Group of Puebla: Facing Complexities and Challenges, More Integration and Unity

After returning to the place where the organization was founded and named, the members of Group of Puebla had last weekend extensive days of debate and awareness about the challenges that Latin America and the Caribbean face and as participants declared, the urgent need that voices and forces join the progressivism in the region.

With the participation by Cuba, of the member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba and Foreign Minister of the Republic, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and under the slogan “In Unit we Advance”, the politicians, diplomats and intellectuals members of the group reaffirmed their interest in proposing and building mechanisms and transformations that allow us to face, through a protection policy based on regional integration, sovereignty and security, the multiple challenges of the modern world, like the environmental crisis and the multipolar geopolitical rearrangement.

They were long hours of analysis that were transmitted and shared by the official group accounts on Internet and social media platforms. It was tangible the growth in Latin America and the Caribbean of an anti-democratic right that advances, however, “democratically », with an old ideology, fascism, which divides" friends and enemies ", and whose positions against progressivism puts pluralism at risk.

The Panorama Described

In the final document signed by the Puebla group after its recent meeting, it reflects the panorama of the region.

On the one hand, we express concern for Argentina, “where ultra-right candidates grow that, in the name of freedom and democracy, promise to suppress opponents as if they were enemies, end institutions and suppress the rights conquered by citizens for decades ”.

They also denounced the attempts to sabotage the transition to the new elected government in Guatemala, led by President Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President Karin Herrera, elected by almost majority in the elections of August 20. In that case, they consider that a legal war (Lawfare) is loom to delegitimize the winning candidacy of the Semilla Movement, which include threats, illegal raids, and arbitrary arrests. The group declared its total support to Arévalo and its position as observers of the political process until January 14 to guarantee respect for popular will.

In the case of Ecuador, confidence was stated in the ongoing electoral process, which must end in a second round on October 15 so that the country returns to the path of democratic vitality and gets restored “from the consequences of the political persecution that have supported media and institutions ”.

Special mention deserves in the current context, the creation by the group, of a permanent task force and supplement commission to the Bolivian process with the objective of strengthening the unity of progressivism.

It’s also recognized that the problem of sovereignty and intervention of foreign powers, remains a stumbling block for the deepening of democracy and freedom in our region, because only during the last five years there are several cases that prove it: Bolivia 2019 and the coup against Evo; the IMF record loan to Mauricio Macri, which conditioned and mortgaged the economic sovereignty of Argentina; the intervention headed in Venezuela by Juan Guaidó and its attempts of a coup and destabilization; or the statements by Laura Richardson, like the Monroe Doctrine, who announce the intervention of the U.S. in the region with the excuse of stopping China.

Overcome the polarization to which the radical right has taken us and propose an alliance based on international relations between states and not between governments, it could be the way amidst a global scenario that provides the region for a unique opportunity to defend our autonomy, dignity, the food and material security of our peoples.

The Group of Puebla observed with optimism the reactivation of regional organizations like SICA, UNASUR, and CELAC, as well as the coordination efforts of different subregional organizations, such as the contribution of the Corporation Scenarios of Colombia and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).

“We believe that one of the first concrete tasks in Latin America and the Caribbean consists of relaunching a new financial architecture fitting its needs, focusing on the creation of a single and unique coin, and a new organization to handle the financial needs in a short, medium, and long term. Likewise, and as a frame of reference of this effort, the Group of Puebla proposes a Solidarity Development Model, to replace the neoliberal model, which is based on social inclusion, the generation of value, the ecological transition into a social institutionality and the construction of a new democratic citizenship”, reads the document.

On the other hand, it’s recalled that through history it has been developed countries which globally have contributed the most to the disaster of climate change, and locally, to the destruction of ecosystems in the countries of the Global South; therefore, a call to take on responsibilities differentiated to face a shared phenomenon. In this regard, they highlight the geopolitical, sovereign and ecological prominence that Brazil and Colombia are taking from the hands of Presidents Luis Inacio Da Silva and Gustavo Petro to defend the Amazon and relive the organization of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACTO).

Solidarity, Development, Peace

A solidarity development model to replace the neoliberal model is the proposal of the Group of Puebla for our region, based on social inclusion, value generation, ecological and energy transition, social institutionality and the construction of a new democratic citizenship. This has been developing, for example, in Colombia with the leadership of President Gustavo Petro and towards that path of reconciliation they call for the leaders of progressivism in Bolivia, the only way to continue their political project.

The support of Brazil as part of the BRICS was also expressed, for the commitment of this alliance with multilateralism, its opposition to the unilateral sanctions and commercial barriers, and the emphasis on the use of national currencies for financial transactions in rejection of the dollar dependency.

It was also convened to continue supporting the efforts and strategy of President Gustavo Petro to achieve peace in Colombia, which is also that of the region, as well as his call to take immediate actions to face the climate crisis.

The recognition of feminist struggles as the engine of democratic transformations and the popular governments and processes of our countries, to make the fair claims of women and sexogenric dissidents, which have been visible by the feminist movement and the LGTBIQ+ movement in Different parts of the world, was another fair claim. In addition there was  the open will to contribute to the struggle for the eradication of all forms of gender discrimination and violence, to the conquest and guarantees of the sexual and reproductive rights of women, promote the recognition of caretakers work as a supporter of life and economies, and as a right that must be guaranteed.

"We assume the challenge of incorporating gender and equity issues in our dialogues and reflections, not only from women, but as a whole of our group, incorporating the parity criterion in all our work spaces," they say.

On the other hand, governments were invited to be protagonists and not witnessing the changes that artificial intelligence and their promise of automating and replacing human work are causing and were denounced the political trials and legal war that seek to overturn progressivism leadership in the region, as it happened in the cases of Cristina Fernández, Rafael Correa, Luis Inácio da Silva, Evo Morales and Marco Enríquez-Ominami, among others. The attempts at destabilization and coups against Xiomara Castro in Honduras were also condemned.

Issues such as immigration and drug trafficking were at the center of the debates, urging States to make the rights of migrants a reality, who should not be criminalized and should see migration as a right to reach a regional consensus, and have their own voice against the United States. Regarding drug trafficking - a global and transnational challenge - it was proposed that new policies to confront it take into account the weak links in the drug chain such as farmers, consumers, addicts, micro-distributors and the mules who transport it in small amounts and attack strongly the hard links in the chain such as criminal organizations, drug traffickers, illicit money launderers and smugglers of chemical substances.

They ratified the condemnation of the coercive and unilateral measures against Venezuela and Cuba, considering them acts that “not only violate the charter of human rights, but also mean a declaration of war and subsequent acts that hit the most vulnerable” and celebrated the candidacy of Claudia Sheinmbaum in Mexico, offering support to Morena's democratic and plural process.

Beyond the region, the Group of Puebla reiterated its solidarity with the Palestinian and Sahrawi people, its rejection of NATO interference and the exacerbation of geopolitical conflicts and, in particular, they called on Ukraine and Russia to decree a temporary termination of fire and explore the possibility of a dialogue in search of peace, following the proposals of several international leaders such as Xi Jinping, Luis Inácio da Silva, and Pope Francis.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff