First Meeting of Peoples and Organizations of Abya Yala concludes in Bolivia calling for the creation of Runasur - MPPRE

First Meeting of Peoples and Organizations of Abya Yala concludes in Bolivia calling for the creation of Runasur

The First Meeting of Peoples and Organizations of Abya Yala towards the construction of a Plurinational America concluded this Saturday in Cochabamba, Plurinational State of Bolivia, highlighting the importance of relaunching the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and working to gestate Runasur, conceived as the «Unasur of the peoples», an instrument for integration and debate to advance education, communication, financial system and basic services issues, among other priorities.

The international event, held on December 18 and 19, was convened by the Bolivian indigenous leader Evo Morales, together with indigenous and trade union organizations from several countries in the region, with the main objective of generating Runasur as a platform for the articulation of popular organizations from the south that promote regional political integration, taking the indigenous voice «runa», which means: people, person.

1,200 people from Bolivia and 10 countries on the continent participated in the meeting, including the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, whose delegation was led by the Vice-minister of International Communication of the People’s Power Ministry for Foreign Relations and Vice-president of the Simón Bolívar Institute for the Peace and Solidarity among Peoples, Lídice Altuve.

Among the conclusions of the meeting is the call for a meeting for the launch and formation of Runasur in Bolivia, in April of next year, for which a commission made up of representatives of Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador and Venezuela was formed.

In his closing speech of the meeting, Morales advocated for the construction of a world in which the unity of social movements, rural workers and the city prevails, united by historical struggles for justice, as the legitimate claim of sovereignty of Argentina on the Falkland Islands and the just efforts of Bolivia to have access to the sea.

In addition, he emphasized the vital defense of the rights of Mother Earth; build trade relations between countries under the principles of complementarity and solidarity, and not competitiveness; and the need for organization to generate structural changes, such as ending the vestiges of colonialism that persist in the region.