Political parties and organizations from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania commemorate and celebrate the unity and solidarity that brought us together to Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and from this libertarian city we would like to express our revolutionary rebelliousness. We are glad for and committed to the proud presence of the forces of change in a special moment of history. Likewise, we are proud to reaffirm our conviction to sow, grow and attain the Socialism of the 21^st century. In this regard, it is our will to sign the Commitment of Caracas as a revolutionary guide for the challenges ahead of us. We have gathered with the aim of unifying criteria and give concrete answers that allow us to defend our sovereignty, our social victories, and the freedom of our peoples, faced to the widespread crisis of the world capitalist system and the new threats spreading over our region and the whole world mainly represented by the establishment and strengthening of military bases in the sister republics of Colombia, Panama, Aruba, Curacao, Netherland Antilles, as well as the aggression against the Ecuadorian territory, and the invasions to Iraq and Afghanistan.
We consider that the capitalist system is going through one its most severe crisis, which has shaken its very foundations and brought along consequences that jeopardize the survival of humanity. Apart from that, capitalism and its logic of capital destroys the environment and the biodiversity, which causes climate change, global warming and destruction of life.

One of the epicenters to the capitalist crisis is found in the economic domain, which has shown the limitations of the insatiable free markets ruled by private monopolies. In this situation, some governments have been asked to intervene to prevent the collapse of vital economic sectors, for instance, through the implementation of bailouts to bank institutions that amount to hundreds of billions of dollars. Said governments have been asked to stimulate their economies by increasing public expenditure in order to mitigate the recession and the private sector decline, which is evidence for the end of the allegedly irrefutable “truths” of neo-liberalism dealing with the non-intervention of the State in economic affairs.
In this regard, it is very timely to promote an in-depth discussion on the economic crisis, the role of the State and the construction of a new financial architecture.
In summary, the capitalist crisis cannot come down to a plain financial crisis; it is rather a structural capital crisis that combined with an economic, ecologic, alimentary, and energy crises, that altogether represent a mortal threat to our humankind and motherland. Faced with this crisis, left-wing movements and parties envisage the defense of our motherland and the construction of an ecologist and sustainable society as the fundamental axis of our fight.

Over the last years, progressive and left-wing movements of the Latin American region have built momentum, and leaders have rose that nowadays hold important government spaces. This has represented an important blow to the empire. The peoples have rebelled against the domination that had been imposed on them, and have left behind their fear to express their values and principles, showing the empire that we will not allow any more interference in our internal affairs, and that we are willing to defend our sovereignty.

This Meeting is held at a historic time, characterized by a new imperialistic offensive against the peoples and governments of the region and of the world, a pretension supported by the countries’ ultraconservative right-wing oligarchies, with the objective of recovering spaces lost as a consequence of the advancement of revolutionary and liberation processes being developed in Latin America, which are expressed through the creation of regional organizations such as ALBA, UNASUR, PETROCARIBE, Banco del Sur, Sao Paulo Forum, COPPPAL, among others; where the main principles inspiring these processes are those of solidarity, complementarity, social priority over economic advantage, respect for the self-determination of peoples, all of them openly opposed to the imperialistic domination policies. Thereby, the right-wing forces in partnership with the empire have launched an offensive to tackle the advance and development of the peoples’ fights, especially those against the overexploitation of Man and Woman, racist discrimination, cultural oppression, defense of natural resources, homeland and territory within the perspective of the progressive and left-wing movements that provide for the world’s transformation.

We ponder over the fact that these events have led the American administration to set strategies to undermine, torpedo and destabilize the advancement of these processes of change and rescue of sovereignty. To this end, the US has implemented policies expressed through an ideological and media offensive that intends to discredit the revolutionary and progressive governments of the region, labeling them as totalitarian governments, violators of human rights, with links to drug-traffic operations, and terrorism; and also questioning the legitimacy of their origin. This is the reason for the relentless fury with which all the empire’s means of propaganda and its agents inside our very countries continuously attack experiences such as those in Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Paraguay, as it keeps the blockade against the revolutionary and independent Cuba.

Part of the strategy enabled by the American empire is evidenced in the coup in Honduras, as well as in other destabilizing initiatives in Central America, trying to impose the oligarchic interests that have already left hundreds of victims, while a disgusting wave of cynicism tries to cover the dictatorship imposed by the American administration, with a false veil of democracy. Along with this, they developed a military offensive with the idea of maintaining the political and military hegemony in the region, by generating destabilization and disturbances in the regional and world peace through military intimidation, with the help of its allies in the internal oligarchies, the same oligarchies that show their support for
the actions taken by the empire, give away their sovereignty, and open spaces for the empire’s actions.

We consider that this new offensive is specifically expressed through two important events that took place this year in the continent: The coup in Honduras, and the installation of military bases in Colombia and Panama, as well as the strengthening of the already existing ones in our region. The coup in Honduras is nothing but a display of hypocrisy by the empire, a way to intimidate the rest of the governments of the region. It is a test-lab that aims at setting a precedent to be applied as a new coup model and a way to encourage the right to plot against the shifting and independent processes.

