The First Hemispheric Encuentro against Militarization, held in San Cristóbal de las Casas on May 6-9, 2003, was a complete success (www.desmilitarizacion.org). In spite the US war on terrorism, border closings, repression of demonstrations, the war in Iraq, the heavy militarization and huge numbers of paramilitary groups in Chiapas, 996 people, representing 272 organizations in 35 countries participated in this Encuentro. A wide variety of groups and individuals attended this tremendous Encuentro, among them: indigenous organizations, campesino groups, social change organizations, well known persons, academics and intellectuals, reporters and alternative media; human rights, development and research centers, peace centers; cooperatives and communities affected by militarization, widows, displaced persons, families of the disappeared, women’s organizations, youth groups, unions, a Nobel Peace Prize winner; among many, many others. Below are the Political Declaration, the Women’s Declaration, and the Continental Action Plan.

DECLARATION OF THE FIRST HEMISPHERIC ENCUENTRO AGAINST MILITARIZATION

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico, May 9, 2003

For humanity and against neoliberalism was the zapatista cry that brought representatives from all over the world to the Lacandón jungle in 1996 in order to share hopes and dreams, analyses and experiences, concerns and desires. For five hundred years, our people have resisted domination. Rebellion against empires, against the impoverishment of people in this rich land, against the disappearance of our cultures and ability to determine our own futures has angered the powerful. Overwhelming militarization is their response to our rebelliousness; our response is organization, resistance, and struggle.

Demilitarize the Americas is today’s cry by those meeting here in this rich land of Chiapas. We come from 28 different countries in order to restate the desire for self-determination and to defend our territories and resources, to make clear the decision to construct a just and dignified peace for all people, to share and to celebrate experiences of resistance in Latin America and the Caribbean such as the expulsion of the US Navy from Vieques, and to state once more our promise to continue our struggle until we have successfully demilitarized the Continent.

We, the 929 participants in the First Hemispheric Encuentro Against Militarization, here in San Cristóbal de las Casas, May 6-9, 2003, represent organizations and social change movements committed to the construction of an egalitarian, peaceful society that embraces diversity. We have shared ideas and desires to spell out peaceful alternatives to the renewed war-like efforts of the United States, that mark the beginning of the twenty-first century:

Unending war and militarization are the other faces of competition and a market economy. Its most eloquent expressions are the armies and the financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank. The main tools used by this power system are: economic adjustment; expanded privatization; and growing indebtedness in Latin America and the Caribbean; the continuing blockade against Cuba; embargoes and induced crises; and regional armies that collaborate with or put themselves at the disposal of and for the interest of the security forces of the United States. Their intent is to get the people to yield so they can plunder their resources, usually with the enthusiastic complicity of local governments.

Militarization brings: serious violations of human rights, women suffering the worst; destruction of traditional indigenous communities; increased forced migration of millions of people; destruction of the environment; and the repression of resistance movements democratic processes and sovereignty. The people struggle for life, militarization sows death.

The process of militarization applied by the US security forces violates the sovereignty of the people by: sponsoring interventions, exercises and patrols; training of national forces; and the installation throughout the continent of radar and other systems of satellite and ground surveillance and intelligence where there is no direct installation of military bases.

The powerful US army takes control of and loots natural resources such as petroleum, water, biological resources and others; the invaluable riches of Latin America. This looting has devastated human and natural communities; it has plundered the environment and denied a future to our people.

The invasion of Iraq is the most recent barbaric act in this strategy. It is a crime against the people of Iraq, against the Arab people and their ancient culture – and against humanity. Their oil fields and their refusal to be submissive condemned these people to this savage destruction. The attack against those countries included in the “axis of evil” is a clear expression of a neocolonial war. We are all food for the empire, we are all Iraqis.

With the explicit interest to improve its domination, the United States has let loose a crusade against the people, countries and movements that struggle for self-determination. The economic and military occupations and interventions such as the Plan Columbia, Plan Puebla Panama, Plan Dignidad, NAFTA, FTAA and the Andean Initiative, seek to destroy insurgents, maintain the domination of large corporations over the natural resources and control the destiny of the region.

