UNITY
STATEMENT
Seattle
International People’s Assembly
November
28-29, 1999
Seattle,
Washington, USA
We, participants to the Seattle International People’s Assembly coming from the First and Third Worlds, close our two-day
meeting—"Say No to WTO!"—firmly united in the task of exposing
and opposing the WTO and
advancing
the people’s resistance to imperialist globalization.
Imperialist globalization must be
unmasked and fully discredited. We see it as nothing but monopoly capitalism
masquerading as a new and wonderful product of the electronic age.
But in truth it ravages the environment,
devastates
countries and subjugates entire peoples with unequaled ferocity
and ruthlessness.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is
the instrument of multinational corporations and imperialist states for dictating
trade policy on client states
even as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) dictates financial
and
monetary policy and the World Bank, fiscal policy. US
imperialism controls
the WTO contrary to the official propaganda that 134 member
states
enjoy equality and decide by consensus.
Imperialist states, acting as
protectors and promoters of the superprofits
of giant monopoly firms, are the masterminds of the anti-worker
"contractualization" policy, the chief instigators of
human rights
violations, and the biggest plunderers and polluters of the
environment.
Imperialist globalization is not
inevitable. It is not unstoppable. We have
proven this time and again in tactical battles against
neoliberal policies
of liberalization, deregulation and privatization, against the
debt
trap, and in the recent highly successful anti-MAI campaign.
In this
spirit, we support the call of peasant movements, including Via
Campesina and Kilusang
Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, to take agriculture out of the WTO. It is a call that
supports the peasants’ and farm workers’ fight against landlessness, feudal and semi-feudal
bondage.
But while we struggle for reforms and
try to achieve palpable gains on immediate issues, we make sure that we are not
distracted from the overall
struggle against the main enemy of the world’s people today—imperialism—specifically
the No. 1 imperialist power, the USA.
We vow to close ranks to confront the
imperialist monster that has taken away our lands, jobs and livelihood and
has further displaced, commodified
and turned women into modern-day slaves. We denounce imperialism
that has impoverished us and left us hungry, sick, without decent
housing, and has stolen our youth’s future.
We commit ourselves to bring down this
system which is bringing genocidal wars of imperialist intervention and domination
upon the peoples of the world.
We demand an end to the economic blockade of Cuba, the ongoing
bombing
of Iraq and the depredations on Yugoslav independence and sovereignty
and the use of United Nations sanctions to bring sovereign countries to heel.
We firm up our resolve to promote and
develop the anti-imperialist and democratic struggle of the workers and oppressed
people against the inhuman
policies and acts of the multinational companies, their governments
and international instruments such as the IMF, World Bank, WTO
and military alliances.
We support the calls of the
International League of People’s Struggle which
will be founded at the end of the year 2000.
Finally, we stand ready to fight for
the following:
1. National and social liberation
from imperialism and all reaction;
2. Human rights in the civil,
political, economic, social and cultural fields;
3. The cause of peace against
wars of aggression and against nuclear and genocidal weapons;
4. Workers’ rights and
reduction of working hours at full pay against mass unemployment and decreasing wage
levels;
5. Rights of peasants, farm
workers and fisherfolk against feudal and semi-feudal exploitation and
oppression;
6. Women’s rights against
gender discrimination and sexual exploitation and children’s rights against child
labor and other forms of exploitation;
7. The rights of gays and
lesbians against discrimination;
8. Rights of indigenous peoples
and nationalities against chauvinism and racism;
9. The rights of teachers and the
youth against the privatization of education and to academic freedom;
10. Rights and welfare of
refugees and migrant workers;
11. Environmental protection
against plunder and pollution, towards the survival of all species;
12. The right to safe and healthy
food free from genetic manipulation, hazardous chemicals and processes.
We
call on all oppressed peoples to strengthen international
solidarity and advance the people’s struggle against
imperialism!
(Nota
Bene: The above list of concerns is modified by the Third Meeting
of the International Initiative Committee. Please look at the
updated list, marked June 8, 2000.)
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