We denounce that the military agreement between the Colombian government and the United States administration strengthens the U.S.’s military strategy, which contents are expressed in the so-called white book. This confirms that the development of the agreement would guarantee a projection of the continental and intercontinental military might, the strengthening of the transportation capability and air mobility to guarantee the improvement of its action capability, in order to offer the right conditions to have access to energy sources. It would also consolidate the political partnership with the regional oligarchy for the control of the Colombian territory and its projection in the Andes and in the rest of South America. All this scaffolding and consolidation of military architecture entails a serious threat for peace in the region and the world.

The installation of Military Bases in the region and its interrelation with the different bases spread throughout the world is not limited only to the military, but it is included in the establishment of a General Policy of Domination and Expansion directed by the US. These bases constitute strategic points to dominate all countries in Central, Latin America and the rest of the world.

The Treaty for the installation of military bases in Colombia is preceded by the Colombia Plan, which was already an evidence of US interference in Colombia and the regional affairs, using the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism as a mere excuse. However, it is known that drug trafficking levels have increased in Colombia; therefore, the plan is no longer justified given that no favorable results have been obtained since its implementation.

Today, the world strategy led by the US concerning drug trafficking is a categorical failure, its results are compiled in rapid processes of accumulation of illegal capital, increase of consumption and exacerbation of criminality, whose victims are the peoples of Latin America, especially in the case of Colombia. This strategy should be revisited and modified, and should be oriented towards a different reasoning that focus drug consumption as a public health issue. In Colombia, drug trafficking shaped into paramilitarism, and turned into a political project whose scope and responsible should be judged so that truth is known, justice prevails and terror over the civil population halts.

We, the peoples of the world, declare that we will not give up the territories we managed to conquer after years of struggle and resistance; and we commit ourselves to regain those which have been taken from us. Therefore, we need
to stand for the processes of change and revolutions that are taking place since they are based on sovereign decisions made by the peoples.

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AGREEMENTS

1. MOBILIZATION AND CONDEMNATION OF NORTH AMERICAN MILITARY BASES

1.1.To organize world demonstration days against the North American military bases from December the 12^th to the 17^th, 2009. The various left- wing parties and social movements will promote forums, concerts, protest marches and any other creative activity within the context of this event.

1.2.To establish a world mobilization front to make a political denounce against the American military bases. This group will be made up by social leaders, left-wing parties, lawmakers, artists, among others, who will visit different countries in order to spread out or cause in forums, press conferences and news reports and especially in gatherings with each country’s peoples.

1.3.To organize students, young people, workers and women groups in order to establish a common agenda of vigilance and denounce against the military bases in the world.

1.4.To install the legal world forum to challenge the installation of the American military bases. This forum is created as a space for condemnation of illegalities committed against the sovereignty and self- determination of the peoples and the imposition of a hegemonic imperialist model on them.

1.5.To carry out a world trial against paramilitarism in Colombia bringing testimonies and evidence to international bodies of justice.

1.6.To promote a world trial against George Bush for crimes against humanity, as the main responsible for the genocide against the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan.

1.7.To promote a campaign for the creation of constitutional and legal provisions in all our countries against the installation of military bases and deployment of mass destruction nuclear weapons.

1.8.To promote, from the different social organizations and movements, of the countries attending to this Meeting, a political situation for the Colombian conflict.

1.9.To manage the solidarity with the Colombian people against the imperial aggression that the military bases entail in the Colombian territory.

2. INSTALLATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PLATFORM OF JOINT ACTION BY THE LEFT-WING PARTIES OF THE WORLD

2.1.To establish a space of articulation of progressive and left-wing organizations and parties that allows for coordinating policies against the aggression to the peoples, the condemnation to the aggressions against governments elected democratically, the installation of military bases, the violation of sovereignty and xenophobia, the defense of the immigrants’ rights, peace, the environment, and campesino, labor, indigenous and afro-descendent movements.

2.2.To set up a Temporary Executive Secretariat (TES) that allows for coordinating a common working agenda, policy making, and follow-up to the agreements reached within the framework of this international encounter. Said Secretariat undertakes to inform about relevant events in the world, and to define specific action plans: statements, declarations, condemnations, mobilizations, and other that might be decided.

2.3.To set up an agenda of permanent ideological debate on the most critical aspects of socialism construction process.

2.4.To prepare common working agendas to articulate Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

2.5.To organize the world people’s solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution and President Hugo Chávez, in response to the constant imperial attacks.

2.6.To commemorate the centenary of Clara Zetkin’s proposal to celebrate March 8^th as the International Day of Women. The parties undertake to celebrate this day insofar as possible.

2.7.To summon a meeting to be held in Caracas on April 2010 in commemoration of the bicentenary of our Latin American and Caribbean independences.

