WFDY POLITICAL REPORT of the General Council Meeting,
May 2006, Athens, Greece

Introduction

Since the last General Council Meeting, which took place on February 2005 in Hanoi, Vietnam, WFDY became stronger and richer in experiences in the contemporary struggle for the rights and needs of the youth, in facing the old and new challenges in various countries and regions, confronting imperialism and its policies, rallying broader forces around our member organizations in the respective countries.

For WFDY this period was of extraordinary importance, since it was linked with the preparations and the successful accomplishment of the biggest and broadest mass youth event organized by the progressive and democratic youth and students at present in worldwide level - the 16^th World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Caracas, Venezuela, in August 2005, under the motto “For Peace and Solidarity, We Struggle Against Imperialism and War!”. As 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, it gave us the opportunity to link and combine our struggles and initiatives worldwide, and to reflect them in the Festival, as the genuine expression of the aspirations of the progressive world youth. A separate report on the evaluation of the 16^th WFYS has been prepared for the purpose of discussing collectively this issue.

Last year, while commemorating the 60^th anniversary of the criminal bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, imperialism continued and continues showing its aggressive nature. But, it comforts us the fact that among the great experiences of the 20^th century, we also celebrate the anniversary of the anti-fascist people’s victory (marked by the WFDY campaign “Never again war, never again fascism – We continue the anti-imperialist struggle” that played an important role fighting the attempts to blank and rewrite the history and forget the people’s heroic resistance and conquests) and the founding of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, two events that are intimately linked and which embody an unshakable commitment to peace and solidarity and honor the memory of the millions of lives who have upheld these principles over the years, events that marked the beginning of profound social transformations, the process of decolonization and changes in the world’s balance of forces. As we invoke the glorious victory of the Vietnamese people over imperialism three decades ago, its subsequent economic and social achievements, our struggles and the experience we have accumulated, we are filled with hope and confidence that now, as at those times, we will overcome the difficulties and that the people shall emerge victorious.

Imperialist offense towards youth and people

While evaluating the present international situation we have two main trends that are confronting each other: on the one side, imperialism with its interventionist and war policies and, on the other the people who struggle for their inalienable rights. 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 the common capitalist/imperialist strategy and neo-liberal policies of international institutions that try to impose their economic and political order has developed under the name of the so-called “capitalist globalization”, an instrument of unprecedented exploitation and control of the peoples and national policies and resources by international capital. We must not ignore the responsibilities of the national States, national bourgeois classes that have their wills expressed by these international institutions. 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.

Imperialism undermines the conditions of education for the youth, encouraging the exclusion and desertion of formal education. Nowadays, 113 millions of children don’t go to school and 130 millions of young people are illiterate. Against its commercialization, we demand full access to public, free and quality education. Scientific and technological breakthroughs that should be considered the property of humanity are retained and restricted in their use by capitalism. The Internet continues to be inaccessible to the vast majority. For example, Sub-Saharan Africa has a mere 0,1% of the world’s internet connections, while it consists of 10% of the world’s population. We demand that science and technological breakthroughs be used to benefit of youth and peoples, instead of being used as one more way of profit. Access to basic services continues to be severely limited – two billion people around the world don’t have access to electricity. The development of the mass media and other information channels does not reflect a process of democratization with respect to access to and the production of information and culture. Most of the world’s information centers are in the hands of transnational companies, and the content of this information is determined by the class interests of the dominant ideology and against the interests of young people and students. In this global battle, the people’s counteroffensive cannot be waged exclusively on the economic field; it must also be fought at the ideological level, which is being used for the alienation and domination, especially of young people, mainly by creating false needs and promote individualism. Therefore, our educational and cultural efforts must be promoted by all possible means; these efforts have made much progress in recent years, and allow as reach more people day by day.

Nowadays, capitalism/imperialism, in deep crisis, are eliminating the majority of labor rights, especially those of young workers who suffer more the effects of unemployment. We fight for the right to jobs with rights. We support the organized struggle of young workers for the defense of the interests of all of the people by strengthening the trade union movement, against all new forms of exploitation before the intention to create a new, dehumanized generation that is deprived of rights of any type.