With the conviction that “a world at peace is possible” we issue an urgent call to the people and governments of the region to jointly promise to:

Demand the immediate removal of all US military bases and military intelligence operations from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Demand the cancellation of military exercises and training supervised by US armed forces in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Prevent the creation of private security forces, military, paramilitary or police, in our countries. Demand that national armies respect human rights, act openly and within the constitution.

Reject, and demand the same of the governments of the region, the argument of the war against terrorism or narco-trafficking as justification for United States intervention in the policies and territories of our countries.

Force an immediate disarmament and re-direct the multi-millions of dollars that are invested in arms and re-orient them to the necessities of the people, such as education, health, and the promotion of diversity and gender equality.

Defend the principles of sovereignty and the culture of peace and economic and social justice as the central foci for the determining all national and international projects.

Restore the community of Nations as the organism promoting world peace and development, applying the principles of equality among nations and total respect for human rights.

Develop agreements of solidarity and interchange that take into account the interests and needs of all peoples of the region, not just those of one country – such as in the case of the FTAA, that not only violates the interests of the people, but also human rights.

Question the deplorable role played by the mass media that serve as underhanded bellicose propaganda instruments supporting what is being perpetuated in Iraq, Palestine, and so many other places. Demand ethical practices and the responsible transmission of information based on a wide variety of reliable sources and strengthen democratic and alternative means of communication.

As representatives of 35 countries in this First Hemispheric Encuentro against Militarization, we commit ourselves to continue the struggle for a peaceful world by promoting the Campaign for the Demilitarization of the Americas and the Construction of a Peace that will uphold the dignity of our peoples.

We speak to silence war!
Demilitarized Americas are possible!

Here ends the Policy Statement

During the two previous days of the First Encuentro, women’s organizations and members of COMPA (Convergence of the Movements of the Peoples of the Americas) and many others met to design the Continental Women’s Forum that will take place in Nicaragua in 2004. In the current encuentro, in which women constituted 46% of the participants, they took the opportunity to share reflections, analyses, diagnoses, experiences and proposals. One of the fruits of this time of sharing was the statement that follows.

PROPOSALS FROM WOMEN FOR THE DECLARATION OF THE HEMISPHERIC ENCUENTRO AGAINST MILITARIZATION

(Discussed and approved by a panel of women)

The women attending this Encuentro make known our profound indignation at the military invasion of Iraq by the government of the United States, the massacres perpetrated by the occupying forces against the Iraqi people in resistance and the massacres in Palestine; as well as the harassment and threats against Iran, North Korea, Columbia and Cuba.

The government of the United States in its desire to assure its political and economic dominion over the whole world, resorts, one more time, to the use of arms and war technology to strip the people of the third world of their natural resources, their territories and their sovereignty, in order to guarantee the US supremacy in the violent struggle for neoliberal globalization

These wars, hidden behind words about democracy, are in military support of neoliberalism, economic exploitation, shameless looting of our natural resources, as well as the struggle for markets and power among world powers. They are the ultimate expression of imperial and patriarchal violence, as well as the shameless instigation of genocide, the violation of Human Rights, and the ignoring of the United Nations.

Overstated with arrogance and impunity, the United States government sets loose imperialistic violence in the name of liberty, presents destruction and death as the exercise of democracy and justifies the shameless violation of human rights and international accords with speeches about the salvation of people. It is with the hidden agenda to militarize the occupied areas by immoral, illegitimate and illegal actions that they plan to take over the energy resources of the whole world and subject the lives of the people to their imperialistic interests.

As part of the strategies of aggressors, all wars have converted women into objects and objectives, using our positions as mothers and wives in order to exert control and generate terror in the population. In Central America, for example, many women were ‘disappeared’, forced by the army to inform on their husbands and children, to castrate them, to watch the death of their young by stoning. Many, as terrifying examples, were hung in trees by the roadside, bodies mutilated, wombs cut open with fetuses exposed, and with other obscene wounds, as has been repeated in Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, Mexico and other places

Sexual violence is always part of the strategy to control a population by subjecting women to that violence. Thousands of women have been raped during war. In the wars of ‘low intensity’ our role in the family is used to weaken resistance and opposition by all that would struggle against the injustices of the powerful. 

