PGA Global Action call against WTO

From September 10th to 14th 2003 the World Trade Organization plans to hold its fifth Ministerial Meeting in Cancun, Mexico. The WTO Ministerial in Seattle 1999 turned out to be a disaster for them, and for the first time the mainstream media could no longer remain silent about the global protests against neo-liberalism. The WTO then went to hide in Doha in Qatar, and Cancun might now be a second Seattle. Around the world organisations and grassroots movements are mobilising to derail the WTO!

Especially in Latin America, incredible resistance is increasing against the planned Free Trade Area of the Americas (ALCA), against Plan Colombia, Plan Puebla-Panama and Structural Adjustment Programmes of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, against militarization and war. Among many actions in several countries, there was a large meeting against ALCA last October in Quito (Ecuador), protests against the privatisation of health and social security in El Salvador, massive protests in Argentina, peasants and indigenous people striking in Colombia, mobilisations against privatisation in Peru, peasants blockading in Bolivia, actions against FTAA in North America, etc.

Many different sectors will continue their struggles against capitalism in different ways: peasants, indigenous and black communities, trade unionists, students, womens' movements and environmental organisations are taking to the streets and paths this September in response to the call for action issued by the Latin American PGA convenors in Quito and other calls issued in the Americas.

We call for decentralised actions everywhere during the WTO Ministerial in Cancun from September 10th until 14th. At the same time we want to celebrate as a global movement. We want to continue our search, asking questions like the Zapatistas, towards a different world here and now. We want to question the patriarchal capitalist logic of war. Not only during summit protests like in Hyderabad, Geneva, Seattle, Prague, Bangkok, Quebec, Genoa, Quito, Buenos Aires and everywhere - but also in our everyday life we want to creatively turn our anger into resistance.

Together with many grassroots movements active within the Peoples' Global Action (PGA) framework, we say: Ya Basta! Enough!

Shut down the WTO!


wto cancún | www.agp.org