The people have an inalienable right to avail us of the planet’s wealth and resources and to use them - in a rational way, which does not harm the environment – in order to cover the urgent needs of the three quarters of the humanity. Imperialism uses wars, promotes internal conflicts and State terrorism as tools to seize our nations’ wealth. Currently, 40% of the world’s population does not have access to basic sanitary conditions. More than 1 billion people do not have access to reliable sources of drinkable water. Among them, five million people, mostly children, die each year as a result of diseases closely associated to this problem.

The gap between the richest and poorest sectors of the population grows wider. More than one billion people in the world live on less than one US dollar per day. Every three and a half seconds, another person dies of starving; the large majority of these people are children. Capitalism’s planetary scope also results in the uneven distribution of the world’s economic power. The 24 richest countries held 85% of the world’s riches. An unfair international division of work and the existence of “foreign debts” make countries in debt dependent on richer countries. The situation of so-called “underdeveloped countries” is the result of the relations of domination that capitalist centers impose on these nations. The perpetuation of these relations of dependency is vital to capitalism.

Ten million young people live with AIDS, mostly in Africa and Asia. Every year, around 3 million people die of malaria. We demand free and universal access to health care for the youth and the peoples, as the only way of guaranteeing the human right to health.

These alarming figures, published in the United Nations’ World Youth Report 2005, attest even more that we must fight against the causes of these harms. By bringing closer the overthrow of imperialism and exploitation, we are saving human lives.

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.

Africa Region

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 rights and 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 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.

Last year WFDY had received positively the note regarding the signing of peace agreement between the government of Sudan and its armed opponents. However one year has passed and the peace seems to continue far to be reached, namely in Darfour. We must strengthen efforts for peace and human rights in Sudan and support the current peace process.

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 and social liberation for the benefit of the Saharawi people. WFDY supports the efforts to solve this problem, and find a just lasting political solution, namely those done by U.N., including a free and fair referendum for Western Sahara people decides their future. We demand the retreat of Moroccan forces from Western Sahara and the release of Saharawi political prisoners.

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.

We have witnessed with great concern how our brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Ivory Coast, and Benin have wrestled with internal conflicts and war. We denounce the dictatorship and autocratic monarchy in Swaziland and support its people and their right to choose the kind of government they want to live under. We highlight the need to provide relevant institutional and political support for the attainment of peace and development in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea). We vigorously demand the total eradication and unconditional cancellation of the African debt.

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. The fight against the devastation of AIDS is held back and subverted by the denial of cheap access to medications, and failure to share research on the part of multinational pharmaceutical companies whose primary interests is not human life but profit. 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.

We follow with awareness the developments towards the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) as a tool and plan that might contribute to promoting common understanding, peace, political stability and development among African nations and solve common problems faced by their peoples.

The main root cause of the problems of young people in Africa has been the imperialist forces that parade themselves as saviors and lovers of this continent but have in fact plunged Africa into never ending warfare and internal conflict in attempts at retaining its rich natural resources. WFDY enhance once more 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. We urge young people around the world to step up their fight against imperialism and neo-colonialism, placing special emphasis on respect for the sovereign States and their right to decide and straighten out on their internal issues.

Asia & Pacific Region

The imperialist maneuvers against DPRK have been incessant. 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. Governments of U.S. and Japan have been carrying out the policy to force economical and military pressure to DPRK. We call upon the young people of the world to express their solidarity towards Korean youth for the reunification of its country under the principles of independence, peace, national unity and the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, denounce the presence of U.S troops under parallel 38 in addition to its permanent policy of destabilization in the region and demand the immediate end of the nuclear threats, blockade, hostile policies and attacks against DPRK.

