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The World Federation of Democratic Youth commemorates
its 60th anniversary on 10th of
November 2005, which
is a meaningful moment and a great opportunity to
promote even more our aim, character, principles,
struggles and proposals all over the world.
Nowadays the complex and dangerous situation in
international level put in front of us harder challenges
and bigger responsibilities. Helped by the
change in the balance of
forces in the world and supported by a deep
ideological offensive, imperialism increases
exploitation and has, as its inherent aspects, the use
of war and repression in order to maintain and expand
markets, holding energy sources and repress the peoples’
fights; and the constitution of powerful monopolist
groups who hold most of the richness produced in the
world and dominate world economies and the financial
system. Young people around the world have been
seriously victimized by the effects of imperialist and
neo-liberal policies of international institutions such
as the, IMF, WTO, G-8, FTAA, GATS, European Union and
World Bank that try to impose their
economic and political order has developed under the
name of the “capitalist globalization”, an instrument of
unprecedented exploitation and control of the peoples
and national policies and resources by international
capital.
At the same time the gap between the rich and the poor,
the developed and undeveloped countries grows wider.
The gap in social, cultural and economical condition
between imperialist and other countries has been widened
by the demand of U.S. imperialism and its allies against
various countries to abandon nuclear enrichment programs
needed to produce electrical power when they don’t have
any other option.
Exploitation, hunger, unemployment, dearth of health
care, poverty, and misery continue to grow as a result
of the imperialist economic, political and military
policies, resulting in catastrophic effects for millions
of people around the world.
In order to preserve and deepen its hegemony and
impose its role and the capitalist system as the unique
possible in entire world, the
imperialism of United States of America (U.S.) and its
allies launched a military crusade against whoever stood
in their way, aggravated now with the so called “Fight
for Freedom”. This policy has resulted the war and
occupation of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq,
continuous aggression against Palestine, and threats
against Cuba, Venezuela, DPRK, Syria and Iran among
others. The real face of aggression, injustice
and barbarism has led to the militarization of societies
and their economies against people’s well being. The
recent re-election of Bush for the Presidency of U.S.
and the constitution of an even more conservative
cabinet just cause more concerns to the peoples in the
world. NATO and European Union (E.U) also play a major
role on the imperialist maneuver like it was proved with
the recent tour of U.S. President in Europe to join
efforts and minimize contradictions and
inter-imperialists conflicts with its allies to spread
even more the imperialist role all over the world.
Day by day it has been clear that this new world order
has been deepening the youth and peoples problems, and
that the answer is intensification of the popular and
mass struggle against imperialism and war, for peace,
democracy and social progress. The fight is the path
to the battle against Imperialism and to the conquest of
rights, which we all ought to follow. The fight at a
national level plays, in this context, a central role in
the fight against the specific measures affecting the
youth, and the conquests achieved nationally are an
important contribution for the global fight against
Imperialism.
The Middle East region lives in a tremendous instability
caused by a bigger aggressiveness of the imperialism
that uses all the means to achieve its goals, where the
militarization and war assume an important role.
As WFDY has systematically refereed the U.S. and its
allies showed, with the so called “preemptive” war
against Iraq, covered by the “war against terrorism”,
the intention of imperialism to expand markets, win more
profits, dominate the natural resources as oil, control
the most important geo-strategic areas and eliminate any
focus of resistance of the peoples. The arguments they
have used are the existence and development of weapons
of mass destruction and fight the terrorism, but the
true is that after almost two years of the beginning of
the war they haven’t discovered any of this kind of
weapons and proved any link to the terrorist
organizations. The imperialist actions were aggravated
with the well-known tortures of Iraqi people by the
occupation forces. WFDY expresses its support and
solidarity with the people of Iraq, welcomes the
resistance put up by Iraqi people for the integrity of
their country, against the continuing occupation and
demands the immediate termination of the invasion and
occupation of the country. Despite the participation of
Iraqi people in the recent elections wiling a better
future WFDY considers that democracy cannot exist in an
occupied country and that the occupation forces just
used to try to justify their actions in the country. We
reaffirm the urgent need for protection and respect by
the whole international community to the principles of
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and for a
decisive support of the Charter of the U.N. and the
fundamental principles of International Law, in the
benefit of peace, security and respect of human rights.
