Escambray ENGLISH EDITION
The 13th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the peoples of Our America-Trade Treaty of the Peoples (ALBA-TCP) was concluded this Sunday in Havana, with the approval of a Final Declaration which was read by Nicolás Maduro, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The document, which was endorsed by the heads of state and government and by guests invited to the forum, called for the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade that US has imposed on Cuba for over 50 years now, as well as for the end of subversive actions against the island.
Raúl Castro: ALBA is an Alternative to Hegemonic Model
The document also reiterates the support to the Bolivarian government of Venezuela in the face of destabilising attempts and the economic war by inside and outside enemies of its revolutionary process.
The 43-point declaration, also reaffirms the will to continue cooperating with Haiti, so as to foster its reconstruction after the devastating earthquake that hit that Caribbean nation a few years ago.
FINAL DECLARATION OF THE THIRTEENTH SUMMIT OF THE BOLIVARIAN ALLIANCE FOR THE PEOPLES OF OUR AMERICA PEOPLES’ TRADE AGREEMENT (ALBA-TCP) AND THE COMMEMORATION FOR ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY
We, the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America –Peoples’ Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) are meeting in Havana on December 14, 2014 to commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of the Alliance, the genuinely Latin American and Caribbean integration body sustained on principles of solidarity, social justice, cooperation and economic complementarity, product of the political will and profound integrationist spirit of Commanders Fidel Castro Ruz and Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías.
Likewise we are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the first meeting in Havana of these great leaders of our peoples, faithful exponents and defenders of the legacy of the Liberators of Latin America and the Caribbean.
We express our steadfast commitment with the consolidation and growth of ALBA-TCP and the struggle for the second and definitive independence of Latin America and the Caribbean, in concert with the ideals of our national heroes, within a complex regional context characterized by an offensive inflicted by globalized transnational
capitalism and US imperialism that would like to destabilize and overthrow progressive governments democratically elected by their peoples.
Convinced that ALBA-TCP today constitutes an unassailable bulwark
in the defense of sovereignty of the peoples of the region and the
nations of The South, we agree to:
1. Ratify the principles of solidarity, genuine cooperation and
complementarity among our countries, in rational use and for the
wellbeing of our peoples, of their natural resources –including their energy potential–in the integral and intensive formation of human capital required by our national development and attending to the necessities and aspirations of our men and women, proclaimed in the Joint Declaration, signed by Commanders Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, and in other documents.
2.Welcome the entry as full members the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis and of Grenada, sister Caribbean nations that adhere to the founding principles of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP).
3. Welcome the advances recorded in the negotiation process for the ALBA-TCP Constitutional Treaty.
4. Ratify the support for the efforts being undertaken by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela headed by President Nicolás Maduro Moros, in order to preserve the immense legacy of Commander Hugo Chávez Frías.
5. To support the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela in its efforts to safeguard the peace in the country and to definitively defeat destabilizing intents and the economic war unleashed by the enemies of the Bolivarian process at home and abroad, considering that these aggressions are also a threat against the integrating efforts throughout the region.
6. Energetically condemn approval by the US Congress of sanctions against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and express the most profound support and solidarity with the people and the government of that sister country, emphasizing that the ALBA-TCP countries will not permit the use of old practices that have already been applied in the region, directed to promote change in political regimes as it has occurred in other regions of the world. At the same time, firmly reject any type of aggression, whether legal, economic or political, against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and also against any of the ALBA-TCP member countries.
7. Support the commitment of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with the PETROCARIBE Project, recognized for its usefulness and contributions to energy security and the economic and social development of member countries ; and reject defamatory campaigns against PETROCARIBE.
8. Commend the encounter of the Network of Networks in the Defense of Humanity (REDH) that took place in Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, between December 11th and 13th on the occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of its creation and continue supporting its role in the mobilization of international public opinion for fairer causes and against imperialist domination.
9.Claim, yet again, that the government of the United States of America changes its policy towards our sister Republic of Cuba, involving the immediate end of the economic, commercial and financial embargo, cessation of subversive, illegal and undercover actions, including those using information and communications technologies, that violate the sovereignty and the right of the peoples to self-determination, the end of the absurd inclusion of Cuba on the spurious and arbitrary list of countries sponsoring international terrorism and the immediate liberation of the three Cuban anti- terrorist activists who are still suffering unjust imprisonment in the United States. Reaffirm support for the sovereign right of the Republic of Cuba to participate at the Summits of the Americas, without any conditions, in accordance with declarations made by the Latin American and Caribbean countries on the occasion of the Sixth Summit of Cartagena.