We demand the immediate end of occupation, withdraw of all foreign troop form Afghanistan and defend the right of the Afghan people to decide their own destiny by their own. We congratulate the Nepalese youth, students and political parties for their victory in the struggle against the King’s dictatorial government and wish them all the success in their ongoing struggle to declare Nepal as a “Democratic Republic State”. As WFDY had shown its concern with the strong attempt of U.S. and its allies against Iran, putting this country as a possible next target for intends of the imperialist expansion and domination the life has proved it. We demand the return of all Bhutanese refuges to their country with respect and dignity. We express our solidarity towards the struggle of student, youth, and democratic movements in Myanmar, for democracy and against the military junta that continues to deny the verdict of the people in the last general election and the repressive actions undertaken against its people. We express support for Sri Lanka’s progressive movements struggle for national unity and against imperialist attempts at dividing the country and destabilizing the region. We call for Australia and New Zealand troops to withdraw from the Solomon Islands and East Timor once these military interventions are not motivated by humanitarian causes but to defend the interests of Australia and New Zealand in the region. We salute the Vietnamese youth and people in their struggle for national independence and socialism, at a time when the 60^th anniversary of the birth of their sovereign republic and the 30^th anniversary of the Vietnamese people’s victory in the war against US are celebrated, and we express our solidarity towards the Vietnamese victims of the U.S.’ Agent Orange / Dioxin in their struggle for justice.

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. The cases of DPRK and Iran are a clear example of this. We oppose to moves made by the US to impose sanctions and military actions against Iran.

Europe and North America Region

The racist, anti-people policies of war, torture, attacks on labor rights and the right to organize labor unions, 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 administration continues to slash funding for social programs like education, health care, housing and child nutrition programs. These attacks comply with recruitment aggressive force many U.S. youth into the imperialist U.S. Military.

Day by day it is more clear that despite 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. The people and youth of Europe, affected by the growing hegemony of the European Union, have a day by day strongly feel in their lives its true imperialist character, which also affects all young people around the world.

The E.U. continues to deepen its pro-capitalist neo-liberal policies against the youth, workers and peoples in favor of the financial and economical profits of capitalist interests, developing its militarization, building an 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.” was a serious political offensive of capitalism, which aims to guarantee and make deeper the reactionary orientation of E.U. It was a threat for the rights of the youth and the peoples and for the sovereignty of the countries with the main idea to 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 wished 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. In 2005 we affirmed that the principle of rejection of this document by its form, contents and aims was the goal we fight for. We congratulate the victory of the people against it in the referendum in France and Holland, which had stop from now this step. However we should be aware and prepared to develop the struggle against it because they will not give up and are preparing a new attempt to implement it.

Two years after the enlargement of the E.U., mainly to Eastern Europe countries, it is more clear that 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 the capitalistic reforms (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. Attesting that neo-liberalism is not the solution and that the people’s struggle is the way to transform the society and defend their rights we observed and extended deep solidarity to the Turkish people that fight for the non-entrance of its country into E.U. and to all French young workers and students that carried out a massive and valiant struggle for work with rights trough the recent protests against the CPE (Contrat Première Embauche – First Jobs Contract). The mass protests, manifestations and strikes that have been carried out have brought millions of youngsters to the streets.

We express our solidarity: towards the peoples of the Balkans, who for years have endured the consequences of war and the constant intervention of NATO and the E.U.; towards Cypriots, Greeks and Turkish Cypriots, in their struggle for reunification and we underline the urgent need to end the Turkish occupation and find a peaceful, viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem, based on bi-communal, bi-zonal federation, according to International Law and all relevant U.N. resolutions, acceptable to both communities; towards the parties, movements and militants that are facing persecution and restrictions, especially in Eastern Europe; towards the children, youth and people of former socialist countries, who, in recent years, have endured an alarming situation characterized by hunger, misery, unemployment, illiteracy, drug abuse, lack of essential medical services and the absence of democratic rights, all as a result of capitalist restoration. The continuing presence of British troops in Ireland is a direct barrier to further progressive development. We call for the full and immediate withdrawal of British troops from Ireland and Cyprus.

