ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, URGENT AND NECESSARY!
Another world emerges from the new coronavirus pandemic. We know it could be a worse world. The current capitalist transition has allowed an increase in fascist thought with the rise of the extreme right in various countries. In recent years, the world witnessed perplexed the appearance of wars, coups, collapses in regional economies, breaking of fragile democratic limits with the withdrawal of social rights, forced migrations, increased violence and the deepening of the climate crisis, putting at risk the living conditions on our planet. The result is an environment where xenophobia, ethnicity, femicide, racism, homophobia, and ecocide are tolerated and propagated by technological manipulations, transforming hatred into a political weapon of control and power.
The pandemic may not have been a direct result of the capitalist system, but it has shown its limits. A world focused on profit was never prepared to face human tragedies. Therefore, the post pandemic world may have less freedom, less democracy, greater control over people’s lives, deepen the system of economic and social exploitation, accelerate environmental degradation causing extreme weather events, the consolidation of movements of the extreme right, increasing social exclusion and inequalities.
But the pandemic also exposed the limits of the capitalist system. With social isolation measures that paralyze economic activities, everyone realized that it is workers and not capital that are driving the economy. Capitalism was naked before all humanity. Free enterprise had to give way to the state and its public policies. Individualism and profits had to give way to solidarity and collective interest. Fragile and discredited structures of global governance such as WHO were the first to sound the alarm, not business institutes. And, immediately, the spirit of solidarity took over the entire planet through voluntary adherence to social isolation, actions to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable, the adoption of basic income, the creation of temporary shelters, the guarantee of employment and Strengthening of health systems. Nation states were pressured to take the initiative in crisis management by subordinating the interests of the market to the defense and protection of life. Solidarity has become our most effective remedy against the effects of the pandemic.
For all these reasons, the world that will emerge from this global crisis can also be more caring, fairer and more sustainable. A world based on the feeling of universal community, where women, men and nature are the center of life. Where technology, economy and politics are at the service of the common good. A world with economic decline, oriented to qualitative improvements and not only to quantitative growth, which promotes the recovery of degraded biomes, fights hunger with organic and agro-ecological food, strengthens democratic environments, protects human, social and cultural rights. A world led together with women’s movements, without racism, without xenophobia, without authoritarianism and without violence.
It is possible to dream about this. With crises, people’s concern for the environment and the effects of inequality on their own lives grow. The coronavirus pandemic expanded this sentiment on a global scale and opened a window of opportunity for advocating viable alternatives.
There are many initiatives that try to channel this dissatisfaction to an internationalist movement capable of overcoming capitalism. But it was the articulation processes around the first world social forums that came closest to this utopia. Perhaps because they were plural, self-managed and democratic spaces. For having involved social movements from all segments and continents in favor of common agendas. The Social Forum has always been a reflection of the questions, criticisms and weaknesses of the resistance movements in the world. So he experienced ups and downs according to our own articulation ability. Despite this, it never stopped making thematic, regional and global editions, always guaranteeing the methodology of self-management, practicing unity in diversity and spreading social, environmental and anti-capitalist agendas. The WSF never abandoned the dream of building another possible world, a dream that today is even more urgent and necessary.
For this reason, the organizations and social movements that make up the International Council of the WSF, invite civil society movements, networks, platforms and organizations, intellectuals, scientists, youth and community leaders from all corners of the world to participate in a meeting virtual international that takes place on June 15, 2020, at 13 UTC (Universal Time Cordinated) through the platform The objective of this virtual moment will be to reflect on the effects of the pandemic on global transformations and the possibility of articulating the struggles and initiatives aimed at building common agendas from now towards the realization of a world edition of the WSF in 2021 in Mexico City. .
The participation of all, all and all will be essential to transform this planetary moment of apprehension and fear, into a real possibility of building another possible world.
WSF International Council
