International Solidarity Forum Oct 11-14 - Agenda

LATIN AMERICA AND ASIA PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY FORUM - OCT 11-14, 2007


"Fighting and organising globally against neo-liberalism" Trades Hall & RMIT Storey Hall. Melbourne, Australia
Trade unionists, social movement activists, academics, students, progressive political parties and all interested members of the community are invited to participate in the Latin American & Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum. The four-day forum aims to strengthen international coordination and solidarity with those fighting neoliberalism.
More than 30 representatives from progressive organisations and campaigns in 22 countries will address the forum. (see list below)

Forum Agenda


THURSDAY, October 11 Victorian Trades Hall
9.00-10.00am Registration
10.30-12.30pm Plenary - Resisting war and neoliberalism
12.30-1.30pm Lunch
1.30-3.15pm Multiple Workshops
3.30-5.15pm Multiple Workshops
5.30-7.30pm Major Session- Che Guevara 40 years on: the influence of his example and ideas today
plus two concurrent workshops

FRIDAY, October 12 Victorian Trades Hall
8.30-9.30am Registration
9.30-11.15am Multiple Workshops
11am-1.00pm Major Sessions
1. The global influence of the Zapatistas
2. Confronting the new colonialism in the Pacific
1.00-2.00pm Lunch
2.00-3.45pm Plenary Workers' struggle, global fight
4.00-5.45pm Multiple Workshops
6.00-9.00pm Public meeting - Rebellion and liberation in Latin America

SATURDAY, October 13 RMIT Storey hall, RMIT
8.30-9.30am Registration
9.30-11.00am Plenary - Indigenous struggles and resistance
11.00-1.00pm Plenary - Movements of resistance in the Asia Pacific
1.00-2.00pm Lunch
2.00-4.00pm Plenary - The Venezuelan revolution and its global impact
4.30-6.30pm Multiple Workshops at Victorian Trades Hall
7pm til late Solidarity Fiesta @ Brunswick Town Hall

SUNDAY, October 14 - Victoria Trades Hall
8.30-9.30am Registration
9.30-11.00am Plenary - Strategies for ecological and human survival
11.15-1.00pm Major session - Alternatives to neoliberalism
plus two concurrent workshops
1.00-2.00pm Lunch
2.00-3.45pm Multiple Workshops
4.00-5.30pm Plenary - Building links, strengthening international solidarity
Register early and help fund the forum


You can register and pay online using PAYPAL (a secure third-party payment site). PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE.

Or you can Download a registration form and send the completed form with your payment attached to
LAAPISF, PO Box 813, North Melbourne 3051. Make cheques/money orders payable to Latin America & Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum.

Or you can deposit registration fees directly into the forum bank account. Please then email info@... to confirm and identify the payment.
Bendigo Bank; BSB: 633000 Account number: 130716889
Submit a workshop proposal

Conference organisers are inviting all interested groups and individuals to submit workshop proposals. All submissions must be recieved by September 24th. You can submit your proposal online

DOWN LOAD THE LEAFLET
Visit the October Forum website
Further Information: Email solidarityforum2007@...
International participants

Aotearoa/New Zealand
* Sina Brown Davis, Maori/Pasifikan activist
* Vaughan Gunson, Socialist Worker NZ
* Phillip Ferguson, NZ Workers Party
Bangladesh
* Abul Hossain, President, United Labour Federation
Bolivia
* Eduardo Yssa, National Coalition for the Defence of Water, Basic Services, the Environment and Life of Bolivia
Canada
* Roger Annis, Canada Haiti Action Network
* John Riddell, Socialist Voice
* Suzanne Weiss, Venezuela We are With You
Chile
* Ismael Duran, musician and grassroots community activist
* Payo Grondona, musician and cultural activist
* A representative of Xeg-Xeg Development and Communication Mapuche Coalition, Temuko-Chile
Colombia
* Liliany Obando, National Federation of Agricultural Farming Unions (Fensuagro)
Cuba
Nélida Hernández Carmona & Ifrahim Miranda León, Cuban Consul-General & Consul in Australia
El Salvador
* Sigfrido Reyes Morales, Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) Member of Parliament and Political Commission member
Eucador
* Efren Calapucha, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE)
India
* N Vasudevan, Trade Union Solidarity Committee, Mumbai
Indonesia
* Dita Sari, President, People's Democratic Party
* Agus Priyono, Chairperson, National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS)
Malaysia
* Irene Xavier, Coordinator, Transnational Information Exchange-Asia Malaysia
Mexico
* Estela Morales, Radio new generation and The Other Campaign, a Zapatista initiative
Pakistan
* Farooq Tariq, General Secretary, Labour Party Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
* John Chitoa, Coordinator, Bismarck Ramu Group (Madang)
* Rosa Koian, Coordinator, Village Information Centre, Madang
Philippines
* Ric Reyes, Laban ng Masa
* Crispin Beltran, Anakpawis
South Korea
* Reverend Jang Chang Weon, Osan Laborers and Migrants Shelter, Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Links Korea
Timor Leste
* Avelino Coelho, General Secretary, Socialist Party of Timor
* Tomas Freitas, Luta Hamutuk ("Struggle Together")
* Mericio "Akara" Juvenal, Luta Hamutuk
* Jose Teixeira, Fretilin, Member of Parliament
Venezuela
* Vladimir Villegas, Vice-Minister for Asia, Middle East and Oceania, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
* Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code and Bush vs Chavez: Washington's War on Venezuela
* Sandino Carrizales, youth and environmental movements activist
* Dr Carolus Wimmer, International secretary, Communist Party of Venezuela
* Nelson Davila, Venezuela's Charge d'Affairs in Australia
Vietnam
* Tran Quoc Khanh, Vietnam's Deputy Consul General in Australia
* Vietnam General Confederation of Labour delegation
* Tran Dac Loi, the secretary general of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation
West Papua
Anak Jehudi, Patron, West Papuan Students Association, Port Moresby, PNG