WFDY expresses its strong disgust, protests and deeply concerns towards the measures of Czech Republic Government to declare illegal our member organization in the country – KSM (Communist Youth Union). On identical level of offense it is the motion presented last January to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) entitled “Need for international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes” upon a report of its political committee. The content of this report constitutes a flagrant violation of every sense of democratic liberties and order and shows a practice of political revenge of capitalism, aiming to prevent the most progressive forces to act freely and to propagate their ideas and ideals. Further we had also observed with concerned the attacks of U.S. and E.U. against Belarus and its national sovereignty and rights to choose its won destiny.

This anti-democratic crusade is a clear violation of the most elementary rights and freedom of the citizens. To perpetuate this crusade everything is admissible for the capitalist ideological offense from comparisons of the progressive and peace-loving organizations of workers, youth and students with the terrorist actions or the heinous crimes carried out by the Nazi-fascism as it already has happened in Czech Republic and other countries. This anti-democratic operation aims to strike the progressive movements and the most elementary rights and freedom of the citizens by the implementation of the so-called “anti-terrorist legislation”, by the U.S. government and the E.U. The anticommunism has been raised throughout the world as a result of the growth of anti-imperialist forces.

We have launched an International Campaign for Democratic and Civil Rights and Liberties, which had started with a very successful Common Day of Action in Solidarity with KSM on 27^th February 2006 and we affirm that the action and the fight of the anti-imperialist, progressive and democratic youth movement, all over the world, won’t let any expression of the youth movement to be oppressed or silenced. We demand the respect for freedom and democracy, the ceasing of these political provocations and express its profound solidarity with the victims of this undemocratic and autocratic assault being convinced that the imperialist and capitalist forces will never stop the fight of the youth and the people for freedom.

Latin America & Caribbean Region

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. Bolivia is the most recent example of this situation.

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, it’s the clear demonstration of the high price that the peoples pay for their independence. Cuba continues to be an example of resistance and the upholding of principles, where the blockade and acts of aggressions crash against a dignified people, with which the new generations of young people and students around the world close ranks, demanding also the. We also maintain the demand to release of the 5 Cubans unjustly imprisoned by the U.S. government under psychological torture and prohibition total or partial of the visit of their relatives.

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. We express our active solidarity to the youth and people of Venezuela towards the Presidential electoral battle that is going to take place in coming months.

U.S. is now pushing for Free Trade Agreements (FTA’s) with several countries individually upon its defeat to the attempts at imposing the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas (FTAA) on Latin America and the powerful emergence of an alternative proposal trough the Agreement for the Bolivarian Alternative of the America (ALBA), based on principles of political, economical, social and cultural integration that 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. Similarly, we support initiatives like the Community of South American Nations.

The role played by the government of Uribe in Colombia is harmful for the region. The increase of U.S. interventionism in this country under the pretext of the war against drugs and terrorism only aims the maintenance of its control. Colombia demonstrates that it is not the name of a plan for imperialist domination but rather represents an essential road towards peace, to which young people and students are committed. WFDY opposes the U.S. interventionism in Colombia.

The situation in Central America, Andean region and Caribbean also deserves all our permanent attention as well as the struggle of indigenous peoples, peasants, workers and youth in several Latin American countries.

Middle East Region

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. We denounce imperialist attempts at changing the geopolitical map through the “Great Middle East Project”, which uses discretionary criteria to select the countries that, according to its interests, are proclaimed to be ruled by dictatorships and, therefore, require “democratic” change.

