In the municipality of Huitiupan, in Chiapas, a successful Third Chiapas Conference on Neoliberalism was held from March 19^th to 21^st , 2004.  The conference was organized by the participants of the Second Conference held in Nuevo Huixtan, Chiapas in February 2003 and by the Convergence of Movements of the Peoples of the Americas (COMPA).

This land has been witness to many indigenous and campesino struggles whose payment has been death, harm, prison, persecution, displacement and much division among organizations that have been infiltrated by governments.  Leaders have also been co-opted by past governments.  Indigenous leaders and advisors from the region are today working for the present government administration.  At this event (the conference), political parties did not try to get their hands into the process but what did happen is that “ears”, sometimes disguised and sometimes quite open, of the federal and state governments, were present including camouflaged army persons in the marches and even armed men hiding their pistols in the civilian clothes while thousands marched through the streets of Simojovel at the closing of the event.

But this land has also seen many victories for the indigenous and campesino movements.  In this municipality of Huitiupan there has been a major struggle against the construction of the Itzantun dam and today we see their definitive triumph: the resistance managed to achieve the definite cancellation of the dam which would have flooded around 12 000 hectares of land and dozens of villages resulting in the displacement of thousands of inhabitants.

More than eighty organizations and institutions and almost 600 people from 26 municipalities of Chiapas attended this conference.  The municipalities represented are: Chalchihuitán, Chenalhó, Chilón, Cintalapa, Comitán, El Bosque, Huitiupán, Jitotol, Maravilla Tenejapa, Margaritas, Nicolás Ruiz, Ocosingo, Pantelhó, San Andrés Larráinzar, San Cristóbal Las Casas, San Juan Chamula, Simojovel, Socoltenango, Teopisca, Tila, Trinitaria, Tumbalá, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Venustiano Carranza, Villaflores and Yajalón.  Organizations from nine Mexican states also participated in the conference (Aguascalientes, California, Chiapas, Distrito Federal, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Oaxaca and Tabasco) and in total, nine countries participated: Germany, Spain, France, Guatemala, Holland, Italy, Japan, the United States and Mexico.

A fair, music, dance, theatrical presentations, traditional storytelling and sales of coffee, arts and crafts and educational and popular materials were among the diverse activities of the conference.  There were four themes addressed by the introductory panel to give a global context to the proceedings.  EDUPAZ was in charge of the theme of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO); the Chiapas Front Against Dams, Border Region presented the theme of Plan Puebla-Panama (PPP) and dams;  CIEPAC and Feminario were responsible for the theme of Militarization; and DESMI and SIPAZ managed the theme of the Ten Years of Armed Conflict in Chiapas.  After the introductory panel presentation, participants divided into ten working groups:  Biodiversity (medicinal plants, biopiracy, the environment, Protected Natural Areas, etc.); Fair Trade, Food Sovereignty and Integrated Economics with the sub-themes of transgenetics, agri-toxins, coffee, corn, etc.; Communications; Women’s Rights; Community Division; Education; Dams, Militarization;  Municipal Public Services (electrical energy, highways, drinking water); and the Legal Situation of Land.  The facilitation of these workshops were the responsibility of organizations such as COMPITCH, DESMI, Boca de Polen, CIAM, Feminario, CORECO, Section VII of the Teaching Staff, CAPISE, Alianza Civica Chiapas and the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center.  In continuation we would like to present the following:

THE FINAL DECLARATION OF THE THIRD CHIAPAS
 CONFERENCE ON NEOLIBERALISM
(March 19^th to 21^st, 2004)

United at the Third Chiapas Conference on Neoliberalism in Huitiupan, Chiapas, the 569 participants (346 men and 190 women) and more than 80 organizations and institutions, 26 municipalities of Chiapas, nine states and nine countries:

Demand that the federal and state governments:

Not be deaf to the claims of the people, blind to the necessities of the people or mute to the interests of the wealthy and the neoliberal businesses.  We should not be seen as enemies.  The governments must fulfil their duties as public administrators and they should not hand over or sell the natural resources that belong to all;

De-militarize and de-paramilitarize indigenous communities, taking into account that to resolve the armed conflict it is necessary to offer solutions to the causes which led to the conflict in the first place.  In this same vein, women are systematically affected because of the use of sexual aggression and rape as a systematic pattern and counter-insurgency strategy  against women and peoples.  We want respect for life and non-violence against women.

Solve the religious problems of San Juan Chamula in which our work companions from the Dioceses of San Cristobal have been victims.  Equally there must be respect for beliefs.  Justice, dignity, peace and tranquillity are needed for our peers in the village of San Juan Bautista.

