Declaration of Social Movements in
Santo Domingo
"For Peace, Unity and the Integration
of Our America"
The social movements and political organizations of
Latin
America and the Caribbean, meeting on January 23 and 24, 2017 in
the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, endorse this
document of fervent support for the Fifth Summit of Heads of
State and Government of the Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELAC), together with the hope that it will
further contribute to the consolidation and strengthening of this
important mechanism for the concentration of joint action by our
countries, in defence of the interests and rights of Nations and
peoples.
CELAC represents a ray of hope for the Latin American
and
Caribbean countries that we must coordinate efforts to jointly
combat the great evils that afflict us, such as: poverty, hunger,
unemployment, the lack of access to health services, education
and decent housing, gender inequality and violence against girls
and women, violation of the most basic rights, cultural and media
warfare, citizen insecurity, the scourge of drugs, neoliberal
policies, the illegal and predatory actions of multinational
corporations, destruction of the environment, unequal exchange
and obstacles to communication against hegemony, among other
evils.
We add our militant effort to the common struggle for
national sovereignty, democracy, sustainable development and the
guarantee of all human rights for all our citizens. This has
become more indispensable with the right-wing offensive on the
continent and the recent rise to power of a U.S. president who
increases the risk that, along with his hegemonic, misogynist,
racist, xenophobic and imperialist preaching, the threats of
aggression characteristic of the old policy of the big stick and
interventionism, that brought so much tragedy to our peoples
throughout history, will increase and be carried out.
We strongly denounce these grave threats, call for
vigilence,
the most determined solidarity and the unity of our peoples, and
call for spaces for dialogue between governments and social
movements to confront these and other challenges.
We endorse the Proclamation of Latin America and the
Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, as agreed in 2014 by the Heads of
State and Government at the Second Summit of CELAC.
We reject the establishment of military bases by
countries
and organizations from outside the region, the reactivation of
the [U.S.] Fourth Fleet, the implementation of a new Condor Plan,
joint military exercises with foreign powers and organizations,
such as NATO, and we demand the withdrawal of the MINUSTAH from
Haiti, the first country to rise against colonial domination and
with which we are permanently in solidarity.
We condemn the criminalization of social protest and
persecution of progressive governments, organizations and leaders
by paramilitary groups. In that sense, we demand the freedom of
Deputy Milagro Salas and the political fighter Simon Trinidad,
and we demand justice for the case of the 43 normal school
students of Ayotzinapa.
We support the resistance and struggle of Puerto Rico,
still
absent from CELAC, for its independence and we celebrate the
pardon of Oscar López Rivera, fruit of the battle of his people
and of international solidarity for his liberation.
We strongly support the sovereignty of the Argentine
Republic
over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich
Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.
We join the worldwide demand for the immediate and
unconditional lifting of the genocidal blockade against the
sister Republic of Cuba by the United States Government and the
return of the territory occupied by the Guantánamo Naval
Base.
We express our unconditional support for the Bolivarian
Revolution and the legitimate government led by President
Nicolás
Maduro. We demand the repeal of the interfering Executive Order
of the United States Government that calls Venezuela a threat to
its national security.
We salute the recent electoral victory of the
Sandinista
Front in Nicaragua and the re-election of President Daniel
Ortega. We are alert to the attempt to undermine the stability of
the government of El Salvador.
We assert the urgent need to eradicate poverty, hunger
and
social inequality, to build just and inclusive societies that
guarantee access for all to health services, free and quality
public education, decent housing without forced evictions, decent
work and respect for workers' rights and gains, promotion of
culture and identity, opportunities for young people and
students, and effective participation of the people. We
sympathize with the struggles of teachers and students throughout
the region, including for educational reforms.
We support the efforts of the Colombian people to
achieve
peace with social justice, after five decades of bloody war,
within the framework of the agreements reached between the
Colombian government and the FARC-EP, and the beginning of the
dialogue with the National Liberation Army. The peace of Colombia
is the peace of the continent.
We are guided by the unequivocal conviction that the
most
effective resource is the unity of nations and peoples, and in
this spirit we reiterate our militant commitment to make every
effort to bring that popular force to its feet and thus create an
insurmountable barrier against the pretensions of U.S.
imperialism and its allies.
The prospect of advancing towards winning our
definitive national and social liberation, which the guides and
forerunners of that cause continue indicating to us from immortality,
encourages us to adopt the present Declaration and endow it with the
highest spirit of Latin American and Caribbean solidarity, with eternal
commitment to the legacy of the undefeated Commanders Fidel Castro and
Hugo Chávez and inspired by the heroic resistance of women like
Mamá Tingó, the Mirabal Sisters and all our heroes and
martyrs of the Patria Grande.
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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