Day for the Rights of Women
7 April – World Health day
5 June – World Environment Day,
6 August – Hiroshima Day,
28 September – International Safe Abortion Day,
2 October – International Day of Non-Violence, Gandhi’s birthday,
7 October – World Day of decent work,
16 October – UN food day
20 November – National Day of Black Awareness in Brazil
29 November – International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Besides the action days and weeks, we commit ourselves to build together organizations and networks that pursue the common causes expressed in this declaration. We especially welcome continued coordination of popular educational cooperation to support the Global Agenda for Common Action. We also welcome old and new initiatives to converge on all levels from local neighborhoods to global networks. We are ready to unite in diversity and play the historical role our times demand.
Adopted by the undersigned organisations and participants of the Assembly for Social, Peace and Environmental Movements at World Social Forum 2021.
30 January 2021
Signed by
Organisations:
06600 Plataforma Vecinal y Observatorio de la Colonia Juárez, Mexico
Activists for Peace, Sweden
AFAPREDESA – Association of the Families of Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared, West-Sahara
AlfaQuebec Projetos Sociais – Grupo Sistemas Complexos e Inteligência Coletiva, Quebec, Canada
Alliance of Labour and Solidarity (former Czech Social Forum), Czech Repubilc
Association des Familles des Prisonniers et Disparus Sahraouis-AFAPREDESA, Sahara Occidental/Western Sahara
ATTAC Hungary Association, Hungary
Central and Eastern European Alliance for the Solidarity with the Saharawi People, Budapest, Moscow, Ljubljana
Coletivo resistência e Luta no Judiciário, Brazil
Culture of Peace, Germany
Confederación Intersindical, Spain
Confederación Nacional de Cooperativas para la Emancipación, Mexico
Centro de Estudios Estratégicos Nacionales, Mexico
Defraudados en Santander México, Mexico
Dynamique Sociale Sahraouie – Sahara Occidental/Western Sahara
ECOMUNIDADES, Red Ecologista Autónoma de la Cuenca de Mexico
Fundación Latinoamericana de Apoyo al Saber y a la Economía Popular, Mexico
Frente Amplio Sindical Unitario FASU, Mexico
Grupo de los Cien, Mexico
HunabKu, Mexico
Instituto Cidades Sustentáveis, Brazil
Instituto Mexicano de Gobernanza Medioambiental AC, Mexico
Intersindical Valenciana, Spain
LATINDADD, Peru
Organization of non violence in western Sahara, Western Sahara
Prague Spring 2 – network against right-wing extremism and populism, Europe
Red Universidad y Compromiso Social de Sevilla, Spain
SEFRAS – Serviço Franciscano de Solidariedade, Brazil
Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República Mexicana, Mexico
The Jus Semper Global Alliance, United States
UJSARIO – Saharawi Youth Union, West Sahara
UNEGRO – Black Union for Equality of Brazil, Brazil
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Network – Comprehensive Democracy Forum, Finland-India-Nepal-Sweden
Women’s Collective, India
Individuals (organisation for identification purposes only)
Alexandre Braga, Brazil – Unegro Brasil
Ajay K Jha, India
Azril Bacal Roij, Sweden – Amigos de la Tierra-Uppsala, IPB, IRIPAZ
Deo Kumari Gurung, Nepal – South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy (SADED-Nepal)
Bachir Moutic, Sahara Occidentalm – AFAPREDESA
Cândido Grzybowski, Brazil – IBASE – Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas
Cecilia Casin – Red humanista por la renta básica universal
Carlos Tiburcio, Brazil – IPS Inter Press Service / CI-FSM
Deo Kumari Gurung, Nepal – South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy (SADED-Nepal)
Dorothy Guerrero, UK – Global Justice Now
Eduardo Missoni, Italy – saluteglobale.it
Fabiana Sanches-Urbal, Brasil, SEFRAS – Servicio Franciscano de Solidariedad
Francine Mestrum, Belgium
Giselle el Raheb, France – Mouvement de la Paix
German Niño – Corporacion Ciase – Latindadd – Fospa
Henning Zierock, Germany/Int’l – Culture of Peace
Hugo Moyano – Red Humanista por la Renta Basica Universal
Jan Kavan, Czeck Republic – Association of Labour and Solidarity (SPaS)
Jennifer Lingerfelt de Araujo Carneiro, Brazil – Ação popular socialista
José Enrique González Ruiz, Mexico – Profesor de la UNAM
Juliana Rosa, Brazil – Fórum Popular da Natureza – Núcleo Bahia
Katie Conlon, USA – Portland State University
Laura Beatriz Teresa Collin Harguindeguy, Mexico – COLTLAX
Leo Leguizamón, Argentina – RHRBU – Red humanista por la renta básica universal
Marko Ulvila, Finland – Finnish Social Forum
Marta Benavides, El Salvador – SIGLO XXIII
Matyas Benyik, Hungary – member of the Organizers for the Left (SZAB)
Miguel Valencia, Mexico – ECOMUNIDADES, Red Ecologista Autónoma de la Cuenca de México
Miguel Alvarez, México – SERAPAZ
Mira Shiva, India – Initiative for Health & Equity in Society
Mirek Prokeš, Czech Republic – UNITED for Intercultural Action
Miroslav Prokeš, Czech Republic – Defence for Children International (DCI) – Czech section
Monica Romero, Colombia – Red transfronteriza de arte, educación y autogestión
Patricia Gutiérrez Otero López, Mexico – Descrecimiento México
Péter Farkas, Hungary- Karl Marx Society
Ritu Priya, India – Health Swaraj
Rahma Hassan. USA – Never Again
René Coulomb, Mexico – Taller de Urbanismo Ciudadano
Soledad Rojas Ruiz, Chile – CEAAL Chile, GAFA, ONG Caleta Sur
Tord Björk, Sweden – Aktivister för fred
Uma Shankari Naren, India – Swadeshi Trust
Uddhab Pyakurel, Nepal -Nepal Social Forum
Vera Zalka, Hungary – ATTAC Hungary
Vijay Pratap, India – Samaajwaadi Samaagam
Ville-Veikko Hirvelä, Finland – New Wind Association
Vivek Babu Girija, India- M S Swaminathan Research Foundation & Promote Linguistic Equality Platform
Yogendra Vijay Dahal, Nepal – Environmental Coalition
Zeno Bernhard, France – Attac
Documents used in the process of making the declaration
- Inputs received to the declaration
- Central Eastern European Declaration fo WSF Assembly of Social
- Contribution of the Forum Popular de Natureza to the WSF 2021 Climate, ecology and the environmental axis (four languages)
- Ville-Veikko Hirvelä: A proposal for World Social Forum
- Towards an extraordinary mobilization parallel to the world economic forum in May 2021
- Statement from European/Prague Spring December 5 – 6 mobilizing meeting for World Social Forum 2021
- Ashish Kothari: The ten uncommandments Towards a rainbow new deal
Remarks: the above text is translated into French, Spanish and Portugese and available here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aZBG1QFFJR3JrjfNt7-EM3A4jTstZpiqqHKJUr2itO0/edit
Other translations of the declaration will follow soon.
The Declaration is open for co-signing at this form: https://bit.ly/3pBShJd