The Iraqi people like all the peoples in the world has
the undeniable right to decide their destination by
their own and build their future by their hands.
WFDY considers, during all these years of Israeli
aggression and occupation on Palestinian people, that
the aggression force, separation wall and settlements
cannot solve the problems. The war machinery of Israel -
supported by U.S. and its allies, is killing and
committing massacres against the innocent Palestinian
people, destroying their society and economy and
devastating their territories, aggravated with the
separation wall they are building. WFDY condemns
Zionism, the main policy of the sate of Israel, as a
form of racism and imperialism. WFDY has expressed its
deep sorrow for the lost of Yasser Arafat, leader of
Palestinian National Authority and Palestine Liberation
Organization and its hope on the recently elect
leadership of Palestinian people to continue and
reinforce the struggle for their causes. WFDY reiterates
its position and its support to the struggle of
Palestinians against the Israeli occupation, for an
independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its
capital, and for the right of return of Palestinian
refugees. WFDY consider that all the steps to achieve a
solution must to have as main content the rights of
Palestinian People, on the basis of the respective U.N.
resolutions. WFDY believes that the way to peace and
security for the both peoples is two states for two
peoples.
WFDY has been observing with concern and caution the
political developments happening in Lebanon, especially
after the assassination of the former Prime Minister
Rafik Al-Hamiri, which has opened a wide gate for the
external interference by the French government and U.S.
Administration in the Lebanese affairs, namely with the
goal to replace the current political force by a more
dependant one, which will result in a serious threat to
the peace in the country and stability in the region.
WFDY supports the efforts of member and friendly
organizations in Lebanon to avoid more conflicts in the
country and fixing the current situation trough
launching a initiative to organize a national dialogue
conference to discuss all the affairs and the
differences and not rely on external interference to
solve their problems.
These developments are used targeting Syria, Palestine
and Iraq, trough Lebanon, to change the political and
geographical map of the region to go along with the
Great Middle East project of imperialism under the
slogans “fight against terrorism”, “dismantle weapons of
mass destruction” and “democratizing regimes”.
We demand the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from
Syrian Golan heights and Lebanese Sheba farms as well as
from all the Arab occupied territory. WFDY also reaffirm
its demand to the withdrawal of Spanish colonial forces
from the Moroccan towns of Seuta and Melila.
The hostility against Cuba and Venezuela, the
interventionism in Colombia, the try to find
alternatives to FTAA, by the evident failure of the
initial project supposed to be signed in January, are
challenges to be faced by the people, that do not give
up in their resistance.
In Latin America we appreciated that the struggle of
people’s movements have been reaching an impact in the
political life of several countries, conquering the
political power through the electoral route and in other
cases putting in risk the permanence in the power of
corrupt and neo-liberal governments.
The triumph of the people’s front in Uruguay is added,
in the South cone, to Lula Brazil, whose has found
serious obstacles in these two first years in the
government to for implement the proposed changes of the
inherited economic shield. This doesn’t diminish the
meaning of a beginning of a deeper change towards the
future and as dynamic engine of an integration process
that entails political initiatives of great importance
like the recent South American Union of Nations, the
enlargement of MERCOSUR, the impulse to continental
projects like PETROSUR and TVSUR, among others, that
appear like alternative ways to the interference of U.S.
The Presidential Referendum in Venezuelan, which took
place in last August, marked a landmark in the history
of this country with the victory of the Bolivarian
forces. The consolidation and deepening of the
Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, where the people and
its youth have played an extraordinary role in the
social missions carried out, show that it’s possible to
generate changes from the masses and that the world must
change the model of development that imperialism wants
to impose. Venezuela, which is a rich country in natural
resources, especially in oil, was accumulating for many
years a high index of poverty, exclusion and illiteracy.
With the conquests of the Bolivarian Revolution,
Venezuela can say today that it has fought the
illiteracy and constructs a new model of truly inclusive
social development and demonstrates the validity of the
participative democracy.
