The Social Summit for the Integration of the Peoples took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, from 6 to 9 December 2007. More than 4.400 delegates from diverse social organizations, union leaders, networks and coalitions from Bolivia, as well as activists from Latin America and the Caribbean attended the meeting. Simultaneously, representatives of the 12 South American countries participated in the Summit of Nations where regional integration was debated at official level.

Both Summits reflected the new political context that emerges in South America. From one side, the election of new governments, sensitive to popular demands, opened space for government integration proposals that include social demands for changes, especially fostered by Venezuela and Bolivia. From the other, social movements and civil society networks and coalitions, that have been focusing their strategies on the struggles of resistance against neo-liberalism and free trade treaties, moved forward trying to build a consensual proposal for an alternative Latin American integration.

The growing organization of popular movements in the region has contributed to this new political environment. The people’s organizations within the Continent have been protagonists of struggles against the neoliberal development model. They contributed decisively to stopping FTAA, as well as other agreements which privilege the interests of TNCs, such as the privatization of public services. Therefore, the political time that South America is living is being considered as an historical opportunity to advance towards a true sovereign integration for the peoples in spite of the huge political and economical constrains that still prevail.

Two main projects of integration are in dispute in the region. The first one is based on market fundamentalism, the exports of basic goods and natural resources, and the loss of State capacity to promote development and economic policies. This project has been leading to a growth with inequality and environmental degradation, favoring specially the huge corporations and national elites. The second one is the social space which gathers networks and campaigns of civil society organizations, social movements and diverse popular organizations, with some allied governments that are sensitive to social demands for changes. It views regional integration as a way to build an alternative development project, based on autonomy and sovereignty over natural resources, on cooperation and complementary policies, as well as on reduced asymmetries between countries, aiming at promoting respects on human rights.

The Summit of Nations opened up channels of dialogue between governments and social movements being a step further enabling citizens to influence and lobby for public policies that favor the poor and excluded people. The alternative proposals presented by CSOs to governments’ representatives were organized around 14 interlinked key themes, such as infrastructure, financing, trade, energy, water and the environment, agriculture and food sovereignty, indigenous peoples, militarization, migration and citizenship, amongst others.

The Social Summit final declaration highlighted that the efforts to construct a Community of South American Nations will only bear fruit, if there is a change in the model of development and the defense of the sovereignty of nations. It stressed the need to deepen a process of regional integration that expresses the people’s interests and includes an authentic social participation. Finally, it pointed out that “We are willing to promote dialogue which leads to real results, maintaining our struggles of resistance which ensure the protagonism of popular movements in the process of integration, promoting true democracy and well-being for our peoples”.

Therefore, in spite of the opportunities opened by the existing regional political context, social movements and other CSOs are aware of the huge challenges still to be faced to overcome hegemonic capitalist elites in order to build an integration process really focused on the people’s interests.

Maria Clara Couto Soares – Americas Policy Coordinator