I’m in my flat packing to head to Lima tonight. I’ll be one of thousands from across Latin American, the Caribbean and Europe making my way to the Peruvian capital for a packed week of activities and meetings next week.
On May 16th and 17th leaders from nearly 60 Latin American and European countries will take part in the 5th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.
In advance of the meeting, from May 13th-16th, an alternative ‘People’s Summit’, the third ‘Enlazando Alternativos’ (Linking Alternatives) meeting will take place.
The Official Summit
The EU-LAC summits are the highest political meeting of the governments of the two regions. The EU-LAC strategic partnership began with the first summit in Rio in 1999 and was consolidated at further summits in Madrid (2002), Guadalajara (2004) and Vienna (2006).
The official summit in Lima has two topics on the agenda, both key themes for Progressio and our partner organisations :
(1) Poverty, inequality, inclusion - According to the EU’s official statement: “The Lima Summit will present the opportunity for a fruitful and open dialogue between both regions on the topic of social cohesion policies, including poverty alleviation measures to eliminate discrimination and the recognition of fundamental social rights. The objective is to share experiences, promote best practices and policies, and thereby contribute to more inclusive societies and more equal opportunities for all”.
(2) Sustainable development: climate change; environment; energy
The EU and LAC countries agreed at the 2006 Vienna Summit to launch a policy dialogue on environment. They intend to give special attention to cooperation in areas such as climate change, energy and other environment-related issues.
The EU is likely to try to advance trade negotiations with regional trade blocs such as Mercosur and the Andean Community.
The Alternative Summit
Enlazando Alternativas 3 is organised by a coalition of social movements and non-governmental organisations from Europe and LAC. The organisers are in opposition to the negotiations of free trade bilateral agreements and very critical of the EU’s trade strategy “Global Europe: Competing in the World” because it promotes greater social, labour and environmental deregulation.
They state that: “The peoples of Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean are being affected by so-called global capitalism, which is especially reflected in the proliferation of free trade agreements and the liberalisation of investments, which are tools for expanding the privileges of capital over the rights of the people. The Europe of capital and its governments thus foster a policy aimed at the reconquest of Latin America, just when the countries of the region are marking two centuries since the beginning of their struggles for independence.”
Through the alternative summit they aim to create an agenda of common plans and alternatives based on the proposals presented by social movements:
“In Lima in May 2008, we will not only create opportunities for critical analysis of relationships between the EU and ALC, including the association agreements, the behaviour of multinationals, militarism and the criminalisation of social movements on both continents, but there will also be a People’s Tribunal to judge the power system of the European transnationals, both in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the EU”.
The organisers expect more than 2,000 delegates from the different regions, to attend hundreds of workshops and meetings. The topics of the workshops and the perspectives represented are diverse with events linked to six broad themes: Neoliberalism in LAC and the EU; integration and trade agreements; extractive industries, climate change and its impact on natural resources and public services; campesinos and indigenous peoples, natural resources, agro-fuels, food sovereignty, and economic, social and cultural rights; labour trade union rights, housing and migration; and social movements and human rights.
Related activities have already started - yesterday a young people’s meeting took place, as well as an ‘Alternative Media and Radios Forum’, and the ‘Sao Paulo Forum’ of various leftwing parties from LAC. Tomorrow the International Forum of Indigenous Agendas and Decolonization from Power and Knowledge begins, as well as the 2nd National Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Communities of Peru. On May 14th, there’s a preparatory meeting towards the 1st Continental Summit of Indigenous Women, to be held next year. And as part of the summit there will be a tribunal to try transnational companies.
Progressio partner organisations will be taking part in a range of events: for example at the airport tonight I’m expecting to meet Abrahan Salazar one of the leaders of MICC, the indigenous movement of Cotopaxi in Ecuador who is travelling to take part, Accion Ecologica, another Ecuadorian partner is also participating and will be running a session on the privatisation of public services, public goods and local resistances to global threats, CEPES a Peruvian partner is part of a workshop on Democratising Communications and a colleague from the network of Canastas Solidarias (food coops) in Ecuador who is working with our partner CEA on a campaign for healthy, secure, sovereign food will be presenting on their experiences.
At the ‘Permanent People’s Tribunal’ over 20 European corporations will be ‘tried’ over human rights and labour rights violations and environmental and social damage in Latin America. The corporations to be tried include: Majaz-Monterrico Metals and Vale do Rio Doce from the mining sector; as well as Roche and Boehringer from the pharmaceutical industry; Shell and Repsol YPF from the oil sector; Botnia and ENCE from the forestry-pulp industry; Syngenta in the agribusiness sector; Skanska and Thyssen Krupp in the infrastructure sector; ETI-Telecom in the telecom sector; Unión Fenosa and Suez in the electricity sector; Aguas de Barcelona and Proactiva (Veolia-FCC) in the water sector, Unilever, Camposol, Cermaq Mainstream and Marine Harvest in the agrifood sector, Bayer in the agrochemical sector, and BBVA, HSBC and Santander in the banking sector.
Demands and proposals from Linking Alternatives 3, the Peoples’ Permanent Tribunal and the other events will be delivered to the presidents and head of state attending the official summit. The closing event is planned for the 16th. The Presidents of Bolivia and Ecuador, Evo Morales and Rafael Correa are expected to attend the closing event.