Militarization, terror and the imposition of a war culture affects our daily life and subjugates us. Many things occur when a country is under military control: evictions, divisions within communities and organization, exile, the worsening of crises and economic dependence on others. These affect the population at large, but the most severe consequences fall on women and the young. When families face changes in their daily lives, it is the women who are forced to confront them and support their families emotionally. In addition they must look for solutions to problems of survival, because in most cases the men have been taken into the armed forces, or, more likely, have lost their lives as a result of war.

Military presence in cities and villages brings with it the worsening of already existing problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, sexually transmitted diseases and domestic violence. These consequences are visited particularly on women.

For centuries women have been the builders of peace, weavers of the social, political and cultural fabric of our villages and spokespersons for our communities. War also carries with it the demand for the political participation of women, the development of our collective conscience and the necessity that we become the transforming agents necessary to make possible a just and worthy world.

The strength of women has been very important in the struggle against militarization, as has been demonstrated by zapatista women in Chiapas, who, with their bodies formed barriers to stop the entrance of armed forces into their communities. Another example was the participation of Puerto Rican women that was critical in making the US army leave Vieques Island after more that a half century of occupation.

Thus, we say:

No to militarization and war that seeks to impose imperial power in accord with the patriarchal model of  “Power to the strongest and richest”.

No to militarization because war is a form of extreme violence used by the State to achieve the subjugation and domination of peoples; and it functions in the interests of neoliberal capitalism.

No to militarization because as women we are not disposed to continue submitting ourselves to the interests of politicians or governments who make wars of occupation in our name. We are considered second class citizens and our rights are not recognized; neither are our proposals for the construction of peace.

No to militarization because we women want to create new ways to interrelate and to cease being victims of violence and poverty imposed by the patriarchal capitalist system.

 No to militarization because we must not permit the government of the United States to determine, at its convenience, the destiny and hierarchy of countries or peoples of the world.

No, because militarization and war are an escalation of power and hierarchiazation of the countries and peoples of the world.

No to war, because it is used to silence and repress insurgent and resistance movements that dare to disagree with the imperial power.

Therefore, we propose to:

-         Draw up a strategy of information, discussion and analysis about the causes and effects of the imperialistic war on women and people in order to prevent the confusion that the US government generates in its fundamentalist discourse.

 -         Promote relationships of equality and equity between individuals and peoples, taking into account that our problems as women are those of society and not ours alone; that women have been present in all of the people’s struggles; and that our participation and our strength, in addition to raising our self-esteem and self-worth, is indispensable in the construction of new forms of democracy, not only as voters, but as active participants.

-          Construct a consensus and a global force of men and women, organizing ourselves into networks from local to international levels, to stop the wars of domination on our communities.

-          Condemn the invasions of Iraq, Palestine and Iran, forcefully reject the blockade of Cuba and the threats of imperialistic occupation of such countries as Syria, Korea, Columbia and Venezuela.

-          Issue a call to the men and women of all communities to promote legislative changes in their countries that favor the political participation and life of women, thus generating new forms of democracy that make possible the coming together of countries in order to construct a new international order.

-          Call all women of the world to align themselves with anti-war movements within the United States recognizing their importance in stopping US government expansionism.

-          Question the role of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and all other multilateral economic institutions that are implementing neoliberal strategies such as the Plan Puebla Panama, FTAA and others.

-          Demand that the media report objectively and stop using the oppression of women to justify US intervention as in the handling of the case that was made about the situation of Muslim women.

-         Condemn the government of Nigeria for its policy of penalizing Nigerian women who exercise their right of motherhood, as happened to Amina, recently condemned for having a child outside of marriage.

-          Seek non-violent solutions to conflicts at all levels of society, from the global, regional and national all the way to those places in the daily lives of women and men of all ages, of all levels, of all ethnic backgrounds, races, religions, sexual orientation and political viewpoints.

-         Include our proposals in the resolutions of the Hemispheric Encuentro Against Militarization, making visible our participation; publish condemnations of war, invasion and blockade; and send them to the UN and to all governments that make war on the people.

-          Add our efforts to those of COMPA in order to construct and carry out these proposals.