That military and paramilitary offenders be punished.  We want justice for the victims of the massacres in Acteal, Oaxaca (Santa Maria Yaviche) and Guerrero and in all places where women and men have been victims of violence.  Stop the repression against the EZLN’s bases of support.

Hold businesses, the main contributors to global warming, responsible for their actions and not the campesinos and peasants who use the forests for their survival.

Fulfil in their totality the San Andres accords and respect the rights of indigenous peoples and their free determination.

As well, the San Andres accords express the necessity of society to transform the media from its roots.  We cannot construct democratic organizations and development forces oriented to justice without deeply involving the processes of social communication.

With respect to Article 3 of the Constitution.  We say “NO” to the privatization of public education.  We call for respect for student organization in rural teacher training schools.  We say “NO” to the closing and “YES” to the immediate opening of the MACTUMATZA school as well as calling for the solution of their demands.  We demand a larger budget for public education.

To our peers:

We invite you to defend the land and territory of indigenous peoples.  “NO” to the sale of land.  United, men and women, we reject the government’s neoliberal programs.

We also invite you to declare yourselves and united yourselves with the campaign that we, the women of the Independent Women’s Movement (MIM), of mixed and/or women’s civil organizations and women in general, are heading up:  “Not one more assassination. Not one more war!”, women are the givers of life.

We declare ourselves in favour of the recognition of women’s rights to co-ownership and co-possession of land as a strategy against PROCEDE.  Our struggle is NOT against men, it is with them and against neoliberalism.  For this reason it is necessary that we be recognized as part of the struggle and part of the social movement.

We would like it if we all thought in the same way but such is not the case.  It is very difficult.  All people and groups have a different way of being and thus it is important to respect this and to create agreements to build a better world.  We also respect and recognize the wealth brought by diversity.  We dream small but we want these small dreams to shape a larger dream.

We invite you to consume organic products, your own and locally produced ones, in a conscious and responsible way.  This will strengthen indigenous culture, integral human development, and the care for land and autonomy.

Our work is to speak to and inform our communities about what we saw during this Third Chiapas Conference and to invite them to organize and add themselves to this struggle against neoliberalism.

“NO” TO MILITARIZATION AND “YES” TO AUTONOMY.  WE DEMAND THE FULFILLMENT OF THE SAN ANDRES ACCORDS, RESPECT FOR PEOPLES’ SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE ROLE OF THE ZAPATISTA “CARACOLES”!!!

NOT ONE MORE ASSASINATION, NOT ONE MORE WAR
“NO” TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS

“NO” TO THE CONSUMPTION OF PRODUCTS OF BIG BUSINESS WHICH, IN THEIR PROCESSING ASSAULT AND DAMAGE MOTHER EARTH AND THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

WE WANT GOOD, TRANSPARENT PLANNING COMING FROM THE COMMUNITY.

COMMUNICATION WITH TRUTH AND THE HOPE OF DIGNITY
JUSTICE AND DIGNITY, PEACE AND TRANQUILITY

“NO” TO DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS SUCH AS “OPPORTUNITIES”, PPP AND OTHERS WHICH ARE CONDITIONAL ON OUR WORK AND PARTICIPATION AND WHICH TREAT US AS OBJECTS AND NOT AS SUBJECTS DESERVING OF RIGHTS.

“NO” TO ALCOHOLISM BECAUSE IT IS PART OF THE ORIGIN OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, IT GOES AGAINST FAMILY ECONOMICS AND THAT OF COMMUNITY.

“NO” TO THE DRAFT LAW ON BIODIVERSITY, “NO” TO THE LEGAL PROPOSAL TO CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY AND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN THE STATE OF CHIAPAS.  “NO” TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS FOR TRANSNATIONAL BUSINESSES!!!

