>Live streaming, 21 July at 9.00-20.00 (Paraguay time) Regional Integration: an opportunity to face the crises >Program Finding solutions to the crises (economic, energy, food and climate) is urgent, and today it is at the core of the agenda of both social movements and governments. For countries in the different regions, regional integration appears as a way to overcome the global economic crisis through the development of solidarity and dynamic intra-regional economic ties. In this context, re-thinking regional integration as a solution to the crisis can give a powerful impulse to building an alternative development project in each region (Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe) that is more sustainable and equitable than the current development model which countries follow today. However, the current regional spaces are contested arenas. It is crucial, therefore, that social movements and governments search and seek for common strategies. The objective of this International Conference will be to advance the debate among governments, regional/international bodies, policy makers, parliamentarians and social movements from the following regions: Mercosur, Andean Community, ALBA, SADC, SAARC, ASEAN and EU about the possibilities to respond to these crises through regional alternatives and a model of regional integration that promotes a change in the development model of the regions. The Conference is organised as a series of round tables for dialogue bringing together parliamentarians, governments and civil society representatives from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe on the following topics:

• Systemic Crisis, impacts of the crisis on regional integration processes
• Regional responses to the crises
• Regional Integration: Re-thinking the development model. Complementarity versus competition. Integration and Asymmetries
• Development Model and regional Infrastructure
• Energy Crisis and Climate Change: the challenge to find regional solutions
• Production model and Food Sovereignty
• Finances and development model. New financial structures: Bank of the South, regional currencies
• Regional Peace, Democracy and Human Rights
• Regional Integration: challenges for the movements and the governments

Programme 21 JULY 09:00–09:30 Opening: Greeting from organisers Enrique Daza, Executive Secretary, Hemispheric Social Alliance, Colombia Brid Brennan, TNI/Peoples’ Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms, Netherlands Guillermo Ortega, Base IS, Iniciativa Paraguaya por la Integración de los Pueblos, Paraguay Héctor Lacognata, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paraguay 09:30–11:30 Systemic Crisis, impacts of the crisis on regional integration processes Victor Baez, Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, Brazil Juan Gonzalez, MOSIP, Argentina Walden Bello, Member of Parliament, Philippines Tetteh Hormeku, TWN/ATN, Ghana Moderation Cecilia Olivet, TNI, Netherlands 11:30 - 13:30 Regional responses to the crises Amenothep Zambrano, ALBA representative, Venezuela Juan Castillo, Secretary for International Relations PIT-CNT, Uruguay Demba Moussa Dembele, African Forum on Alternatives, Senegal Joy Chavez, Focus on the Global South, Philippines Frederic Viale, ATTAC France Moderation José Miguel Hernández, CTC Nacional/ CC-ASC, Cuba 13:30 - 15:00 Lunch 15:00 - 17:30 Regional Integration: Re-thinking the development model. Complementarity versus competition. Integration and Asymmetries Jorge Lara Castro, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paraguay Oscar Laborde, Government Argentina Tomas Palau, Base IS, Iniciativa Paraguaya por la Integración de los Pueblos, Paraguay Graciela Rodriguez, REBRIP, Brazil Dot Keet, SAPSN, South Africa Charles Santiago, Member of Parliament, Malaysia Moderation Gonzalo Berrón, ASC/CSA, Brazil 17:30 - 18:00 Coffee break 18:00 - 20:00 Development Model and Infrastructure Guilherme Carvalho, Rede Brasil sobre Instituições Financeiras Multilaterais, Brazil Ricardo Miranda, Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia (CSUTCB), Bolivia Michelle Pressend, Trade Strategy Group, South Africa Moderation Ximana Centellas, Directora General de Gestión Pública, Viceministerio de Coordinación y Gestión Gubernamental, Bolivia 22 JULY 09:00 - 10:45 Energy Crisis and Climate Change: the challenge to find regional solutions Government Venezuela Walden Bello, Member of Parliament, Philippines Pablo Bertinat, Cono Sur Sustentable, Argentina Roberto Colman, Coordinadora Soberanía