Runasur is constituted in Argentina under the slogan of a “plurinational, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist America”

Runasur, an organization that promotes the unity of native peoples, popular movements, women, youth, Afro-descendants, and trade unions, was officially constituted yesterday, Sunday, Nov.6, in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires, after two days of deliberations, under the slogan of promoting a “plurinational, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist America”.

The activity took place in the facilities of the Club Banco Nación located on the northern outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires, with the presence of delegates from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

“We are constituting a movement of the peoples, Runasur, with a very concrete proposal, which is the responsibility of constituting the plurinational America of the peoples for the peoples,” said the former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales (2006-2019), promoter of the proposal, on the closing day.

“This social, cultural, workers’ movement must be anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist,” emphasized the former president, to the applause of hundreds of delegates and representatives of native peoples, trade unions, social movements, and popular organizations.

Morales explained in an interview with Xinhua that Runasur, born on April 25, 2021, takes its name from the conjunction of the Quechua word “runa” (man) and Unasur (Union of South American Nations) to condense the idea of a Unasur of the peoples.

“Unasur is of the States. Runasur is of the people. Runa in Quechua says ‘person’ or ‘people’. As we lost several leftist presidents in South America, Unasur was paralyzed, and comes this deep feeling of the peoples, of the social forces, to continue with the policies of Unasur”, asserted the former Bolivian president.

Morales pointed out that the organization’s objective is “a plurinational America of the peoples and for the peoples. Enough of being told that Latin America is the ‘backyard’ of the United States or that Latin America is the neighborhood of the United States”.

He expressed that plurinationality “is the union in diversity to face the adversity left to us by the capitalist system. I am much more convinced, after being president, that cultural diversity is the wealth” of the region.

He added that “plurinationality is the unity of diversity, guaranteeing sovereignty, independence, dignity, freedom, identity, to face adversity”, in addition to questioning the United States for promoting a system of concentration of capital in few hands.

“As long as capitalism exists, the struggle continues because capitalism and imperialism bring injustice and inequality, and when they cannot dominate, win democratically, there come to the military interventions,” he emphasized.

“What democracy can the United States talk about, that the only thing it knows how to do is execute economic blockades to liberated countries, plan and invest in coups d’état or military interventions with military bases?” asked the former president.

During Sunday’s meeting, the work carried out the previous day by six commissions (Integration of the Peoples, Education, and Culture, Politics, Mother Earth, Economy, and Health) was read out, which agreed on the importance of the unity of the region to “confront imperialism and voracious capitalism”.

The documents highlighted the electoral victories of Gustavo Petro in Colombia and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil, in addition to rejecting the political persecution and criminalization of social leaders in the continent, as well as the economic blockades of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

They also referred to various proposals on health, economic, educational, and cultural matters, including a tribute to the 17th anniversary of the rejection by the governments and peoples of Latin America of the Free Trade Area project promoted by the United States.

The “Plurinational Assembly towards a Plurinational America”, which constituted Runasur, ended after the reading and signing of the “Declaration of Buenos Aires on the situation of Latin America and the Caribbean”.

The closing of the double day was in charge of the former Chancellor of Bolivia and current coordinator of Runasur, Fernando Huanacuni, who said, “a sacred commitment summons us. This is the value of the movement, of the historical resistance that has been bequeathed to us”.

“We are constituting Runasur as a process in the resistance of the popular movements”, said Huanacuni, to emphasize “times of change are coming, and when the people rise, nothing stops them”.

A similar event will be held next year with organizations from beyond the continent on the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, characterized by the interventionism and hegemony exercised by Washington over its southern neighbors.

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