10. Support countries adversely affected by the interests of transnational companies and financial speculators in their legitimate defense against rulings by extra -territorial arbitration authorities. Within this framework, we vindicate our commitments assumed at the Second Ministerial Conference on States and Transnationals, in particular the starting up of the Southern Observatory.
11. Reiterate our solidarity with the just and historic claim of the
Plurinational State of Bolivia on its right to have access to the sea with
sovereignty.
12.Welcome the upcoming assumption to the Pro Tempore CELAC
Presidency by our sister Republic of Ecuador for the year 2015, as of the Third Summit of this regional organization to be held in San José, Costa Rica. Also, reiterate the commitment to support Ecuador’s endeavours at the head of the Community and work for the strengthening and consolidation of CELAC, as the genuinely Latin American and Caribbean mechanism for political unity and integration.
13. Congratulate the Plurinational State of Bolivia for its recent election as member of the United Nations Human Rights Council as of 2015; this is an acknowledgement of the praiseworthy work of the Bolivian government, led by Comrade President Evo Morales Ayma, for human rights. ALBA-TCP countries express their solidarity and ratify their commitment to support Bolivia in this new and important endeavour.
14. Welcome the election of our sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2015-2016 period. This is a demonstration of the great prestige and leadership that have been attained by Venezuela and the support of the majority in the international community for the Bolivarian Revolution under Comrade President Nicolás Maduro Moros. The countries of ALBA-TCP reiterate their commitment to support Venezuela’s endeavours in this assembly.
15.Congratulate the Plurinational State of Bolivia for successfully
undertaking the G-77 and China Presidency; its results contributed to
the enhancement of the peoples of the South, the struggle to eradicate poverty and hunger, promoting respect for the rights of Mother Earth and the work to attain “living well”, in harmony with nature.
16. Welcome the upcoming assumption to the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) of our sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in April 2016.
17. Congratulate the Government of the Republic of Ecuador for the
inauguration of the new UNASUR headquarters in the city of Quito,
Mid-Point of the World; and for the re-launching of South American
integration which has been strengthened by the appointment of former 5 President Ernesto Samper as the UNASUR Secretary General, the adoption of South American citizenship, the creation of the South American School of Defense, among other important aspects.
18. Reaffirm support for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on the
occasion of assuming the Presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement
(NAM) as of the year 2015.
19. Congratulate The Honourable Gaston Alphonso Browne on his election on June 12th as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda; Comrade Evo Morales Ayma, on his re-election on October 12th as President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia; and The Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica,
on his re-election on December 8th, thereby reaffirming the great
democratic spirit of the peoples of ALBA-TCP.
20.Congratulate the Parties involved on the progress attained at the
Peace Dialogues in Havana between the Colombian Government and
the FARC-EP; and reiterate steadfast support for achieving a Final
Agreement to end the conflict and to construct stable and lasting peace in Colombia.
21. Support our sister Republic of Argentina for the struggle in the defense of sovereignty over the Malvinas, Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the defense of its national dignity, sovereignty and self-determination in the face of attacks by “vulture funds”.
22. Maintain and deepen cooperation in solidarity with our sister Republic of Haiti and support all efforts in our region and by other
countries in the world for the economic and social rebuilding of the
Haitian nation.
23. Ratify the Latin American and Caribbean nature of Puerto Rico
and reiterate that its full independence and decolonization constitutes
a matter of great interest for ALBA-TCP member countries.
24. Underline the importance ALBA-TCP confers on reparations for
damage caused by the genocide against indigenous populations and
slavery in the Caribbean, and support the establishing of a dialogue on reparations with European countries, closely implicated in the genocide 6 against the indigenous population and possession of slaves, in order to deal with the legacy of these crimes against humanity.
25. Underline the importance of the right of the Caribbean countries
to receive just and differentiated treatment, taking into consideration
the small scale of their economies, the special vulnerabilities facing
them, the characteristics of their production and export bases and the devastating effects of climate change, in particular, the traditional
hurricanes that tend to blow through many of their countries at the
same time.
26. Ratify the right of small island states in the Caribbean, in their
majority unfairly treated as “mid-income” countries, to receive
cooperation, trade and investments under preferential conditions.