3. ORGANIZATION OF A WORLD MOVEMENT OF MILITANTS FOR THE CULTURE OF PEACE

3.1.To promote the establishment of peace bases, by peace supporters, who will coordinate actions and denounces against interventionism and war sponsored by imperialism, through activities such as: forums, cultural events, and debates to favor the anti-violence ethical behavior, full participation in social life, respect to human rights and fundamental freedoms, acknowledgement of the cultural identities of our peoples and strengthening of the integration scheme. This venue seeks to raise awareness among all citizens in order to condemn all forms of domination, internal or external intervention, and to reinforce the culture of peace. To fight relentlessly for a world with no nuclear weapons, no
mass destruction weapons, no military bases, no foreign interference, and no economic blockades, as our peoples need peace and are absolutely entitled to attain development. To promote the American continent as a territory of peace, home to the construction of a free and sovereign world.

3.2.To organize the Peace Parliament as a political venue to exchange common endeavors among the world’s progressive and left-wing parliamentarians, and to know the historical, economic, legal, political and environmental aspects key for the defense of peace. Hereby we recommend holding the first meeting on February 2010.

4. ARTILLERY OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION TO EMANCIPATE THE REVOLUTIONARY AWARENESS

4.1.To discuss a public communication policy at inter-regional level that allows for setting up against the media battle, and for conveying the values of socialism among the peoples.

4.2.To promote the creation and consolidation of the alternative and community communication media to break the media siege, promote an entity of International Alternative Left-wing Media Coordination Office that creates links to provide for a better information exchange among our countries, in which Telesur and Radiosur emerge as spearheads to this action.

4.3.To create a website that gathers all the world’s progressive and left-wing parties and movements as a means to ensure the permanent exchange and the development of an emancipating and alternative communication.

4.4.To boost a movement of artists, writers and filmmakers to promote and develop festivals of micro, short and full-length films that portray the progress and fights of the peoples in revolution.

4.5.To hold a Meeting or international forum of alternative left-wing media.

5. MOBILIZING ALL PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATIONS IN AN UNRESTRICTIVE SUPPORT TO THE PEOPLE OF HONDURAS

5.1.To promote an international trial against the pro-coup faction in Honduras before the International Criminal Court for the offenses and crimes committed.

5.2.Not to recognize the illegal electoral process to be established in Honduras.

5.3.To make a world vigil in the Election Day in Honduras in order to protest against the intention to legitimate the coup, coordinated by the permanent committee that emerges from this encounter.

5.4.To coordinate the actions of left-wing parties worldwide to put a damper to the imperialist pretensions of using the coup in Honduras as a strategy against the Latin American and Caribbean progressive processes and governments.

5.5.To join the people of Honduras through a world solidarity movement for people’s resistance and for the pursuit of democratic and participatory paths that allow for establishing progressives governments committed to common welfare and social justice.

5.6.To undertake actions geared to denounce before multilateral bodies, and within the framework of international law, the abduction of José Manuel Zelaya, legitimate President of Honduras, that facilitated the breach of Honduras constitutional order. It is necessary to determine responsibilities among those who participated directly in this crime, and even among those who allowed his aircraft to go in and out Costa Rica without trying to capture the kidnappers of the Honduran president.

6. SOLIDARITYWITHTHEPEOPLESOFTHEWORLD

6.1.The Left-wing Parties of the International Meeting of Caracas agree to demand the immediate liberation of the five Cuban heroes unfairly imprisoned in American jails. They are authentic anti-terrorist fighters that no harm caused to the US national security, whose work was oriented towards preventing the terrorist attacks prepared by the terrorist counterrevolution against Cuba. The Five Heroes were subject to a biased judicial process, condemned by the widest sectors of humanity, and stigmatized by a conspiracy of silence by the large media. Given the impossibility to make justice by the judicial way, we call upon all political left-wing parties of the world to increase the actions for their immediate liberation. We demand President Obama to use his executive faculties and set these Five Humankind Heroes free.

6.2.The International Meeting of Left-wing Parties resolutely demands the immediate and unconditional cessation of the criminal US blockade that harmed the Cuban people so badly over the last fifty years. The Blockade should come to an end right now in order to fulfill the will of the 187 countries that recently declared themselves against this genocide act during the UN General Assembly.

6.3.To join the people of Haiti in the fight to arrange for Jean Bertrand Aristide’s return to his country.

6.4.We propose to study the possibility to grant a residence in Venezuela to Jean Bertrand Aristide, who was kidnapped and overthrown as Haiti’s president by the US Empire.

6.5.We express the need to declare a permanent alert aimed at preventing any type of breach of the constitutional order that may hinder the process of democratic change in Paraguay.

6.6.We denounce the Neoliberal privatizing advance in Mexico expressly in the case of the Electric Energy state-owned company, a heritage of the people that intends to fire 4500 workers to terrify the union force, “Luz y Fuerza”, which constitutes another offensive of the Empire in Central and North America.

6.7.To declare our solidarity with the peoples of the world that have undergone and still undergo imperial aggressions, specially, the long- lasting fifty-year genocide blockade against the Cuban people; the threat against the people of Paraguay; the slaughter of the Palestinian people; the illegal occupation of part of the territory of the Republic of Saharaui and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan that has reached Pakistan already; the illegal sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe and the constant threat against Iran, among others.

Caracas, November 21^st, 2009

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