November 24, 2001

Declaración de Xelajúz En Español

More than 800 delegates representing 300 social organizations from Mexico and Central America, accompanied by observers from Canada, the USA, and several European countries, participated in the 2001 Xelaju Forum. Within the framework of the debates of the 2001 Xelaju Forum, we had ample discussions on the meaning of imposed globalization, free trade agreements, and especially the Plan Puebla Panama (PPP). We also expressed our support for processes of globalization with solidarity. We had the support of the Municipality of Quetzaltenango to mount this important forum.

For the men and women present at the Xelaju Forum, the PPP is a ready-made geopolitical project to build, in Mesoamerica, an area of services and infrastructure, designed according to the logic of trans-national corporations, national oligarchy groups and international financial institutions. The central axes of this project are, a services infrastructure for the export of goods, and the exploitation of our natural resources, our bio-diversity and the labour of our peoples. The PPP does not respond in any way to the social logic of the Mesoamerican people and their communities.

In addition to that, the conception and building of the PPP has been anti-democratic, to the point at which the Centro-American governments approved a design prepared by the Mexican government, acting as an intermediary for the US government. Whichever way it is analyzed, it is a project that goes against the sovereignty of our countries and the self-determination of peoples. On another level, it is a project that does not take into consideration the rights of workers or migrant workers, and it generates repressive policies towards them.

The PPP, in addition to being an exclusionary economic model, it is an illegal and illegitimate model because it violates the commitments in Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization, and other treaties and international instruments that have been ratified by the majority of countries in Mesoamerica. Until now, the peoples of Mesoamerica have not been consulted about the legislative and administrative measures that will affect them directly and therefore they are being deprived of their right to participate in the decision making process, a serious omission.

During the debates of the Xelaju Forum, there was emphasis on the need to forge ahead with investments that generate productive employment instead of mega-projects that serve the trans-national corporations, in order to favour the development of agriculture and animal husbandry that will ensure food security instead of maquilas or agro-export that does not take the most urgent needs of the people into consideration. The participants in the Xelaju Forum agreed on stressing that the PPP, as it is designed, constitutes a risk to the environment and to biodiversity and, above all, goes against the rights of the peoples of the region. Within this line of thought, Xelaju Forum considers necessary the full respect of the rights of indigenous peoples.

The people assisting at the Forum demanded the formation of a network of Mesoamerican collective action on the PPP, as well as on the effects of the Free Trade Agreement (between Central America and Mexico), and the FTAA project. Also, the development of new networks and ways of cooperation on different themes such as maquilas or hydroelectric mega-projects was mentioned. In summary, we all agree in our rejection of imposed globalization and the need to set as the central premise of our action the demand "confront globalization: put people first"

In the 2001 Xelaju Forum, we agreed that the social process that rejects free trade and imposed globalization requires the development of a larger number of social alliances among popular and social organizations and NGOs. to advance specific actions about concrete themes.

Therefore, the organizations and peoples present at Xelaju 2001 agree:

1. To reject totally the Plan Puebla Panama.
2. To increase our efforts to systematize the experiences and alternatives, of community and regional development which are equitable, with justice and sustainability; as opposed to the authoritarian and anti-democratic projects, results of globalization and the PPP.
3. To produce an information campaign for the people and local authorities, about the PPP and its effects. We also reject the FTAA because it goes against the independent development of our peoples.
4. To promote the establishment of a network of Mesoamerican peoples and organizations to oppose globalization and the PPP.
5. To develop a plan of coordinated mobilization, at the local, national, and regional levels, in relation to our demands.
6. To convoke the organizations and peoples of the Mesoamerican region to prepare and participate in the Third International Forum, that will take place in Nicaragua in 2002.
7. The participants in the 2001 Xelaju Forum condemn all forms of militarization in the Mesoamerican region, and we express our categorical rejection of the Plan Colombia and we favour an advance of the peace process in that country.
8. The Xelaju Forum ratifies its support of the Hemispheric Social Alliance and the World Social Forum, and we feel part of them.
9. The 2001 Xelaju Forum expresses its solidarity with the struggle of all the peoples against the imposed globalization.

Confronting Globalization: Putting People First

XELAJU, NOVEMBER 24, 2001