Political positioning of social organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean towards the COP 21

November 2015

The undersigned organizations and social movements in Latin America and the Caribbean:

WE BELIEVE

That the current crisis is not just global warming. It is also a socio-economic, political, food, energy and ecological crisis. In sum, a systemic crisis whose impacts are visible globally. This crisis is rooted in the capitalist system, which in turn is based on a model of production and extractive consumption, predator of common goods and labor force, created according to favor the interests of large transnational corporations. The effects of the crisis we see an increase in discrimination and violence against women in particular, forced migrations, loss of sovereignty over natural heritage and the inability to continue to exist as indigenous communities and to live in harmony with Mother Earth.

Although the impacts of the climate crisis are evident globally, it is in the global South where those consequences are manifesting acutely through extreme weather events, landslides, snowmelt, floods, droughts, among other events.

To address this crisis, we believe that it´s necessary a system change that radically change our patterns of production and consumption, and has the objective to protect the environment as a way of enabling the sustainability of life.

WE DENOUNCE AND REJECT

1. That the multilateral process of the climate negotiations, within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has led increasingly to privatization, commodification and financialization of nature and the common goods, disregarding the real structural causes of climate change. Furthermore, in the negotiations the developed states have managed to get out of their obligations and historical responsibilities for the climate crisis. There is currently a negotiation based in emissions reduction pledges that would imply to all member states of the Convention.

2. The corporate capture of the Climate Convention, which must be urgently combated, as a way to protect multilateralism too. We are defenders of multilateralism that is crucial for all countries to participate in negotiations and thus the developing states can claim their positions. However, it is necessary to continue alerting the corporate capture of the UNFCCC and fight to eradicate it..

3. The acceleration of the privatization processes, commodification and financialization of nature as part of the strategies used by corporations, based on the principles of the green economy, which are nothing but false solutions to the climate crisis. These false solutions in turn intensify land and territory grabbing and deepen the violation of rights of local communities. Therefore, we have reaffirmed the Latin American Conference on Financialization of Nature, that we made in August this year in Belem do Pará, Brazil, many of the organizations and social movements undersigned.

4. The false solutions being promoted and deepened for the possible Paris Agreement. Some of them are: carbon markets, projects for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), GM food, agrofuels, hydroelectric, nuclear megaprojects, hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), climate-smart agriculture, Earth´s systems large-scale handling (Geoengineering), The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).

5. The large companies, international financial institutions, development agencies, among other actors, in complicity with many governments that promote institutional frameworks to further advance the commercialization and land grabbing. That way, new rights are granted to large transnational corporations over even the sovereignty of our peoples. This architecture of impunity is expressed in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Agreement on Trade in Services (TISA), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and all those who violate the sovereignty and self-determination of the peoples. We support the negotiating process within the framework of "Intergovernmental Working Group open-ended on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights", created by the Human Rights Council of UN to establish a legal treaty that obliges transnational corporations to respect human rights. We remain vigilant and active in the negotiations of the Working Group.

6. The model of domination and oppression that underpins debt, through the payment of the services of external and domestic debt continues to divert the already limited resources for social investment. These diverted resources could be used to deal with the consequences of climate change on the lives of our peoples. We speak of an economic debt, but also climatic, social and ecological.

WE DEMAND

On the way to build real solutions to the crisis, it is urgent:

1. That developed countries are committed to drastic emissions reductions based on historical responsibility and respective capabilities, to transfer funds for adaptation and mitigation of climate change in the global South and technology transfer.

2. To put an end to the processes of persecution, disappearance, torture and murder of social activists and defenders of the peoples´ rights and of Mother Earth, sorted by corporations in Latin America and around the world. In addition, stop the repression and criminalization of social protest from many governments.

3. The incorporation and recognition of alternatives for Good Living, the sustainability of life, the defense of common goods and Mother Earth. In this sense, we claim the lifestyles of indigenous peoples and peasants and their worldview in absolute harmony with nature, based on principles of environmental, social and climate justice.

4. That be promoted territorial self-determination and self-government, food sovereignty, a global change of the energy matrix leading to the transition from fossil fuels and lead to energy sovereignty, solidarity and feminist economics, forest, lands and water community management. This is part of the package of real solutions that we consider urgent to deal with the systemic crisis.

5. The change of system should apply a just transition, to be built with workers and society as a whole. This transition happens also to ensure decent employment, freedom of organization, the guarantee of fundamental rights such as collective bargaining, strikes, access to health, social dialogue, and mechanisms to ensure professional re-qualification. Also through the establishment of a comprehensive safety net and social protection, understood as a human right, as well as public policies that guarantee decent working forms.

6. In that sense, we claim the Platform for Development of the Americas (PLADA) developed by the Trade Union Confederation of Workers of America (CSA), which contains among other things the framework and the way for the transition that we demand.

7. These ideas also presuppose expanding the concept of work, the recognition of women's work and the balance between production and reproduction, so that the latter is not an exclusive power of women.

FROM LATIN AMÉRICA WE JOIN THE MOBILIZATIONS

We are supporting the work process and impetus to the demonstrations of the French Coalition, which brings together various social groups and organizes activities for us, as people of the world, we place our complaints and demands in Paris, and at the same time many parts of the planet. We do since we have drawn in the struggles and common process, at times like the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba (April 2010, and had its second edition from 9 to 12 last October), the Peoples Summit Rio + 20 (June 2012), the Isla Margarita Social Pre Cop (November 2014) and the Peoples' Summit in Lima (December 2014).

In this way we are currently moving, we call to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, solidarity and action, in processes aimed to the construction of societies, fair and equitable communities, where the rights of peoples and those of our land are respected. We call to deepen the local, regional and global resistances against the implementation of the false and dangerous solutions to climate change, while increasing the promotion of real solutions that already exist and come from the people.

We call upon to hold active demonstrations denouncing the course of negotiations on the climate, which favors large transnational corporations and governments of developed countries.

Finally, we call to manifest in all areas and territories to support more than two weeks of protests in Paris 2015 (from 28 November to 12 December). We understand that this instance will be an important point of convergence with social organizations and movements from different regions in a much longer way for climate justice, which must provide us to gather strength and move forward in our common struggles.

SIGNATORIES

• Trade Union Confederation of Workers of America (CSA)
• Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Organizaciones del Campo (CLOC - Vía Campesina)
• World March of Women (MMM)
• Jubileo Sur/Américas Carta de Belém Group
• Amigos de la Tierra América Latina y el Caribe (ATALC)