Invitation
       Social Movements Meeting in Preparation for the
       5th Ministerial of the World Trade Organization/Cancun 2002
       November 15-16, 2002, Mexico City

          Hotel Bamer, Av Juárez 52, Col Centro, México D.F.
          Tel (52-55) 55 21 90 60 al 70

Tlahui-Politic No. 14, II/2002. Información enviada a Mario Rojas, Director de Tlahui. México, 23 de Octubre, 2002. Segunda Convocatoria: Movimientos Sociales y la OMC, 15-16 Noviembre, México. From: Silvia Ribeiro (silvia@etcgroup.org).

Considering that:

1. The WTO is turning into a new "corporate" world constitution...

2. It is the over-arching keystone of the neoliberal global economic architecture, which also includes regional initiatives like NAFTA, FTAA, Plan Puebla Panama, Plan Colombia, G7, CAP, APEC, etc...

3. The "free" trade system being imposed via the WTO is undercutting the livelihoods of peasant and family farmers, workers, indigenous peoples and those of African ancestry, women, the landless, urban dwellers, fisherfolk and the poor and middle classes worldwide...

4. The Cancun Ministerial is the most important meeting to date for the WTO, because of the fundamental topics to be addressed (agriculture, intellectual property, services, investment) and the new issues being proposed, which amount to a neoliberal and free trade vision for those sectors which are of vital importance for our economies and our sovereignties...

5. The worldwide movement against neoliberal globalization has been building through meetings and protests at key points from Seattle to Prague, Gottemburg, Bangkok, Genoa, Quebec, Quito, Porto Alegre and so many others...

The Mexican and international organizations who are issuing this invitation, believe that the upcoming meeting of the WTO in 2003 in Cancun, Mexico, represents a key crossroads which may determine the future of the neoliberal model, of globalization itself, and of our peoples.

Therefore we call for an urgent meeting to discuss social movement strategies with regard to the WTO. This meeting will take place in Mexico City on November 15 and 16, 2003.


Principles and Metodologies

We propose the following principles and methodologies for this meeting:

1. Social movements should have a central, protagonist role in this process.

2. We should devote more time to working sessions (discussions and working groups) than to speeches in plenaries.

3. There should be broad and open discussion of topics, analyses, tactics and proposed action plans.

4. There should be space for participation by the diverse sectors critical of, and impacted by, the WTO, including rural peoples, indigenous peoples and those of African ancestry, unions, environmentalists, anti-privatization groups, fisherfolk, urban movements, etc.

5. We see this meeting as part of a broad, inclusive, diverse and flexible movement, tending toward the strengthening of mechanisms of coordination between movements and other civil society groups who are critical of the WTO and the neoliberal model.

6. The coordination that may emerge from this meeting should be based more on exchange and coordination than on the imposition of positions or agreements.

In no way do we propose the centralization of, or control over, the participation of organizations with respect to Cancun in 2003. Of course, this should in no way impede those who already have, or wish to develop, common positions or joint activities, from moving ahead among themselves.


Practical Aspects

Practical aspects of the November 15-15, 2003, meeting:

This meeting is being organized without any funding at all, so we ask that all organizations solicits their own funds to cover their participation (travel, lodging, per diem, and cooperation in the general expenses of the meeting). We understand that this may be difficult, especially for social movements and organizations from the South, so we issue a call to all to help with funding contacts and donations to make the broadest possible participation possible. (You will receive more information in a further e-mail)

If you are interested in attending this meeting, please send a message to:

Operational Secretariat, Vía Campesina, Honduras: viacam@gbm.hn
UNTA-CLOC México: unta@prodigy.net.mx
Ceccam: omc@ceccam.org.mx
UNORCA: seminarios02@unorca.org.mx
Secretaría Operativa Vía Campesina: viacam@gbm.hn
FoodFirst: rosset@foodfirst.org

Mexico City, October 09, 2002

Signatories

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