The signature of the Agreement for the Bolivarian
Alternative of the Americas (ALBA), between Cuba and
Venezuela, is marking the way of the definitive defeat
of FTAA and contributes not only to oppose
neo-liberalism but to build at higher stage the
initiated attempts of Latin American integration in
previous decades that were only limited to trade and
taxes agreements. It is being born an integration of the
peoples based on the mutual respect, solidarity and the
fight for social justice.
In the Central American area the youth movement is also
suffering the Yankee interventionism and the submissive
position of the national governments to the U.S.
policies in matters of security, trade and development.
The leftwing forces in El Salvador and Nicaragua are
nowadays in a new phase of resetting, although FMLN
didn’t reach the expected victory, there was a
remarkable popular support by who identifies them as an
alternative to the dependent capitalist model. In
Nicaragua, the Sandinista Front, after 14 years of
campaigns against it, has reached the triumph in Managua
on November 2004.
In the Andean region the role played by the government
of Uribe in Colombia is very bad for the region. The
increase of U.S. interventionism in this country under
the pretext of the war against drugs and terrorism, and
the actions to capture Rodrigo Granda from FARC
violating the Venezuelan borders ordered by the
Colombian government constitute actions conceived to
sabotage the revolutionary process in Venezuela and to
increase the political and military presence in the
region. WFDY opposed the U.S. interventionism in
Colombia.
In the Caribbean the economic, social and political
crisis of Haiti constitutes an international shame. The
Yankee interference, after the overthrown of the
government has increased the internal problems. The
people of Haiti have the right to sovereign define their
future without political and military interventionism
from outside.
The resistance of Cuba and the improvement of its model
of social development, more and more committed with the
culture of its people and youth, after five years of
Battle of Ideas, it’s the clear demonstration of the
high price that the peoples pay for their independence.
The U.S. administration has approved the so called "Plan
to attend a Free Cuba", with an investment of more than
59 millions USD to subvert the revolutionary process, to
increase the work of intelligence against the Cuban
government and proclaim openly the end of the socialist
political system decided by the immense majority of the
Cubans for more than four decades. We also maintain the
demand of a new fare judgment outside of Miami for the
five Cubans who remain imprisoned in U.S. jails under
psychological tortured and prohibiting or making almost
impossible the visit of their relatives and children.
In all this context of fight and change the involvement
of youth and its participation in the entire social and
political scene have been essential, reinforcing the
struggle against the youth unemployment that every day
reaches higher levels, the privatization of the
education, and the policies that put the markets above
the human beings.
In Asia the basic human and democratic rights have been
widely violated by the dictatorial regimes in Nepal,
Bhutan and Burma. The king of Nepal trough a royal
proclamation in February 2005 has snatched away the
democratic and basic rights of the people as it happened
in October 2002. He dissolved the council of minister
and assumed the executive power in his hand directly,
ordered several arrests of political leaders,
journalists, youths and students, and imposed censorship
upon news media. WFDY strongly condemns these autocratic
actions of the king of Nepal, expresses its deep
solidarity with the progressive and democratic forces in
Nepal and calls upon all its member and friendly
organizations to oppose this dictatorial step. The
military junta in Burma has been denying to respect the
verdict of the people in the last general election. The
king of Bhutan has been repressing its people who are
fighting for democratic rights and has been evacuating
them from the country for many years.
Nowadays, the U.S. maneuvers against DPRK are being more
strengthened than ever before. The ambition of the U.S.
is to establish its power of control and dominance in
Northeast Asia, on the threshold of Korean peninsula
which is located at very important region by military
and geographically and, in advance, to hold the
supremacy. For this purpose, U.S. is willingly to
provoke the nuclear war against DPRK. Governments of
U.S. and Japan have been carrying out the policy to
force economical and military pressure to DPRK.
Government of DPRK, which must have a method to resist
to the menace of U.S. and Japan, made a declaration that
they have had nuclear weapons. Korean people love peace
very much. If U.S. would not have threatened the DPRK by
the nuclear weapons the DPRK could not have made a
nuclear weapon. All the nuclear weapons of all countries
must be abolished because victims of nuclear weapons
will be innocent people, as we saw in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. We strongly demand the immediate withdrawal of
U.S. troops from South Korea as well as the immediate
end of the nuclear threats, blockade, hostile policies
and attacks against DPRK also in order to abolish the
nuclear weapons in the North Eastern Asia. We express
our support with the struggle of the Korean people and
youth for their just cause to safeguard peace on the
Koran peninsula, for the reunification of the country in
an independent and peaceful way and for their national
sovereignty according to the spirit of the June 15th
North-South Joint Declaration in Pyongyang, DPRK.
