Common Frontiers' Information Page
Social Summit
for Peoples' Integration
Dec 6 - 9, 2006
Cochabamba, Bolivia
January 24, 2007
Bolivia's Government Faces Right-Wing Offensive
Popular forces struggle for unity against attacks
Evo Morales just celebrated his first anniversary as president of Bolivia. Despite many accomplishments by his government, it now faces a potentially destabilizing right-wing offensive, while Popular forces struggle for unity against a growing number of attacks .
- Read an in depth look at the current situation.
December 14, 2006
Rick Arnold's Summit Journal
The fifth and final installment of Rick's Summit Journal.
- Reflections on the two Summits held in Cochabamba, Bolivia
December 13, 2006
Cochabamba Manifesto
This just in - the Social Summit's Cochabamba Manifesto in English.
- Read the document in English
December 12, 2006
More Photos from the Social Summit
Mark Hathaway and Jim Marshall were part of the Common Frontiers delegation in Cochabamba, representing the United Church of Canada. They've posted a set of five albums of photos to their site, including the final act in the stadium with 35,000 people in attendance. Click on the photo on the left to head over to their photo site and explore all the pictures.
December 9, 2006
Rick Arnold's Summit Journal
The final assembly of the Social Summit for People´s Integration took place on December 8th in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Part way through hearing 14
report-backs from the Summit´s earlier thematic area discussions, news
broke that the recently elected President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa was
coming to talk to the 3000 people overflowing the coliseum...<more>
- Read the rest of Rick's latest post - The Final Assembly
December 8, 2006
Rick Arnold's Summit Journal
It has been some 25 years since I was last in Cochabamba and the city has
changed! It is easily three times the size than it was back then, and it
now ranks as the fourth largest city in Bolivia...<more>
- Read the rest of Rick's third post - Getting to know Cochabamba
December 7, 2006
Rick Arnold's Summit Journal
Common Frontiers' Executive Director Rick Arnold is in Cochabamba, Bolivia for the Social Summit for Peoples' Integration. Throughout the week, he'll be posting regular updates of what is happening.
- Read his second post - Opening Ceremonies
- See some pictures from the event in our Gallery
December 3, 2006
Rick Arnold's Summit Journal
Common Frontiers' Executive Director Rick Arnold is in Cochabamba, Bolivia for the Social Summit for Peoples' Integration. Throughout the week, he'll be posting regular updates of what is happening.
- Read his first post - Enroute to Cochabamba
- See some pictures from the event
December 1 , 2006
On November 22 and 23, in Santiago, Chile, a vice-ministerial level meeting was held to discuss the draft of the declaration to be issued by the 12 South American Presidents meeting in Cochabamba December 8 and 9, and to determine the agenda of the meetings in that city. A group of delegates representing social movements and organizations led by the Hemispheric Social Alliance met first with the Chilean vice-minister and later with the vice-ministers from the other countries to present them with a civil society contribution to the discussion of integration in the South American context.
- Read the English translation of this document
November 8, 2006
The Second Summit of South American heads-of-state is taking place in Cochabamba, Bolivia December 8-9, 2006. Its purpose is to discuss the building of the Community of South American Nations (CSAN).
Bolivian President Evo Morales has sent the following proposal to the other 11 Presidents in South America, as well as to the people of South America. His proposal is a fascinating new window on what the CSAN could aspire to become. He has entitled his proposal "Let's construct a real Community of South American Nations in order to 'live well'."
- Read the full text of the letter
November 7, 2006
Key objectives for the Social Summit for Peoples' Integration
Social Summit for Peoples’ Integration will have four over-riding components:
- A place to demonstrate continuity in the resistance to FTAs (NAFTA, SPP, CAFTA, bilateral FTAs and etc.)
- An opportunity to move forward in a hemispheric-level design of alternatives for a peoples’ integration in the Americas.
- A key moment for the popular sectors to have an influence on the official South American integration agenda that will be discussed by the 12 South American governments at the II South American Community of Nations Summit meeting to be held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on December 8-9, 2006.
- A time to continue to build, strengthen and further articulate the social movements in the Americas.
Suggested theme areas to be tackled in lead-up to Dec. Social Summit
Some key thematic areas around which to be developing an alternative vision - a vision that is as concrete as possible:
TOP FOUR
* Energy
* Original Peoples
* Financing
* Asymmetries
OTHERS OF IMPORTANCE
* Water
* Biodiversity
* Agriculture and food sovereignty
* Health and education
* Decent employment
* Human rights
* Infrastructure
* Migration
* Defence-militarization
* Institutionality (People-centered State/governance structures)
Whether you're planning to attend yourself, or if you just want to stay up-to-date on what's happening, check back often. We'll be posting news updates and other relevant information as we get it.
If you have any questions or suggestions, send us an e-mail.
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