27. Underline that the climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges
facing humanity and that its structural cause lies in the political and
economic models based on unsustainable production and consumption patterns of developed countries, which generate greater inequality, injustice and poverty. In this context, reaffirm the commitment of ALBA-TCP member countries with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as the multilateral forum for negotiation in this sphere and the imperative of respecting its principles, particularly the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and equity, as confirmed once again in the Twentieth Conference of the Parties of the Convention that concluded in Lima, Peru, on December 14th, 2014. Urge developed countries, in this regard, to assume these responsibilities and make commitments to reduce emissions levels in order to preserve life on the planet.
28. Call for a meeting of negotiators and foreign ministers of the ALBA-TCP countries to coordinate positions in view of the 21st
Conference of the Parties of the Convention to be held in Paris, France, in 2015.
29. Support the call for a World Encounter of Social Movements in
order to save Mother Earth and to deal with adverse effects of climate
change which was carried out by the Plurinational State of Bolivia and
which will be held in 2015 in that sister country.
30.Reiterate the importance of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) for the social and economic development of the
member countries of the Alliance, and in this regard, develop cooperation in this area, in full compliance with the principles of international law in order to foster their contribution to the advancement of the Development Agenda and maintain the achievements of ALBA-TCP.
31.Welcome Nicaragua’s proposal to create a training center in
agricultural technologies for ALBA-TCP, with headquarters in that country to strengthen the interchange and training of small and medium producers and cooperatives of the member countries of the Alliance.
32. Underline that the updating of the Cuban economic model, its
Law of Foreign Investment and the Mariel Special Economic
Development Zone provide additional opportunities, in a much broader manner, to accelerate production integration and strengthen economic interchanges among the ALBA-TCP member countries.
33. Acknowledge the need to strengthen the participation of Member
States in the economic mechanisms making up the Alliance’s new
financial architecture (SUCRE and ALBA Bank) as a route to broaden
economic ties and complementarity among our countries.
34. Congratulate the immediate joint actions adopted by ALBA-TCP
and CARICOM to prevent and battle the Ebola epidemic. Continue
coordinating our efforts in this regard and maintain strict follow -up to compliance with agreements adopted at the ALBA-TCP Extraordinary
Summit on Ebola, held in Havana on October 20th.
35. Celebrate the coming into effect of the Constitutive Treaty for the
ALBA-TCP Regulatory Centre for Medicines and the ALBA-TCP Grand-
National Registry of Drugs for Human Use (ALBAMED), through
the depositing of instruments of ratification carried out by the
Plurinational State of Bolivia; this would strengthen the Alliance’s
commitment in health matters by contributing to the accessibility of essential medicines as a fundamental right of human beings.
36. Urge the member countries of the Alliance to make up a Working
Group that identifies the results of scientific research and familiarizes people with the medicinal, cultural and nutritional benefits of the coca leaf. Also, reiterate the invitation to ALBA-TCP member countries to
undertake commercial interchanges for the legal byproducts of the
coca leaf, within the framework of the Single Convention of Narcotic
Drugs of 1961, in order to share the benefits and importance this
product provides humankind.
37. Draw up a Permanent Agenda of prioritized topics for the Alliance
and put the Executive Secretary in charge of its follow-up, consultation and fulfillment.
38. Design strategies and concrete actions that allow us to make
operationally viable the construction and development of the ALBA-TCP / PETROCARIBE / CARICOM / MERCOSUR Economic Complementary Zone as a space for economic-production complementarity. This step is important to ensure the sustainability of social programmes and actions that have improved the quality of life for our peoples and have been the distinctive hallmark of ALBA-TCP since its foundation.
39. To support implementation of cooperation actions in the economic and social areas among ALBA-TCP member countries to re-launch the Alliance’s economic and social agenda in 2015, as collected in Appendix I of this Declaration.
40. Call for a meeting of ALBA-TCP countries on Mission Miracle in
Caracas, in January 2015, to assess, plan and propose broadening this programme.
41. Instruct the Economic Complementation Council, at its next
meeting in 2015, to invite the PETROCARIBE countries for the
purpose of giving consensus to the proposal for the instrument of
constitution of the ALBA-PETROCARIBE Shared Economic Development Zone based on documentation sent to that effect, and
present it for the consideration of the Heads of State and Government of ALBA-TCP.
42. Call for a meeting of the ALBA-TCP Economic Complementation
Council on the 23rd of February of 2015, in Havana, to analyze proposals that allow us to encourage actions in the economic sphere of the organization.
43. Call for a meeting of the ALBA-TCP Political Council on the 24th
of February of 2015, in Havana, in the context of celebrations for
the 120th anniversary of the re-commencement of struggles for the
independence of Cuba.
Havana,
December
14, 2014.
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