WFDY shows its concern with the strong attempt of U.S.
and its allies against Iran, putting this country as a
possible next target for their intends of imperialist
expansion and domination. We also demand the withdrawal
of foreign troops from Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay,
in Cuba.
WFDY also expresses its deep sorrow for the loss of life
and destruction of property in South Asia caused by the
deadly Tsunami of December 2004, where the devastation
effects of the Tsunami were even more aggravated due to
lack of infrastructures development in the region as
result of the imperialist exploitation, and pays its
heartfelt tributes to the members of WFDY organizations
who lost their life in this disaster.
The effects of the imperialist aggression in Africa
assume special relevance. It is done under the broad
slogans of the “war against terrorism, to help the
peoples of Africa in resolving their conflicts
peacefully, to put as a top priority the issues of
democracy, human wrights & the stability in Africa”.
Despite the fact of some ethnic conflicts, and even
those not all exclusively connected with racial
phenomenon, the problems of the African people and youth
are in the most cases result of the external
interference of U.S. and its allies that try all the
possible tactics to re-colonize the countries, control
the oil and the natural resources and squelch the
popular resistance. As examples we have their active
involvement in the on going settlement of the conflicts
in, Sudan, Liberia, Congo, Sierra Leone and The Great
Lakes area, in the exploitation of minerals and arms
trade, the permanent existence of the military ships
along all the seashores of Africa, the free movement of
the CIA agents in most of the countries as well as the
imposition of IMF and World Bank policies. Hunger,
extreme poverty and misery are examples of the direct
results of this interference.
One of the hottest issues in the continent, which is
directly connected with the future of the youth in
Africa, is the war against AIDS. This killer is widely
spread in Africa, and an international effort to compact
it is going on now. And of course mainly it is targeting
the age group that WFDY is more concerning of. Hence we
in WFDY should have a considerable share in this
anti-AIDS war, in co-operation with the youth movement
in Africa.
WFDY, with relief & pleasure, is taking note regarding
the recent signing of peace agreement between the
government of Sudan & its armed opponents. However, war
is still going on in the region of Darfour in the
western part of the Sudan. Hence, WFDY urges the world
to exert pressure on Sudan government to stop the
atrocities in Darfour committed by the pro-government
Janjaweed gangs, prevent Starvation among the displaced
in Darfour and press for negotiating settlement between
government and armed opposition in Darfour.
WFDY calls upon the international community and all the
peace loving forces, especially the international youth
movement to stand firmly behind the people of the
Western Sahara, and to provide every needed help and
support till the complete national liberation is
achieved, paving the way to the economical & social
liberation for the benefit of the Saharawi people. WFDY
supports the efforts to solve this problem, namely
demanding urgently the UN to organize free and fair
referendum for Western Sahara people decides their
future.
Recalling the WFDY Resolution concerning the
Border-Conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia for a
lasting peace between the two States and in the whole
region, WFDY reassures its standing point in demanding
the full implementation of the decisions of the Boundary
Commission based on the Algerian agreement. WFDY
Strongly condemns the terrorist activities that directed
towards destabilizing the Horn of Africa region,
especially Eritrea. We are calling upon the African
Union to exert every possible effort to observe peace,
security and stability in the Horn of Africa, and to
emphasize the bordering process between Eritrea and
Ethiopia, a process that is considered as a corner stone
for the peace in the region.
WFDY is very much aware of the challenges and
conspiracies faced by Zimbabwean people and country.
Hence, WFDY expresses its support and solidarity with
the Zimbabwean people to economically emancipate
themselves trough the land reform program against the
attacks and impositions of imperialism and
neocolonialism. WFDY therefore demands the immediate
lift of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and calls the
whole progressive international community to provide
maximum support to Zimbabwean people on their struggle.
WFDY strongly believes that the interference by the
British and American imperialism in the matters of
Zimbabwe and other countries in Africa is seriously
undermining the sovereignty of those nations and is
escalating the violation of human and national rights.
