Amb el lema “Per un nou internacionalisme i una nova cultura de la solidaritat”, ahir i avui mateix, fins demà, s’està realitzant el 24è. Congrés de la Internacional Socialista a Ciutat del Cap (Sud-Àfrica). No som pocs els que voldríen una major activitat d’aquest organisme en una època en que s’accentua la globalització dels problemes de la humanitat, i la necessitat de recerca de solucions a escala regional i mundial. Una dada significativa: en la web de la Internacional Socialista, avui mateix, NO consta el contingut de cap ponència, o textos previs al mateix congrés. I tampoc cap relació d’objectius o de tesis a debatre. Únicament  s’ha publicat una ressenya de la primera jornada, en llengua anglesa (cap traducció a cap altra llengua) que reproduïm. La nota explica la Internacional, el desplegament del mateix congrés, i una agenda indicativa de quatre àrees. (“For an economy with jobs, growth and social protection: the social democratic response to the financial crisis”; “The struggle for rights and freedoms: strengthening representative democracy and gaining new democracies in the world”; “For a common road to peace, sustainability and cooperation: the need to secure multilateralism”; “For a new internationalism and a new culture of solidarity among people and between nations”). Esperem que aquesta absència sigui compensada amb algun document de conclusions o una declaració final conjunta. Inactivitat endèmica o complexitat per les procedències (i dificultat d’arribar a acords)? No ho sabem. Però seria útil que la Internacional Socialista sortís de la seva letargia i desplegués esforços per una major presència en el món, i ens els múltiples conflictes que són resultat de les xacres més reincidents de humanitat: la guerra, la malaltia i la fam.

El Guaita

For a new internationalism and a new culture of solidarity

The XXIV Congress of the Socialist International opened today in Cape Town, South Africa. Over four hundred participants from more than one hundred political parties and organisations gathered for the event that took place under the heading of “For a New Internationalism and a New Culture of Solidarity”.

The Congress, which runs from today until Saturday 1 September, is being hosted by the African National Congress (ANC) in the year of its 100th anniversary, the first Congress in the history of the International to take place in Africa.

The agenda includes four key themes: ‘For an economy with jobs, growth and social protection: the social democratic response to the financial crisis’; The struggle for rights and freedoms: strengthening representative democracy and gaining new democracies in the world’; ‘For a common road to peace, sustainability and cooperation: the need to secure multilateralism’; ‘For a new internationalism and a new culture of solidarity among people and between nations’.

The Congress first observed a minute’s silence in memory of John Atta Mills, Ghana’s inspirational president, and reflected on his commitment to democracy, his party and country.

Socialist International President George Papandreou opened the Congress, thanking our hosts the ANC, and expressing his gratitude for the warm welcome received. The Congress would in the morning focus on the first theme, the economy, and after lunch, elections would take place for the posts of the SI Secretary General and SI Vice-Presidents.

Deputy President of South Africa and the ANC, Kgalema Motlanthe, gave a welcoming speech on the democratic movement in Africa and across the world. He recognised that poverty and inequality were terms now not only associated with the developing world but, since the financial crisis, frequently also used to describe situations in the developed world.

Papandreou then delivered a speech in which he stressed the continued need to work in solidarity in order to resolve the problems of the global market. Remarking that many still believed this was a fight between the market and state, a false dichotomy, he stated it is in fact a fight between two clear choices: the market either serves the powerful few or is remodelled to serve the common good and to the benefit and freedom of all the population.

First: For an economy with jobs, growth and social protection: the social democratic response to the financial crisis

He was followed by keynote speakers on the first main theme, Prime Minister of Belgium and SI Vice-President, Elio de Rupo and Phil Angelides, Chair of the US Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission; SI Vice-President Ségolène Royal; Trevor Manuel, Minister of Planning of South Africa; leader of CHP, Turkey, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu; and SI Vice-President Alfred Gusenbauer (SPOe, Austria).

Elections

After lunch the Congress reconvened for the election of the SI leadership. SI President George Papandreou was re-elected unanimously by a show of hands, and graciously accepted the vote for his continued presidency.

Candidates for the post of Secretary General, incumbent Luis Ayala and Vice-President of the SI, Mona Sahlin from the SAP, Sweden, gave their electoral presentations. A vote then took place by secret ballot, overseen by the Electoral Commission, which included a representative from each continent. The election was won by Luis Ayala.

  Creixement, Globalització, Internacional socialista, Internacionalisme, Llibertats