|
DECLARATION OF THE
PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS - MUMBAI 2004
DECLARATION OF THE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS AT PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS
ENCOUNTERS II - MUMBAI 2004
We, the people's movements representing workers, peasants and
agricultural workers, women, Dalits and Adivasis, indigenous
peoples, fisher peoples, urban poor, the physically and mentally
handicapped and other sectors of the poor and oppressed, have
again come together in Mumbai from 16-20 January 2004 for the
People's Movements Encounters Part II.
We have assembled in Mumbai to express our unified condemnation of
imperialist globalization unleashed by the G7 imperialist powers
and their transnational corporations that have wrought havoc and
destruction on humankind. Through the World Trade Organization and
other international institutions such as the IMF and World Bank,
and with the collusion of the elites in our own countries, they
have ravaged our communities and countries, stolen our natural
resources and the fruits of our labor.
They have expanded imperialist trade and investment such that
transnational corporations dump their cheap subsidized excess
products and destroy the livelihoods of peasants and other small
producers. We have lost our jobs, our land and our farms, our
waters, forests and mountains. We have lost our homes and our
communities, hunger and misery creeps further and deadlier
throughout our lands.
Transnational corporations have become bigger and deadlier as they
amass wealth through imperialist globalization and dominate
agriculture, industry, trade, finance and all sectors of the
economy all over the world. Through them and with the support of
the landed elites who act as their agents, our production and our
lives are dominated and monopolized. This is for the sole purpose
of providing increasing profit at the expense of the poor majority
who are left jobless and hungry; at the expense of our way of
life, health and safety as hazardous technologies poison our food,
agriculture and industry; and at the expense of our communities
and environment as unsustainable, anti-people and anti-environment,
but more profitable ways of production are promoted.
Our poverty and oppression is worsening as imperialism unleashes
war in the face of its own global crisis to further control the
world against those governments or people's movements who would
dare protest, and to further divide the world and control its
resources, especially oil, gas and uranium. The US-led War on
Terrorism, including the invasion of Iraq and the threat of war on
Iran, Syria, North Korea, and the intervention in the Philippines,
Indonesia and other parts of the world, are meant to violently
suppress dissent, especially the people's movements and resistance,
criminalize people's protests and target their leaders.
The US-led War on Terrorism has resulted in greater violence
against the people around the world today. It is being used to
weaken and dismantle mechanisms that support human rights. It has
resulted in increased militarism and militarization with more and
more abuses and crimes against the people. Fascism and
fundamentalism have led to widespread communal tension, attacks on
tribal and other minorities, violence and genocide in our
communities, and erosion of the unity of the people.
In these times of war, imperialism is intensifying all sorts of
reaction including patriarchy, resulting in more violent attacks
on women, denying them of their rights, especially health,
political and economic rights while increasing violent attacks,
white slavery and trafficking. Casteism continues to deny equal
rights and status to Dalits and other excluded groups.
It is but expected that peoples all over Asia and the world today
are resisting with greater vigor the onslaught of imperialism and
its lackeys. It is but just that the people to fight for their
rights, their lives and their communities - for the women to stand
firm against the forces that displace them and their communities,
for the Dalits to assert their rights, for the workers to fight
for their right to work and livelihood, for the peasants to take
back their lands and their farms, for the people to fight for
their humanity.
This is our struggle, this is our movement.
This is our People's Movements Encounter and this is our testament:
We assert our rights and our sovereignty as peoples to realize our
rights to food and produce food, to land and other resources for
agriculture and food production, to water for life and for
agriculture, to jobs and livelihood and to fair wages. We demand
fair prices for our produce and the dismantling of all monopolies
that control resources, capital, trade and investment. We demand
equal rights and protection for all marginalized sectors. We
demand the end of patriarchy and; promotion of equality and
dignity of women and we shall fight to end all forms of violence
and discrimination of women. We shall advance the struggle for
democratic rights, equality and freedom and end all forms of
fascist fundamentalism and racism. We shall fight to end all forms
of casteism and untouchability and ensure the equal status for all
groups and communities in our countries. We will fight to defeat
imperialist globalization and dismantle all its minions like the
WTO, the IMF and the World Bank. We shall fight to end the
implementation of all policies and programs of neoliberal
globalization in our countries and communities. Immediately, WTO
must be taken out of food and agriculture. All unpayable debt must
be canceled and structural adjustment programs dismantled. We
shall fight the domination and monopoly by transnational
corporations, boycott their goods and drive them out of our
communities and countries. We resist the US war on terrorism and
military intervention in our countries. We reject state terrorism
and demand the immediate release of all political prisoners. We
demand that the US withdraws all its troops in our countries and
the immediate dismantling of US military bases. Building on our
struggles and our solidarity with people's movements everywhere,
we shall build a new world of justice, freedom, democracy and
peace for the people.
|