Advancing towards the IV People’s Summit

2009-04-14 00:00:00

The main theme of the Summit will be policies in the hemisphere for addressing the global crisis. The crisis will be analyzed from an integrated perspective in order to reflect upon its different manifestations: economic, food, environment, energy, social, culture and governance. Taking into account the context of the Summit of the Americas, the central, underlying themes of the discussions will be U.S. policies for the continent and the search for an alternative form of integration, one that is developed from the people’s perspective.
The inclusion of the cultural perspective is a contribution of organizations from the Caribbean, in the sense that the importance of culture in the region leads us to affirm the need for cultural and ideological renovation for social justice, which will enable us to generate alternatives to neoliberalism.
Furthermore, given their importance in the relation between the U.S. and the continent, the issues of migration and militarization-security will also be discussed.
Agenda:
The following work schedule is being proposed:
 April 14. Arrival of HSA delegations.
 April 14. Afternoon: Opening of HSA Hemispheric Council.
 April 15. HSA Hemispheric Council and the Trade Union Forum
 April 16. Morning: Plenary on the global crisis.
— 1. Characterization of the structural crisis of capitalism.
— 2. Identifying the most significant manifestations of the crisis in the current context (with emphasis on sectors that have been affected).
— 3. Presentation of peoples’ strategies for facing the crisis and an overview of the current state of social actors’ struggles, taking into account the fact that alternatives are built from our struggles, considering the actors and possible efforts to coordinate actions.
— April 16. Afternoon: Trade Union Forum
— Working groups to analyze the crisis:
— a) Economic
— b) Social
— c) Food Sovereignty
— d) Environmental
— e) Culture and Identity
— f) Energy Sovereignty
— g) Governance and Citizenship
— h) Migration
— i) Militarization and Security.
 April 17. Morning. Self-managed activities Due to limits in terms of physical space, 26 self-managed workshops will be planned, based on the proposals from organizations participating in the Summit.
 April 17. Afternoon. Meeting of organizations from the Caribbean and the Continent, plenary and final discussion.
 April 18. Morning. March and closing act with the presidents.
 April 18. Afternoon. Solidarity visits to the Trinidad & Tobago community.
  Other activities
  TUCA is organizing the Trade Union Forum of the Americas, to be held on April 15th and 16th, within the framework of the Summit.
  The HSA Agriculture and Trade Working Group is preparing a workshop with Via Campesina in the Caribbean, a few days prior to the Summit.
  There will be a meeting of the Assembly of Caribbean Youth, in coordination with the Summit. They will participate in the mobilization.
  With regards to the participation of the presidents in the closing act, the presidents who are sensitive to the social organizations’ struggles and program will be invited. The goal is to engage in a dialogue on policies for the hemisphere, during which advances will be recognized and changes will be demanded. Some presidents from the Caribbean will also be invited. However, this discussion is being held by ACP.