I’m going to try and write something each day on what’s happening at the summits so watch this space!
On May 16th and 17th leaders from nearly 60 Latin American and European countries will take part in the 5th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.
In advance of the meeting, from May 13th-16th, an alternative ‘People’s Summit’, the third ‘Enlazando Alternativos’ (Linking Alternatives) meeting will take place.
The Official Summit
The EU-LAC summits are the highest political meeting of the governments of the two regions. The EU-LAC strategic partnership began with the first summit in Rio in 1999 and was consolidated at further summits in Madrid (2002), Guadalajara (2004) and Vienna (2006).
The official summit in Lima has two topics on the agenda, both key themes for Progressio and our partner organisations :
(1) Poverty, inequality, inclusion - According to the EU’s official statement: “The Lima Summit will present the opportunity for a fruitful and open dialogue between both regions on the topic of social cohesion policies, including poverty alleviation measures to eliminate discrimination and the recognition of fundamental social rights. The objective is to share experiences, promote best practices and policies, and thereby contribute to more inclusive societies and more equal opportunities for all”.
(2) Sustainable development: climate change; environment; energy
The EU and LAC countries agreed at the 2006 Vienna Summit to launch a policy dialogue on environment. They intend to give special attention to cooperation in areas such as climate change, energy and other environment-related issues.
The EU is likely to try to advance trade negotiations with regional trade blocs such as Mercosur and the Andean Community.
The Alternative Summit
Enlazando Alternativas 3 is organised by a coalition of social movements and non-governmental organisations from Europe and LAC. The organisers are in opposition to the negotiations of free trade bilateral agreements and very critical of the EU’s trade strategy “Global Europe: Competing in the World” because it promotes greater social, labour and environmental deregulation.
They state that: “The peoples of Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean are being affected by so-called global capitalism, which is especially reflected in the proliferation of free trade agreements and the liberalisation of investments, which are tools for expanding the privileges of capital over the rights of the people. The Europe of capital and its governments thus foster a policy aimed at the reconquest of Latin America, just when the countries of the region are marking two centuries since the beginning of their struggles for independence.”
Through the alternative summit they aim to create an agenda of common plans and alternatives based on the proposals presented by social movements:
“In Lima in May 2008, we will not only create opportunities for critical analysis of relationships between the EU and ALC, including the association agreements, the behaviour of multinationals, militarism and the criminalisation of social movements on both continents, but there will also be a People’s Tribunal to judge the power system of the European transnationals, both in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the EU”.
The organisers expect more than 2,000 delegates from the different regions, to attend hundreds of workshops and meetings. The topics of the workshops and the perspectives represented are diverse with events linked to six broad themes: Neoliberalism in LAC and the EU; integration and trade agreements; extractive industries, climate change and its impact on natural resources and public services; campesinos and indigenous peoples, natural resources, agro-fuels, food sovereignty, and economic, social and cultural rights; labour trade union rights, housing and migration; and social movements and human rights.
Related activities have already started - yesterday a young people’s meeting took place, as well as an ‘Alternative Media and Radios Forum’, and the ‘Sao Paulo Forum’ of various leftwing parties from LAC. Tomorrow the International Forum of Indigenous Agendas and Decolonization from Power and Knowledge begins, as well as the 2nd National Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Communities of Peru. On May 14th, there’s a preparatory meeting towards the 1st Continental Summit of Indigenous Women, to be held next year. And as part of the summit there will be a tribunal to try transnational companies.
Progressio partner organisations will be taking part in a range of events: for example at the airport tonight I’m expecting to meet Abrahan Salazar one of the leaders of MICC, the indigenous movement of Cotopaxi in Ecuador who is travelling to take part, Accion Ecologica, another Ecuadorian partner is also participating and will be running a session on the privatisation of public services, public goods and local resistances to global threats, CEPES a Peruvian partner is part of a workshop on Democratising Communications and a colleague from the network of Canastas Solidarias (food coops) in Ecuador who is working with our partner CEA on a campaign for healthy, secure, sovereign food will be presenting on their experiences.
At the ‘Permanent People’s Tribunal’ over 20 European corporations will be ‘tried’ over human rights and labour rights violations and environmental and social damage in Latin America. The corporations to be tried include: Majaz-Monterrico Metals and Vale do Rio Doce from the mining sector; as well as Roche and Boehringer from the pharmaceutical industry; Shell and Repsol YPF from the oil sector; Botnia and ENCE from the forestry-pulp industry; Syngenta in the agribusiness sector; Skanska and Thyssen Krupp in the infrastructure sector; ETI-Telecom in the telecom sector; Unión Fenosa and Suez in the electricity sector; Aguas de Barcelona and Proactiva (Veolia-FCC) in the water sector, Unilever, Camposol, Cermaq Mainstream and Marine Harvest in the agrifood sector, Bayer in the agrochemical sector, and BBVA, HSBC and Santander in the banking sector.
Demands and proposals from Linking Alternatives 3, the Peoples’ Permanent Tribunal and the other events will be delivered to the presidents and head of state attending the official summit. The closing event is planned for the 16th. The Presidents of Bolivia and Ecuador, Evo Morales and Rafael Correa are expected to attend the closing event.
I’m going to try and write something each day on what’s happening at the summits so watch this space!
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