YOURS TRULY,

The Little House of Peace; Las Abejas; Alianza Cívica; AMAP; ARIC Independent and Democratic; Antzetik yu-un Cañadas; Arrieros de Chalchihuitán; the Worker’s Association of El Paso; the Interdisciplinary Association of  Chiapas; Boca de Polen; CAPISE; the Peten Front Against Dams; the "Digna Ochoa" Human Rights Center; the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center; the Tepeyac Istmo of Tehuantepec Human Rights Center, the Santa María de Guadalupe Educational Center, the Ricardo Flores Magon Popular Indigenous Council of Oaxaca;  CEDIAC; CEPACOMAC; CEPAZ; CIAM; CIEPAC; CIRSA; CLAEES; COCIDEP; CODIMUJ; CODICH; the Cortamortaja Collective; the Feminine Collective of UNACH;  Huitiupán Civil Society; the Support Committee to Chiapas; COMPITCH; the Latin American Churches Council; the Highlands Co-ordinator; CORECO; DESMI; the Mayan Revival; Diaconía Region Jitotol; Diaconía San José Buena Vista; Diaconía San Juan Chamula; EDUPAZ; the D. H. Chenalhó Tzotzil Team; the Chiapas Front Against Dams, Border Region; the Indigenous Ecological Federation of Chiapas; Feminario; Flor de Pantelhó; Flor de los Altos, Food First, the Fortitude of Mayan Women, the 15^th of September Popular Struggle Front, the Young Student’s Union Front, the Forum for Sustainable Development; the León XIII Foundation; the Group of Indigenous Communicators; INESIN; Jolo´m Mayaetic; Jlumaltic; Lunatik; Wood of the People of the South-east; Mayavinic; MELEL XOJOBAL; the Independent Women’s Movement; the  Kölping Act; OMIRS; the Parish of San Andrés; the Parish of Santo Domingo; the Parish of Huitiupán; Pastoral Social Chenalhó; Pastoral Social Tuxtla Gutiérrez; the Parish of Altamirano; the Parish of Santo Tomás Apóstol; Pastoral Social Chenalhó; Peace and the Third World; Pueblo Creyente; the National Network on Gender and the Economy; Rights Action; SIPAZ; Sna Tzibajom; the Cooperative Society of Tzeltal-Tztotzil Producers; the Maya Winic Cooperative Society; the Tzotzil Union of Productive Diversification; the Witzilton Community; Yamtel Ach Winik; YOMBLEJ; Amber Mines, the Sacred Heart Missionaries of the missions of Guadalupe and San José, ODEMICH, the Organization of Organic Growers,.

As well, individual members, political party militants, university students and/or organizations and institutions of CIESAS, UNAM, UNACH, the PRD, the PT, the PRI, the Democratic CNC, OCEZ and CIOAC, participated.

However, the social movement is not just about declarations.  The working groups arrived at interesting conclusions and made interesting proposals.  The “Dams” group consolidated the Chiapas Front Against Dams and announced campaigns, mobilizations and the First Mexican Gathering Against Dams to be held in the state of Oaxaca in the upcoming months.  The Women’s table decided to consolidate the work for women’s rights and the made a call to stop the killing of women and summoned the First Mesoamerican Gathering of Women to be celebrated in Nicaragua later this year.  The table on Food Sovereignty carried out an analysis of the food situations and crisis in the countryside and they summoned the first Organic Products Fair in Chiapas.  The Land working group analysed the situation of privatization of ejidal lands and the risks to campesinos and indigenous peoples and designed strategies to secure land.  The Biodiversity group ended excitingly with a declaration against the Biosecurity Law passed by the republic’s senate and the proposed Law for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Environmental Protection in the state of Chiapas.  These laws facilitate the introduction of transgenetic seeds and moreover, the privatization, militarization and foreign ownership of protected natural areas.  The Communications table designed popular strategies to strengthen information, communication and training for organizations.  The Education working group analysed the process of privatization of education and alerted us to strategies to look for in order to guarantee the right to education.  The Militarization table managed to be trained in the identification of the diverse military groups forming the basis to denounce the violation of human rights by military persons.

This event was held around various important anniversaries.  On the one side, the International Day Against Dams (March 14); International Water Day (March 21); and the International Day Against War (March 20).  As well, it was announced for the social agenda that in July 2004, the Third Mesoamerican Forum Against Dams will be held in El Salvador; the IV Week for Biological Diversity and Culture and the V Mesoamerican Forum Against the PPP are also coming up.  Among the songs, the orders and the march, there was always one element present … a call that the organizations of civil society continue to make:  “The San Andres Accords are now not later!”

Note: If you wish to be placed on a list to receive this English version of the Bulletin, or the Spanish, or both, please direct a request to: ciepac@laneta.apc.org and indicate whether you wish to receive the bulletin in plain text or as a Word 7 for Windows 95 attachment.

Note: If you use this information, cite the source and our email address. We are grateful to the persons and institutions who have given us their comments on these Bulletins. CIEPAC, A.C. is a non-government and non-profit organization, and your support is necessary for us to be able to continue offering you this news and analysis service. If you would like to contribute, in any amount, we would infinitely appreciate your remittance to the bank account in the name of:

CIEPAC, A.C.
Bank: Banamex
Account number: 7049672 Sucursal 386
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México.
You will also need to use an ABA number:
BNMXMXMM

Thank you! CIEPAC

Telephone:
in México: 01 967 674 5168
from outside Mexico:: +52 967 674 5168