Hemispheric Social Alliance Calls for "Popular Consultation" on the FTAA

  
The slogan of the Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA) is "another America is possible." Launched at the 1998 People's Summit in Santiago, Chile, the coalition of NGOs and unions initially demanded a revision of the current economic policies and negotiating positions being developed in the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). But at the most recent People's Summit, at the 2001 Quebec City Summit of the Americas, the HSA rejected the FTAA. The alliance condemned the negotiations as moving toward a wholesale deregulation of the region's economies, placing transnational authority and rules above national interests, socioeconomic equity and local development.

This position was reiterated at the latest meeting of the HSA's policy-making council in Florian�polis, Brazil on October 26-28. The meeting brought together 55 representatives of the national, regional and hemispheric networks that make up the HSA, as well as some of the organizations they embrace. SOAC was able to observe the proceedings through the participation of Senior Analyst Bruce Jay, who is a member of the Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART), the US component of the HSA. The meeting developed a work plan based on the decisions taken at the Quebec People's Summit. The basis of the plan is the desire to defeat the current version of the FTAA under negotiation.

The meeting also announced some significant additions to the HSA. Among them was the formal presentation of the Peruvian network, which already has more than 100 organizations. The Ecuadorian chapter of the World Social Forum requested and received affiliation. It was represented by CONAIE, the well-known and combative indigenous rights organization. Participating in the large delegation from the Confederaci�n Latinoamericana de Organizaciones del Campo (CLOC) was the leader of Brazil's Landless Peasants Movement (MST), Jo�o Pedro Stedile. All in all, the meeting drew a significant presence from throughout the hemisphere, except for the English-speaking Caribbean, which was represented by the executive director of the Economic Research Center of the Caribbean (CIECA). The HSA's efforts to replace its moribund network in Central America gained strength with the work of Centroam�rica Solidaria, a group of national "platforms" that coordinate 500 organizations in the region. However, much work remains to be done to strengthen and expand the alliance throughout the hemisphere if it is to meet the ambitious objectives set by the council.

The key element discussed at the Florian�polis meeting was the need to develop a mechanism for "popular consultation" on the FTAA throughout the hemisphere. The peasant and indigenous organizations came with a proposal for a plebiscite, which was also discussed at the Quebec People's Summit, but many delegations were not confident that this idea fit their reality. A final proposal on how the peoples of the Americas can make their voices heard on this issue will be announced in January 2002, when the World Social Forum will meet in Porto Alegre, Brazil and the HSA Council will convene again. The discussions of how to confront the FTAA while continuing to build the organization and its message dominated the Florian�polis meeting, but participants also brought up the Plan Puebla-Panam� and the Plan Colombia, which some participants labeled part of a "hegemonic model of neo-colonialism." Interestingly, there was little mention and no discussion of the current US military operations in Afghanistan. Preparations began for another round of technical consultations to tighten and make more accessible the HSA's platform document, "Alternatives for the Americas" (www.asc-hsa.org), but equal effort will be spent analyzing and commenting on the drafts of the FTAA negotiations and developing a campaign for transparency.

For the first time at an HSA meeting, a Cuban delegation took an active role in the discussions. The Cuban delegates, from union and rural organizations, promised to work to organize an alliance chapter. They have already worked with the HSA to guarantee a strong presence at a November anti-FTAA conference in Cuba (although the alliance has avoided a direct endorsement of this event). The Cubans respected the strong North-South traditions of the alliance and agreed to work within the frameworks that have been key to the unity and strength of the movement. This proved to be a "calming" influence over some of the newer and more impetuous delegates who were participating for the first time.

As a result of the alliance's growth, the HSA's Operating Committee was expanded from eight to 12 organizations. Some have to get formal agreement from their boards, so these names, as well as a rotation of the executive from Mexico to Brazil, will be formalized in January at the WSF. The Florian�polis participants expressed confidence that the HSA will be strengthened through the WSF process. Discussion also focused on the changing political possibilities of the Americas; more progressive governments are possible in Nicaragua, Brazil and even Ecuador, and new leaders may be more sympathetic to the Cuban and Venezuelan positions against neoliberal economic models.

The tone of the meeting was serious and the discussions at times a bit strained, but the results point to the growth of a well-focused and increasingly representative articulation of civil society organizations. The HSA needs a stronger presence in the Caribbean and Central America, and it must reinforce its positive message of proposing an alternative for the Americas. This depends not only on improved cohesion and coordination, but also on creating a stronger financial base. The meeting served to address all of these points and was a fruitful exercise in bridging the diversity of social, ethnic and political realities in the Americas.