As women, we have proclaimed for years that the personal is political, now we proclaim that the political is personal. the Wars affect us directly and that we declare a NO to militarization and war.

A JUST AND HONORABLE PEACE FOR EVERYONE!

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, May 6, 2003

Here ends the women’s statement.

At this First Hemispheric Encuentro, the following information was provided about future Continental Actions so all can participate:

2003 schedule

May

5          México City –  Second National Encuentro planning for Cancun.

6-9       San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México – First Hemispheric Encuentro Against Militarization

11-13        México City – Continental and Global Meeting against the FTAA and the WTO

15        The Whole World – International Day of Conscientious Objection

16-17       New York, NY, USA – Meeting of the ANSWER.Coalition

16-18       Guichicovi, Oaxaca, Mexico- International Encuentro of Resistance and Meso-American Responses to Neoliberal Globalization

23-24    Quito, Ecuador – Third National Convention against the FTAA

??         La Paz, Bolivia – Second Encuentro of the Fight Against the FTAA and War

June 

1-3       Evian, France and Lausanne, Switzerland – Mobilization against the G8.

6-8       Chicago, IL, USA – Conference of United for Peace and Justice.

6-8       Little Rock, AR, USA – Conference “Empowering Democracy”

??         La Paz, Bolivia – Regional Meeting of the Shout of the Excluded

23-25    Sacramento, CA, USA – Demonstrations against the Meeting of WTO Ministers

23-26    Miami, FL, USA – International Council of the World Social Forum

July

17-20    La Esperanza, Honduras – Second Forum Against Dams and Third Forum for Biological and Cultural Diversity

22-24    Tegucigalpa, Honduras –  Fourth Forum Against the Plan Puebla Panama

??          Santiago, Chile – Regional Meeting of the Shout of the Excluded

??          Panama – People’s Global Action.

August

2-23           Mississippi to Washington DC – National Poor People’s March. Economic Rights of Poor People in the Unites States, KWRU-COMPA.

18        Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Regional Meeting of the Shout of the Excluded

20-24    Haiti – Assembly of the Caribbean People and of COMPA.

September

7          Brazil – Shout of the Excluded, 3,000 simultaneous actions.

8-14        All of the Americas – Week of local actions against the WTO

9          The whole world –  International Day Against the WTO                                               www.nuestromundonoestaenventa.org

10-14    Cancun, Mexico – Demonstrations Against the WTO Ministers Meeting

October

4-11      Argentina – People’s Referendum on the FTAA, Indebtedness and Militarization

11-12       Mexico/US Border – Demonstrations and closure of five border bridges

12        All of the Americas – Shout of the Excluded “NO to the FTAA and NO to Militarization”

24-28    Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil – Brazilian Social Forum

November

16-23        All of the Americas – “Week for Peace and Demilitarization” Campaign for Demilitarization of the Americas (CADA).

19-21    Miami, FL, USA – Demonstration against the FTAA Minister’s Meeting

22-23    Ft. Benning, Columbus, GA, USA – Demonstrations against the School of the Americas

??          México City –  Meeting of the Continental Federation of Community Organizations

??         México City – Continental Coordinating Meeting of the Shout of the Excluded

December

1-5        Thailand – Second International Encuentro against Dams: www.irn.org

4-10     The Whole World – International Week of Action for Human Rights and Against National Debts

2004 Schedule:

January

13-16    Havana, Cuba – Third Hemispheric Encuentro Against the FTAA and Interamerican Solidarity with Cuba

16-21    Mumbai (Bombay), India – World Social Forum “Another World is Possible”

February

27-29      Masaya, Nicaragua – Continental Encuentro of COMPA Women

March

11-14      Huitiupán, Chiapas, México – Third Chiapaneco Encuentro Against Neoliberalism

5-7               Quito, Ecuador – Conference on the Campaign for the Demilitarization of the Americas looking toward the Second Hemispheric Encuentro against Militarization in 2005

8            The Whole World - International Women’s Day

8-13       Quito, Ecuador –  First Social Forum of the Americas “Another America is Possible”

September

11                 New York and the Whole World – “Everyone Against Bush” Protests.

November

??           Bogota, Colombia- Fourth Continental COMPA Assembly

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