Energética, Paraguay Tom Kucharz, Ecologistas en Accion, Spain Moderation Fernando Rojas, Decidamos, Iniciativa Paraguaya por la Integración de los Pueblos, Paraguay 10:45-11:00 Coffe Break 11:00-13:00 Production model and Food Sovereignty Juan José Dominguez, Member of Parliament, MPP–FA, Uruguay Rabindra Adhikari, Member of Parliament, Nepal Indra Lubis, La Via Campesina, Indonesia Lodwick Chizarura, SEATINI, Zimbabwe Francisca Rodriguez, CONAMURI/CLOC, Chile Moderation Sebastián Valdomir, Redes Amigos de la Tierra, Uruguay 13:00 - 14:00 Lunch 14:00 – 16:00 Finances and development model: New financial structures: (Bank of the South, regional currencies, etc) Pedro Paez, President of the Ecuadorian Presidential Technical Commission for the New Regional Financial Architecture and Bank of the South, Ecuador Beverly Keene, Jubilee South, Argentina Ivan Lukas, Glopolis, Czech Republic Moderation Veronique Sandoval, Espace Marx, France 16:00-17:00 Regional Peace, Democracy and Human Rights Lee, Seung-Heon, Chief External Relations Department of the Korea Democratic Labor Party, South Korea Camille Chalmers, Campaign for Demilitarisation of the Americas, Haiti Meena Menon, Focus on the Global South, India Thomas Wallgren, Coalition for comprehensive democracy - Vasudhaiva Kutumkakam, Finland Pezo Mateo-Phiri, SAPSN, Zambia Moderation Ramon Corvalan, SERPAJ Paraguay/ Iniciativa Paraguaya por la integracion de los Pueblos, Paraguay 17:00 – 17:30 Coffee break 17:30 – 20:00 Regional Integration: challenges for the movements and the governments Round Table: Edgardo Lander, Universidad Central de Venezuela/TNI, Venezuela Meena Menon, Focus on the Global South, India Nalu Farias, World March of Women, Brazil Brid Brennan, TNI, Netherlands Tetteh Hormeku, TWN/ATN, Ghana Chacho Alvarez, President Committee of Permanent Representatives of MERCOSUR, Argentina Ana Cristina Betancourt Garcia, Ministerio de Autonomía, Bolivia Gustavo Codas, Government Paraguay Moderation Héctor de la Cueva, RMALC, México What is the Initiative People’s Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms? The initiative People’s Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms, involves regional alliances such as Hemispheric Social Alliance (Latin America), Southern African People’s Solidarity Network- SAPSN (Southern Africa), Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy – SAPA (South East Asia), People’s SAARC (South Asia) as well as organisations and networks in Europe, including Transnational Institute (TNI), that struggle for “Another Europe”. These networks and the organisations part of them, share a strong commitment on the need to RECLAIM the regions, RECREATE the processes of regional integration and ADVANCE people-centered regional alternatives. The People’s Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms is an effort to promote cross-fertilisation of experiences on regional alternatives among social movements and civil society organisations from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe and contribute to the understanding of alternative regional integration as a key strategy to struggle against neoliberal globalisation to broaden the base among key social actors for political debate and action around regional integration. Specifically, it aims to build trans-regional processes to develop the concept of “people's integration”, articulate the development of new analyses and insights on key regional issues, expose the problems of neoliberal regional integration and the limits of the export-led integration model, share and develop joint tactics and strategies for critical engagement with regional integration processes as well as the development of people’s alternatives. For more information visit: www.alternative-regionalisms.org Co- Organisers: Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA), Iniciativa Paraguaya para la Integración de los Pueblos, People’s Agenda for Alternative Regionalisms (PAAR), Focus on the Global South and Transnational Institute (TNI) In cooperation with Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), Southern African People’s Solidarity Network (SAPSN), People’s SAARC, Solidarity for Asian People's Advocacy (SAPA), TWN Africa, Trade Strategy Group, Jubilee South, REBRIP, Transform Europe, ATTAC France, Vasudhaiva Kutumkakam, Finland, Ecologistas en Acción, Spain Supported by Paraguayan Presidency Pro-tempore of Mercosur This Conference was made possible with the contribution of Oxfam/Novib, Oxfam Internacional, Christian Aid and Action Aid