WFDY is observing with hope the political process in
Somalia that led to the establishment of the Somali
political institutions. We are calling upon the
international community to provide every possible
support for this process that may stop the bloody
conflict in the country & may lead to stability, peace &
security for the Somali people.
WFDY enhance its believe that the solution for the
problems of the peoples of African countries and the
achievement of social progress, democracy and peace
demands the immediate end of the interference of
imperialists potencies and the right of each people to
decide their own future.
The racist, anti-people policies of war, torture,
attacks on labor rights and the exacerbation of social
problems that the U.S. government pursues around the
world are an extension of the policy of profits before
people that they are pursue within the United States.
The billions of dollars being spent by the U.S.
government to wage war and push their imperialist agenda
around the world are being stolen from the youth and
people of the U.S. where the Bush government continues
to slash funding for social programs like education,
health care, housing and child nutrition programs. WFDY
welcomes the emergence of a broad, diverse and vibrant
peace and justice movement within the U.S. and the
participation of the youth of that country who
overwhelmingly came out in opposition to the Bush agenda
in the 2004 elections.
With all the contradictions and inter-imperialists
conflicts, the E.U. has had a clearly position aligned
with its imperialist interests and following the U.S.
policies, in which the European social democrats and
rightwing are driving forces of this process. We
underline that the imperialist role of E.U policies has
direct and indirect dangerous effects not only to the
peoples of E.U. countries but also to all the other
European countries and other nations in the world.
The E.U. continues to deepen its neo-liberal policies
against the youth, workers and peoples in favor of the
financial and economical profits of capitalist
interests, developing its militarization, building a
Euro Army and reinforcing the idea of a European
Fortress The E.U. policies are based on the
intensification of monopolist capitalism and
exploitation namely trough the improvement of the
liberalization processes, privatizations and destruction
of the public services whereas in the social sphere
further attacks on the welfare state with results like
the destruction of the productive capacities of the
poorer countries (agriculture, industry, trade,
fishing), external dependence and lost of sovereignty,
bigger social problems and gaps among the different
countries, worst conditions for the workers and the
peoples and special for the new generations, elimination
of the rights conquest by the workers and peoples by the
struggle, submission to the interests and strategy of
the imperialism.
The proposed “Constitutional Treaty of E.U.” is a
serious political offensive of capitalism, which aims to
guarantee and make deeper the reactionary orientation of
E.U. It is a threat for the rights of the youth and the
peoples and for the sovereignty of the countries. The
main idea of it is
walk faster to the federalist way suppressing
independence and sovereignty of the peoples,
to deepen the domain of the major potencies over the
other states, in prejudice of the till now basic
principles, such as equality between states, social,
territorial and economical cohesion, participation and
sharing in matter of power. This Treaty also
wants to consolidate the European Central Bank, the
Stability Pact, the privatization of the public
services, the leading role of the economical and
financial groups, etc. The principle of rejection of
this document by its form, contents and aims is the goal
we fight for.
The development of E.U. strategy has deepened with the
enlargement to more ten countries last year. A big part
of the new E.U. members are countries of Eastern Europe,
which are one of the main victims of the “new world
order” in Europe since they become a field of savage
competition, which undermines their independence.
Poverty, hunger, crime, human trafficking and political
instability are some of the main features of the
post-socialist era. But the real objective behind the
enlargement isn’t the economic and social improvement
and cohesion neither the cooperation nor solidarity
among the peoples. The real goal is to expand markets
and reach for more cheap manpower for the big employers
and the financial capital exploitation.
The resistance in each country against these neo-liberal
policies has been assumed highlight importance. The
youth of Europe have proved the opposition to these
policies with the participation in the mobilizations
against the governmental policies leading by the E.U.
decisions and the interests of the national capitals.
Many WFDY organizations were involved in the battle of
European Elections of June 2004, struggling against the
neo-liberal visions and policies of E.U. On this
framework we underline the importance of the
mobilizations that took place in Istanbul, Turkey by the
occasion of NATO summit, on June 2004 and the
respectively involvement of WFDY organizations on this
actions.
