Pave the way to the new world:
Glovalize our struggle!
We, representatives of civil society, from different ackgrounds and 60
countries, meeting in Geneva for an Alternative Summit on June 22nd to 25th
in response to the Bangkok Appeal and on the eve of the Special Session of
the General Assembly of the United Nations on social development, fully
recognize the challenges facing our peoples as they endeavor to achieve
social development in the context of globalization. We have adopted the
following declaration, which we invite all social movements, trade unions,
NGOs, groups and associations who are engaged in the struggle against
neo-liberal,
sexist globalization to sign. In this way, we aim to globalize our struggle
and together pave the way to a New World.
1. Globalization in a State of Crisis
The new millennium heralds increasing inequality between the countries of
the North and the South, between those of the East and the West and, within
the same country, between the rich and the poor, between women and men,
between the young and the old, between urban and rural areas.
More and more people are suffering from poverty, including in the most
affluent societies, while humanity produces considerable amounts of
wealth. Neo-liberal globalization accentuates these inequalities. Everyone
is affected, but women and children pay the highest price, as neo-liberal
politics have intensified the feminization of poverty, propelled women and
children into the global sex industry and exacerbated pre-existing
violence against women. Globalization is thus not only neo-liberal, but
sexist too.
Globalization is also characterized by its policy of immediate returns,
exhausting the planet's resources. By promoting the domination of finance
over all aspects of life, it undermines democracies, nation states,
mechanisms for social solidarity and public services. Moreover, it
favors the free circulation of goods but prevents the free movement of
people, resulting in an explosion of migration: immigrants suffering from
exclusion, exploitation, xenophobia and racism. Finally, it violates the most
basic human rights (civil, political, economic and cultural), turning the
neo-liberal model into a real crime against humanity.
In response to mounting opposition from increasing numbers of people and the
manifest failure of neo-liberal policies, the establishment has
adopted the language of "globalization with a human face". On the one
hand, it has co-opted the social agenda
and is attempting to engage civil society in this process by offering it
pseudo-influence through, for example, the World Bank / IMF Poverty
Reduction and Growth Papers (PRSP). On the other hand, it is attempting to
divide and increasingly represses critical
social movements, trade unions and NGOs in order to weaken them.
Neo-liberal globalization also leads to many armed conflicts that continue
to decimate civil populations and drain national budgets, to the advantage of
the arms industry. The growing role of the
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