World Social Forum 2009
Belém, Amazon, Brazil
Declaration of Indigenous Peoples
(También disponible en español)

Appeal from the Indigenous Peoples facing the crisis of capitalist Western Civilization

*The global struggle for Mother Earth against the commodification of life (October 12, 2009)

*To outline alternatives to decolonization through living well, collective rights, self determination and climate justice

Modern capitalism began centuries ago and was imposed in America with the invasion of October 12, 1492. This gave way to global plundering and the invention of theories of "races" to justify American ethnocide, the incursion into Africa for the slave trade and the plundering of other continents. These genocides have not ceased and retain power due to transnational capital and military support. This worldwide capitalist exploitation and oppression fuels global warming, leading to the planet’s self-destruction.

This crisis in the development model – capitalist, Eurocentric, sexist and racist – is absolute and is drawing us into the worst socio-environmental climate crisis in human history. The financial, economic, energy, and production crises have worsened structural unemployment, social exclusion, gender and race-based violence, and religious fanaticism all at once. These crises of “capitalist development and modernity” are so numerous and so deep that they constitute a true crisis of civilization, endangering all ways of life. Yet there are those who continue dreaming of changing this model and do not wish to accept that what is in crisis is capitalism, Euro-centrism and its model of the uni-national State, cultural homogeneity, western positive law, developmentalism and the commodification of life.

The crisis of capitalist western civilization forces us to reconstruct and reinvent new and diverse ways for nature, society, democracy, the State and consumption to coexist. For this, new paradigms are necessary, not only making "other worlds possible", but critical. These paradigms are already being built by the first victims of the most barbaric forms of capitalist, colonial, modern and contemporary violence: indigenous peoples and communities, natives, farmers, riverside inhabitants, Quilombolas, Afro-descendents, Garifunas, Caboclos, Dalits, among others, and their children who migrated to the poor slums of the cities; and all the other excluded, invisible and "untouchables" of the planet. We continue resisting, strengthening and updating alternative forms of technological, social, ethical, political, economic, cultural and spiritual order of the human race.

We, the Native Indigenous Peoples, practice and propose: uniting Mother Earth, society and culture. Nurture Mother Earth and to be nurtured by her. Raising water as a fundamental human right and not a commodity. Decolonization of power with the theory "lead by obeying", community self-government, multinational states, self-determination of peoples, unity through diversity and other forms of collective authority. Gender unity, duality, equity and complementarity. Spiritualities rooted in the everyday and the diverse. Freedom from all racial, ethnic, or gender domination and discrimination. Collective decisions regarding production, markets and the economy. Decolonization of the sciences and technologies. Expansion of reciprocity in the distribution of work, products and services. Therefrom produce a new social ethic different from that of the market and colonial/capitalist profit.

We belong to Mother Earth; we are not her owners or plunderers, nor are we her vendors. Today we are at a crossroads: imperialist capitalism has shown itself to be dangerous not only due to its domination, exploitation and structural violence but also because it kills Mother Earth and leads us to the planetary suicide, which is neither "useful" nor "necessary".

Therefore,, brothers and sisters and activists from all the world’s social movements called to this World Social Forum at Belém:

We, the Indigenous Movement of Abya Yala/American Continent, call for the broadest and most diverse union to:

1.Mobilize in defense of Mother Earth and its peoples against the commodification of life, contamination, toxic consumerism and the criminalization of social movements and carry out an intercontinental mobilization to this effect on October 12, 2009.
2.Mobilize to defend the rights of the peoples and Mother Earth against aggression by mega projects, extractive industries, the IIRSA, the Puebla-Panama Plan, biofuels and colonial invasions like those on the peoples of Haiti and Palestine.
3.Reconstruct, reinvent and outline diverse and alternative values and paradigms, and to that end organize a social thematic forum on decolonization, de-commodification of life, collective rights and living well in 2010.
4.Participate in the Fourth Summit of Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala, in Puno (Peru) from May 27 – 31, 2009, where the processes cited above will be strengthened and promoted.

Belém do Pará, February 1, 2009

1. CAOI, The Andean Coordination of Indigenous Organizations
2. ECUARUNARI, Confederation of the Peoples of Kichwa Nationality of Ecuador
3. ONIC, National Indigenous Organization of Colombia
4. CONACAMI, National Confederation of Communities Affected by the mining Industry in Peru
5. CONAMAQ, National Council of Ayllus and Markas of Kollasuyu
6. ONPIA, The Organization of Indigenous Peoples and Nations in Argentina
7. Araucanian Parliament (Chile)
8. National Mayan Wakib Kej Convergence
9. ANAMEBI, National Association of Bilingual Intercultural Teachers of Peru
10. Nordic Same Council
11. CONAIE, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalties of Ecuador
12. CONIC, National Coordination of Indigenous and Farmers
13. CONAVIGUA, The National Coordination of Guatamalan Widows
14. CUC, The Committee of the Peasant Union
15. Council of Peoples of the San Marcos Community
16. ARPI, Association of Indigenous Peoples of the Central Rainforest of Peru
17. MCP, Summit Movement of the Peoples
18. CAH, Aguaruna and Huambisa Council
19. CRIC, Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca
20. AICO, Colombian Indigenous Authorities
21. OPIAC, The Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon
22. Indigenous Kankuamo Organization
23. CRIDEC, The Regional Indigenous Council of Caldas
24. OIA, Indigenous Organization of Antioquia
25. ORIVAC, The Indigenous Organization of the Valle del Cauca
26. ANC, National Agrarian Confederation
27. FDCC, The Departmental Federation of the Peasants of Cusco
28. Indigenous Struggle
29. International Agency of Indigenous Press (Mexico)
30. FNMBS, National Federation of Native Rural Women Bartolina Sisa (Bolivia)
31. TINKUY Youth Network
32. Peasant Defense and Struggle and the Araucanian of the Patagonia Front (Argentina)
33. National Indigenous Committee of Costa Rica
34. Coordination of the Chorotega People (Nicaragua)

open convergence:

CAOI, coordinadorandinacaoi@gmail.com * (511) 2651061 www.minkandina.org