One year ago WFDY said that despite the efforts by the
international community and particularly by the United
Nations to reach a viable solution to the Cyprus
problem, the island remains divided as a result of the
intransigence of Turkey and the lack of will on behalf
of its western allies to exercise the necessary
political pressure on Turkey and that the second revised
plan by the Secretary-General of the UN for a
comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem should be
negotiated by the two sides in good faith, in order to
bring about the necessary changes, which will be for the
benefit of both the Communities, Greek and Turkish
Cypriots. The referendum that took place under certain
conditions in April 2004, which doesn’t fulfill all the
needs to solve the question didn’t constitute an advance
for the solution of Cyprus problem, namely due to the
intransigency of Turkey. WFDY still demands the
establishment of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal Cyprus,
based on the UN Charter and relevant resolutions and
international law.
This year is going to take place the biggest event
organized by the progressive and democratic youth and
students at present. The World Festival of Youth and
Students, initiated in 1947, is one of the richest
undertakings of the anti-imperialist youth and students
in terms of activities and the number of participation
and one of the main expressions of anti-imperialist,
anti-fascist and anti-colonialist struggles led by
youth.
The 16th edition of the Festival
is going to take place in Caracas, the capital city of
Venezuela, in August 2005 under the slogan For Peace and
Solidarity, We Struggle Against Imperialism and War!
The Festival reflects the diversity and richness of all
the expressions of the international youth and student
movements that are committed to the character and spirit
of the Festival, as well as their struggles and demands.
The Festival is also a space to exchange ideas and
experiences and provide a platform to coordinate our
efforts and intensify the struggles in our respective
countries. We strongly believe that the Festival is a
great moment to strengthen our efforts on the basis of a
common cause and interests to intensify the struggle
against imperialism. WFDY,
among many other progressive and democratic youth
structures and organizations, is doing all the efforts
to prepare and organize the Festival confident on its
success.
It’s not new that the World Festival of Youth and
Students has been a target of the reactionary forces,
which try to boycott and prejudice it. An expression of
these attacks is the counter festival, so called World
Youth Festival, which started in 1998 in Portugal, then
Panama in 2001 and latest in 2004 in Barcelona, Spain.
WFDY strongly believes that an essential task on the
fight against this offensive is the reaffirmation of the
history, principles, character, and characteristics of
the World Festival of Youth and Students as well as its
successful accomplishment.
Besides the Festival, 2005 is a year with others several
meaningful dates to be commemorated
closely connected with the youth reality, aspirations
and wills.
The 60th anniversary of the anti-fascist
victory of the peoples in the Second World War, the 60
years of the launching of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic
bombs and the 30th anniversary of the
people’s victory in the Vietnam War are very important
moments to reinforce our struggle against imperialism,
for peace and disarmament and fight the attempts to
blank and rewrite the history and forget the people’s
heroic resistance and conquests.
Capitalism and Imperialism cannot solve problems or
answer the interests and needs of the youth, instead
they increase the problems and seem to want a new
generation with no rights whatsoever. In this frame, it
is even more important the intensification of the fight
for the conquered youth rights. The anti-imperialist
struggle of youth and peoples for a new society, peace,
national sovereignty, democracy and international
cooperation is developing allover the world. The
reinforcement of the youth progressive and
anti-imperialist movements is extremely important for
the mobilization and elevation of the youth’s political
and social conscience.
WFDY as the responsibility to unify the progressive
youth forces on the basis of common cause and common
interests and accelerate it against imperialism. In this
context, the reinforcement of WFDY, and of its role and
intervention as a youth international, anti-imperialist,
left-wing organization, gathering organization from all
around the world connected to each country’s fights, and
being a space of co-operation, solidarity and trade of
information for the progressive youth forces, is a task
for all the Federation and the youth progressive
movement and a contribution for the fight’s development
and for the conquest of the youth rights. The
reinforcement of our organizations and its activities in
each country is the most important contribution to the
consequent reinforcement of WFDY. We must to keep
working hard to affirm its principles, positions and
actions. For this battle is
necessary that each one of our representatives, in each
country, in each town or place have the knowledge, the
ideas and the clear concepts of our fight with the goal
to increase our efforts and to reinforce and affirm the
aims and actions of WFDY.
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