BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) — Runasur, an organization that promotes unity among indigenous peoples, popular movements, women, youth, Afro-descendants and trade unions, was officially established in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires on Sunday after two-day consultations under the motto of promoting a “plurinational, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist America”.
The activity took place at the Club Banco Nación facilities on the northern outskirts of Buenos Aires, in the presence of delegates from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru. Uruguay and Venezuela.
“We are building a movement of the peoples, Runasur, with a very concrete proposal that bears the responsibility of building the plurinational America of the peoples for the peoples,” said former Bolivian President Evo Morales (2006-2019), promoter of the proposal.
“This social, cultural workers’ movement must be anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist,” said the former president, to the applause of hundreds of delegates and representatives of indigenous peoples, trade unions, social movements and popular organizations.
Morales explained in an interview with Xinhua that Runasur, who was born on April 25, 2021, forms his name from the conjunction of the Quechua word “runa” (man) and Unasur (Union of South American Nations) to condense the idea of an Unasur of the cities.
“Unasur belongs to the states. Runasur belongs to the peoples. Runa in Quechua says ‘person’ or ‘people’ and since we lost several leftist presidents in South America, Unasur has been paralyzed and this deep feeling comes from the peoples, from society forces to continue Unasur’s policy,” assured the former Bolivian president.
Morales pointed out that the organization’s goal was “a multinational America of the peoples and for the peoples.” Enough with Latin America being the ‘backyard’ of the United States or Latin America being the neighborhood of the United States. “
He expressed that plurinationality is “the union in diversity to meet the adversities that the capitalist system bequeaths to us. I am much more convinced, after becoming President, that cultural diversity is the ‘richness’ of the region.
He added that “plurinationality is the unity of diversity that guarantees sovereignty, independence, dignity, liberty, identity to face adversity,” and questioned the United States for promoting a system of capital concentration in a few hands.
“As long as capitalism exists, the struggle goes on, because capitalism and imperialism bring injustice and inequality, and when they cannot dominate, win democratically, then military intervention comes,” he stressed.
“What kind of democracy can the United States speak of, knowing only how to implement economic blockades against liberated countries, plan coups d’etat or military interventions with military bases and invest?” asked the former president.
During the course of the day, this Sunday, the work done the day before was read out by six commissions (integration of peoples, education and culture, politics, Mother Earth, economy and health), which agreed on the importance of unity in the region. oppose imperialism and insatiable capitalism.”
The documents highlighted the electoral victories of Gustavo Petro in Colombia and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil and rejected the political persecution and criminalization of social leaders on the continent and the economic blockades against Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
They also pointed to various proposals in the areas of health, economy, education and culture, including a tribute to the 17th anniversary of the rejection by the governments and peoples of Latin America of the United States-sponsored Free Trade Area project.
The “Plurinational Assembly for a Plurinational America” that Runasur founded ended after the reading and signing of the “Buenos Aires Declaration on the Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
The conclusion of the double day was the responsibility of former Bolivia Foreign Minister and current Runasur Coordinator Fernando Huanacuni, who affirmed, “A sacred obligation is calling us. This is the value of the movement, of the historical resistance that they have left to us.”
“We establish Runasur as a process of resistance to popular movements,” Huanacuni said, emphasizing that “times of change are coming, and when people stand up, nothing can stop them.”
A similar event will be held next year, expecting the presence of organizations from outside the continent, to mark the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, characterized by interventionism and Washington’s exercise of hegemony over its southern neighbors.