Fifth Euro - Latin American and Caribbean Civil Society Forum

On 15 and 16 March 2010, the Mesa de Articulación (the coalition of Latin American platforms and networks) and CONCORD held the Fifth Euro - Latin American and Caribbean Civil Society Forum in Madrid. Over 40 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) organisations and around 15 organisations from Europe participated in this event to prepare for the official heads of states and governments Summit in May. The topics of the Forum were: crisis and the development model; innovation, technology and media; democracy, human rights, migrants and indigenous peoples; association agreements and regional integration; and development financing and cooperation. The final declaration puts emphasis on the global crisis but also on the ways forward, here an extract:

“The current international crisis has made clear the limits of an economic model based on market deregulations, unlimited growth and the reduction of the State to its minimum functions. The consequences of these policies are being felt in the lives of everyday people, particularly among the poorest and most excluded. This is a deep systemic crisis, with economic, alimentary, energetic, environmental and social dimensions. […] We believe that the current crisis is an opportunity to advance more decisively with respect to alternatives for change that comprise the complexity and integrity of the political, social, environmental, cultural and economic processes on our continents.”

Thirteen “proposals and observations” have been sent to the EU and LAC governments that aim at establishing a relationship model between the EU and LAC that is based on political dialogue, cooperation, the promotion of social justice and human, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights, taking into account a thoroughgoing analysis of and respect for the development models of their countries, their weaknesses and their strengths. Civil society in the LAC and EU countries is vital for safeguarding, promoting and developing rights and democratic spaces on their continents and should continue their advocacy and solidarity work, strengthening their links and alliances on the basis of their shared values.

The full declaration is available in English (Spanish and Portuguese) on the CONCORD website, see: http://www.concordeurope.org/Public/Page.php?ID=33285&language=eng

Information provided by Christine Bedoya, TRIALOG