We, social and climate movements, trade unions, women’s, small farmers’ and indigenous peoples’ organizations, non-governmental organizations and citizens of the world, participating in the counter-summit of social movements against the annual meetings of the WB and IMF in Marrakech from 12 to 15 October, reaffirm our struggle against illegitimate debts.
Our counter-summit is the culmination of a collective and inclusive international process launched in January 2023. Six international online plenary assemblies have punctuated the democratic preparation of this global gathering. A joint appeal has been adopted. A multilingual website was created. Numerous preparatory meetings have been held, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, in the Arab region in general, and in Morocco in particular.
More than 60 organizations and a dozen international networks took part in our counter-summit.
In Africa and the Arab region, the mobilization was even greater, with over a hundred delegates from countries such as Palestine, Iraq, Tunisia, Egypt, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa and South Africa.
With 4 plenary sessions and around fifty workshops in addition to the opening march, our counter-summit was a resounding success, bringing to the city of Marrakech the voices of international movements fighting against the financial colonialism practised by the WB and the IMF since their creation in 1945.
Our counter-summit began on 12 October, the date of the arrival in the Caribbean of Christopher Columbus and his expedition, which paved the way for the conquest, pillage and exploitation of the “American” continent by European imperialism from 1492 onwards. It ended on 15 October, the date of the assassination of Thomas Sankara, President of Burkina Faso, who was leading the fight for the non-payment of illegitimate debts and for the unity and sovereignty of the peoples of Africa and the world. The actions, speeches and wisdom of Thomas Sankara, from whom we draw our inspiration, were present throughout our counter-summit.
We denounce the 79 years of financial dictatorship of the IMF-WB, which, in alliance with imperialism and the corrupt and colonized ruling classes of the countries of the South, has maintained and reinforced the oppression of our peoples. More than 500 years of plundering nature and peoples is enough. The rights of peoples and Mother Earth must come before the profits of multinationals, governments and the rich.
Our counter-summit was a unique opportunity for collective action-oriented learning. We renewed our determination to continue our process of coordinating converging struggles and alternatives to sow the seeds of a society in which the common good, respect for planetary limits, food sovereignty and environmental and social justice take precedence. We shall decide our own future, and we reject the one that the World Bank, the IMF and their allies want to impose on us. It’s time to put an end to their ideological colonialism. We advocate a just ecological and energy bifurcation focused on a necessary alliance between local communities, workers, farmers, craftsfolk, and feminist movements.
It’s also time to say that if they don’t cancel our debt, we will repudiate it. Because the real debt is that of governments and multinationals, their historical, climatic, ecological and social debt to peoples, and to the peoples of the global South in particular!
It’s time to acknowledge and value the work of social reproduction carried out mainly by women throughout the world.
We took part in the counter-summit to ensure that the World Bank and the IMF do not celebrate their 80th anniversary next year, but honour their long-standing ecological, historical and neo-colonial debt to the people. We want to send them, as pillars of capital, to the dustbin of history.
We express our solidarity with the people of Palestine and we condemn the indiscriminate bombing and military actions carried out by the Israeli army of occupation. We call for the dismantling of the colonialist apartheid state of Israel and for respect for the rights of peoples to exercise their sovereignty.
We also denounce the authoritarianism and escalating repression of various governments, particularly in the Arab region, including Morocco, and we call for the immediate release of all political prisoners.