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 imperialist actions were aggravated with the well-known tortures of Iraqi people by the occupation forces. We denounce imperialism’s and its agents’ repressive policies in the region and demand the immediate release of all political prisoners. WFDY expresses its solidarity towards the people and youth of Iraq in their struggle and resistance against imperialist occupation forces, welcomes the democratic resistance efforts put up by the Iraqi people for the integrity of their country and a future where democratic rights, freedoms are respected. We demand the immediate withdrawal of U.S., British and all occupation forces and the preservation of Iraqi sovereignty and unity. 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 have 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. We observe with concern the standing of the recent elections in Israel won by the rightwing and its certain future effects towards the Palestinian cause. WFDY stands that the solidarity to Palestinian people should be unconditional despite whom they have elected in the last general election and condemn the suspension of the aid already imposed by U.S. and E.U. to the Palestinian National Authority. 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 and the immediate dismantling of the apartheid wall, which Israel is constructing in occupied territories of Palestine. 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.

We condemn imperialism’s meddling in Lebanese internal affairs and its attempts to provoke instability in the country and the region to target Syria, Palestine and Iraq, 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”. Although the long road of struggle ahead of the people to get real democracies we believe the only way is to have the democratization process coming from the free will of the people and their day by day struggle and not by any imperialist intervention which only aim is to exploit the people and the natural resources of the region. We demand the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from Syrian Golan heights and we express our strong solidarity with Syrian resistance against US imperialism and Zionist pressure. We also express our confidence that the struggle by Syrian and Lebanon patriotic and progressive forces will fail all imperialist conspiracies and plans to hegemony this region and shall be able to free all Arab occupied land including Lebanese Sheba farms.

WFDY congratulates the Algerian people and youth for the positive developments and the national reconciliation that has been carried out and expresses its solidarity with the people and youth of Morocco in their struggle for the liberation of Sebta y Melilla, occupied by Spain. As for the entire world we condemn the presence of U.S. military bases in the Gulf region, which can be easily used for their strategic positions on the hegemonic imperialist interests. We also demand justice for the victims of torture during the times of violation of human rights in Bahrain and we demand their material and moral compensation.

The people and youth resistance and struggle is the way!

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. Every day, the resistance against imperialism and capitalism gains more supporters before this evidence. Therefore, the local, national, regional and international, progressive, anti-neoliberal, anti-imperialist organizations, the youth in general, have increasingly mobilized themselves against warmongering machineries, against the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq; against imperialist plans to reorder the world and its attempts to change the geopolitical map to its own benefit; against imperialist meddling in the internal affairs of countries; against the alienating and interventionist policies of G-8, NATO, IMF, WB,  WTO,  E.U., FTA, FTAA; against debts and militarism; against military bases and intervention plans, such as Guantanamo and “Plan Colombia”; against the systematic use of torture and the violation of human rights with impunity. 

Despite imperialism’s ideological offensive, progressive and peace loving forces grow stronger and emerge again with more determination. The organization, awareness and mobilization of world youth and students have been on the rise. Wherever imperialism has intervened, encroaching on liberties and rights of the peoples, it has met with worthy resistance. The more it tries to encroach upon peoples’ independence, sovereignty and right to self-determination, the more forms of resistance the peoples find to oppose its interests. Thus, our first commitment has been and will always be with the people, with the young people and students that suffer the most as a result of imperialist policies. We are committed to and struggle for a world of peace, free from nuclear weapons; for a different socio-economic system that holds the human being as a center and main maker, a system based on social justice, national sovereignty, independence, self-determination, democracy, security, international solidarity and cooperation. We demand respect for and call for the defense of human rights, women’s rights, sexual and reproductive rights, sustainable development and the environment. We demand that everyone should have access to employment, labor rights, education, health care, sports, culture and technology.

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 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. Within this context it is essential the reinforcement of WFDY, as anti-imperialist, progressive, democratic and massive international youth organization that gather more than 150 organizations from more than 100 countries promotes the unity, cooperation, organized action, solidarity, exchange of information and experiences of struggle among the progressive youth forces, playing an indispensable role on the struggle against imperialism, fascism, colonialism, exploitation and war, for peace, independence and national sovereignty, internationalist solidarity, youth rights. By the ideals and values that represents, WFDY is an example for the anti-imperialist youth movement at world level, for its entire historical struggle and convictions. The reinforcement of our organizations and its activities in each country is the most important contribution to the consequent reinforcement of WFDY.

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