Fighting and organising globally against neoliberalism!

Latin American and Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum Oct
11-14, 2007. Melbourne, Australia

A global call for participation

We call on all activists, organisations and communities who are
committed to building a better world to join together at the Latin
American and Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum to be held in
October 2007, in Melbourne Australia.

The forum has been initiated by the organisers of several successful
conferences and gatherings in solidarity with Latin America and the
Asia Pacific, the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN), Asia
Pacific International Solidarity Conference (APISC) and the Latin
American Solidarity Network (LASNET). With this call we would like to
invite you to participate in this international forum.

A time of resistance, progress and struggle

Today, cracks are beginning to appear in the neo-liberal capitalist
ruling system. In the Asia-Pacific there is a growing crisis of
legitimacy for neo-liberal governments and mass movements of
resistance are on the rise. In Latin American a people's rebellion is
growing across the continent. An echo of the massive independence
struggles against colonialism and imperialism can again be heard.

Old ideas are being re-examined and new ways experimented with.
Discussion and debate have been revived among whole communities -- on
issues such as workers' control and management; indigenous autonomy
and self-determination; building trade unions and social movements;
electoral campaigning and counter-power strategies. These discussions
have given birth to some of the most dynamic and successful social
movements and political organisations in recent decades.

There is great diversity among these movements. Some are working to
achieve power, while others, such as the Zapatistas, aim to completely
re-define and recreate the notion of power. Some have formed links
with political parties and are constantly adjusting how they relate to
the government of the day.

Popular governments have won elections with the support of social
movements, and in countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador we
are seeing progressive and radical changes. The Venezuelan idea of
socialism for the 21st century is giving renewed hope and energy to
other liberation processes.

Many of these movements and political organisations are winning. They
are strengthening people's participation, strengthening their
communities, developing people's power and inspiring a new generation
of political activists.

Another world can only be realised if people like you and me also
commit to this emerging project of struggle against neoliberalism.

http://solidarityforum2007.org/?q=node

International participants

Aotearoa / New Zealand
* Sina Brown-Davis, Maori/Pasifikan activist, G20 Arrestee
* Vaughan Gunson, Socialist Worker NZ
Bangladesh
* Abul Hossain, President, United Labour Federation
Bolivia
* An activist from the life and water social movements coalition
Canada
* Roger Annis, Canada Haiti Action Network
* John Riddell, Socialist Voice
* Suzanne Weiss, Venezuela We are With You
Colombia
* A representative of the National Federation of Agricultural Farming
Unions (Fensuagro)
Cuba
* Nélida Hernández Carmona & Ifrahim Miranda León, Cuban
Consul-General & Consul in Australia
East Timor
* Avelino Coelho, General Secretary, Socialist Party of Timor
Eucador
* Efren Calapucha, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of
Ecuador (CONAIE)
El Salvador
* Sigfrido Reyes Morales, Member of Parliament, FMLN Political Commission.
Indonesia
* Dita Sari, Founding chairperson of Centre for Indonesian Workers
Struggle (FNPBI)
* Agus Priono, Chairperson, National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS)
Korea
* Reverend Jang Chang Weon, Osan Laborers and Migrants Shelter,
Reconciliation and Unification Mission Center
Malaysia
* Irene Xavier, Coordinator, Transnational Information Exchange Asia
Philippines
* Franciso Nemenzo, Chairperson, Laban ng Masa
Pakistan
* Farooq Tariq, General Secretary, Labour Party Pakistan
Pakistan
* Farooq Tariq, General Secretary, Labour Party Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
* John Chitoa and Rosa Koian, Bismarck Ramu Group
Venezuela
* Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code and Bush vs Chavez:
Washington's War on Venezuela
* Vladimir Villegas, Vice-Minister for Asia, Middle East and Oceania.
* Sandino Carrizales, Youth activist and Communal Councils organiser.
* Nelson Davila, Venezuela's Charge d'Affairs in Australia
Vietnam
* Tran Quoc Khanh, Vietnam's Deputy Consul General in Australia
West Papua
* Anak Jehudi, Patron, West Papua Students Association, Port Morseby.