*{ http://www.attac.org/fra/asso/doc/doc503en.htm 16 aout 2002 Final Declaration of the World Parliamentary Forum -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Social Forum. Porto Alegre 25-30 January 2001 } The World Parliamentary Forum took place for the first time in Porto Alegre, on January 27th and 28th, 2001, in the framework of the World Social Forum (WSF), during which hundreds of trade unionist and associative organisations participated. Thousands of delegates from many countries gathered to affirm that there are alternatives to this inhumane neo-liberal order, personified by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. As parliamentarians, we affirm our solidarity with the social and democratic movements gathered in the capital of the State of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, a country symbol of so many progressive struggles. A year after the Seattle mobilisations, the WSF was an opportunity to measure the dynamics of the citizens’ popular resistance to neo-liberal globalisation, and to trace new perspectives of common action and solidarity. At the same time we sought to assess the disastrous consequences for democracy and for the living conditions of growing sectors of the population - in the South and East, but also in the North - policies triggered by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or the G7. Today we are confronted with social and environmental issues of increasing importance on a world scale - a major issue of our time, officially recognised since the International Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It was clear that, without strengthening international cooperation, it would not be possible to address the issues at stake - such as human rights, gender equality or freedom of movement - whilst ensuring sustainable development in all continents. However, to be effective, this cooperation cannot take place under the aegis of capitalism as well as under the restrains imposed by finance capital. In this era of world economic re-colonisation, our support for the WSF must be followed up. It is our role as parliamentarians to ensure a greater transparency and to involve civil society in a public debate concerning the negotiation and ratification of international agreements. It is our role, as parliamentarians, to support the actions of trade unions and social, democratic and environmental associations, which are working together to create alternatives to the neo-liberal order. It is our role to work continuously with these organisations so that their struggles can truely be transformed into legislations. In particular, we associate ourselves with the current campaigns against the immoral mechanism of external debt and the cancellation of poor countries’ debt; for the taxation of speculative movements of capital (the implementation of a Tobin style Tax); for the abolition of tax havens; for deep rooted reforms of the WTO and the International Financial Institutions (IFIs); for the implementation of Agenda 21; against the patenting of life; and for the objectives of the World Women’s March against all forms of discrimination and violence against women, and in defence of their dignity. We stand for action in favour of respecting popular and democratic sovereignty, giving priority to human development objectives, against the multiplication of free trade agreements and the growing freedom of circulation of capital which is detrimental to social rights and ecological priorities. We reject the commercialisation and privatisation of public assets and services essential to the meeting of people’s basic needs. To these ends, we will build a global parliamentary network to co-ordinate our initiatives on the aforementioned issues in our respective assemblies, whilst giving more effective support to social and civil movements (to which our assemblies must as a priority turn their attention), together working out alternative solutions. We believe that another world is possible. *{ Porto Alegre, January 28th 2001 Contact: euro.institutions@attac.org European Institutions ATTAC Group reuniting international civil servants, professionals working in the EU bodies and elected representatives.. }