On October 31, the 7th summit of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (the FTAA, or ALCA in Spanish) will take place in Ecuador. As the Youth of North America don witch, cowboy, and NY Fire Dept. costumes, a far scarier bunch of middle-aged men, dressed up like corporate executives, will be converging on the capital city of Quito. 34 foreign ministers and secretaries of state from across the Americas are coming to Quito to negotiate the FTAA.
As you probably know, the FTAA will give unprecedented power to major corporations and investors, exacerbating poverty and insecurity, and causing widespread environmental disaster. The meeting in Quito is critical, because the FTAA´s backers are hoping that major portions of the agreement will be finalized here.
But people here in Ecuador have other ideas. Tens of thousands of campesinos (small farmers), indigenous people, trade unionists, students, and other groups are mobilizing to non-violently surround the summit, reject the FTAA, and, if possible, stop the negotiations. And thousands of people from Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and other countries, are coming to join in.
The CONFEUNASSC-CNC, a powerful national campesino federation, views October as an opportunity to create new mechanisms of solidarity and build networks of resistance that span the continent. We are looking for global justice networks, student groups, community organizations, union locals, collectives, environmentalists, environmental justice activists, small and/or organic farmers, food coops, and anyone else who would like to join ALCA-NUNCA (Americas Linked, Cooperating Against Neoliberalism and for Unity, Community, and Autonomy).
THE PROJECT:
ALCA-NUNCA will link up grassroots groups in the U.S. with ¨sister groups¨ in Ecuador, local and provincial campesino organizations. The idea is to learn from each other, strengthen the mobilization in October, and build a foundation for future coordinated action.
Sister groups will begin by exchanging messages/photos/posters/videos describing what´s at stake for their community in the struggle against the FTAA, and how they are fighting back. Groups in Ecuador and North America will coordinate during the continental days of action planned during the FTAA summit. North American groups will help get the word out about the mobilization, and will be ready to apply pressure if we are met by severe repression.
U.S. and Canadian groups will also, if possible, provide resources that are critically needed to strengthen the mobilization in Ecuador. Funds will help pay for transportation to the Quito protest, and to support four "caravans" that will visit hundreds communities in September and October. These caravans will reach thousands of people with popular education workshops on the FTAA, Plan Colombia, art and resistance, and nonviolent direct action. (We are also inviting participating North American groups to send volunteers to join the caravans).
This is a critical moment for people of the Americas. If the protests fail, the FTAA process will likely take a "great leap forward," accelerating what amounts to a death sentence for communities from Anchorage to Argentina. If the protests succeed, not only will we disrupt the FTAA process, but it will be impossible for the architects of corporate globalization to continue claiming that the only thing standing between prosperity and the global south is a bunch of anarchists, misguided students, and selfish trade unionists.
It has become increasingly clear that the only way to stop corporate globalization, (or "neoliberalism" is it is called pretty much everywhere outside of the U.S.) is through concerted international action. There is no doubt that resistance to "free trade," and neoliberalism exists in literally every corner of the world. Our goal is to build relationships that will allow for the coordination of that resistance. Please join us in working to realize a vision of another America, another Abya Yala, one based on principles of solidarity, reciprocity, justice, and respect for natural and human diversity.
HOW YOU CAN JOIN ALCA-NUNCA: If you think your group might be interested, or if you have any questions, please contact grito@andinanet.net, ssc-cnc@campesinos-fmlgt.org.ec or dosomething@eudoramail.com .
For more info about the FTAA, check out /www.stopftaa.org
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