Topics

»  What’s new ?

 Calendar

 Documents

 Media

I. Preliminaries

This is only a preliminary draft - subject to group correction – of the Program and Methodology for the “First Citizens’ Assembly of the Southern Cone” in Iquique, Chile, on November 5 – 7, 2010. Based on it, the discussion process to promptly outline the final versions of the activities and methods which will guide the event is then started.

This draft is, in turn, the result of the Assembly’s multi-dimensional process which has been developing since 2007 in Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, as well as of the bulk of knowledge and collective reflections produced thus far.

Moreover, it also considers the fact that the Assembly in Iquique is both the closure of a first, prior stage and the opening or start of a new stage, full of proposals and really constructive on the Latin American Southern Cone sub regional level. This is necessarily a massive event, with at least 300 people - men and women – representing the four countries, from the vastest socio-professional diversity, of the various actions, experiences and reflections of the Assembly’s process in the three prior preparation years, which will have a still wider communicative impact. This is a meeting of great importance which presupposes a large essential logistic, pragmatic, methodological and communicative challenge.

The 300 participants will represent, at least, the following social and socio-professional actors: a) churches, religiosities and spiritualities; b) Human rights; c) Workers, unionists; d) Young people; e) Students; f) Cultural Activists; g) Mapuche, Quechua and Aymara natives; h) Women’s movements; i) Ecological Activists; j) Migrants; k) Alternative, local and popular mass media; l) Academics and intellectuals; m) Military and uniformed men; n) Authorities, mayors, parliamentarians.

Based on the permanent dialog between general coordinators and between each country, symbolic ceremonial elements and cultural manifestations associated to their own areas where the event will take place and which have been organically linked to the activities, lines of work and reflections, have been strongly added as part of the program and methodology.

In order to make the draft correction and enrichment process easier, detailed explanatory notes have been included.

II. Prior local management

Due to the event’s importance in terms of quality and quantity, and in order to assure its success, the coordinator in charge will make five previous trips, lasting at least three days each, to the area. A coordination and logistic team of people from Iquique will also be established in Iquique, and two local Assembly meetings will take place prior to the 2010 event :

a) Social and union movements for the introduction of a book about the Santa Maria School, in alliance with the local CUT (Central Unitaria de Trabajadores – Unitary Worker’s Central). The main result is the commitment to start a campaign towards the declaration of the Santa Maria School as a national historical monument and/or patrimony of humanity by UNESCO.

b) Human rights and student movements for a dialog on the significance of the concentration camp in Pisagua, in alliance with the local Students’ Federation. Its main result is the commitment to start a campaign to include Pisagua within the World Concentration Camp Network.

The following general actions will be carried out in preparation for the whole Assembly :

• Handing out of procedures and constant coordination in each country during the months prior to the Assembly.
• Spreading of information and announcement posters.
• Writing of documents and materials.
• Producing the Assembly’s iconography, canvas and banner.
• Forming the team in charge of promptly editing the book by Carlos Liberona.
• Forming a team per country in order to guarantee full participation and fulfillment of the event in Iquique.
• Carrying out a general coordination meeting with all of the coordinators from each country in July 2010 in Santiago.
• Organizing the logistics: housing, meals, transport, multimedia, etc., for the event in Iquique.
• Obtaining mass media coverage in the four countries for the event in Iquique.
  
  

III. Program and methodology

• The event will take place on Friday 5, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 of November, 2010 (The possibility to use facilities which are empty during the weekend, the best way to articulate participants’ free time, and the choice of a month before Christmas time, when people are busy and distracted and hotel fees and transport costs are higher, have all been taken into account)

• Participants will come by bus from Chile (from all regions, previously grouped in Santiago), Argentina (from all regions, previously grouped in Cordoba), Bolivia (from all regions, previously grouped in La Paz), and Peru (from all regions, previously grouped in Lima).

• During the bus trip (24 hour average), each delegation will carry out preliminary activities: planning meetings, video debates, cultural coexistence, etc., led by each coordinator, as preparation for the Assembly in Iquique. Each bus will also have a doctor (an agreement will be signed with the Association of Doctors graduated in Cuba, living in the four countries).

• On Thursday November 4, everyone should have arrived in Iquique and will group in previously specified locations, organized by country and under the responsibility of a team coordinator who will act as link with the general coordination.

• A smaller number of participants from all four countries - academics and elders – will travel by plane and settle in hotels.

• The same will be true for international guests: ideally, there will be at least one representative from the Asian, Oceania, Sahel-Saharan and Mediterranean sister Assemblies and a representative of the World Concentration Camp Network in Europe. They will take part in the debate through those comrades who can act as translators (basically, Spanish / English and/or French).
  
  

  Timetable for all three days:

• • a) Breakfast: 9:00 – 10:00 Hrs.
  • b) Morning session: 10:00 – 14:00 Hrs. (with coffee breaks every two hours)
  • c) Lunch: 14:00 – 15:30 Hrs.
  • d) Afternoon session: 15:45 – 19:00 Hrs.
  • e) Dinner: 20:00 Hrs.

• On the first day, Friday November 5, the program and methodology will be as follows:

• • a) Breakfast.
  • b) Bus departure to Pisagua.
  • c) Assembly opening at the Pisagua theatre: programs, materials, methodologies and inaugural interventions will be delivered.
  • d) Lunch.
  • e) Tour of the concentration camp.
  • f) Parallel activities: 1. Football mini championship (one team per country and one Pisagua team), 2. Production of murals related to Human Rights, 3. Serigraphy workshop, 4. Round table on concentration camps: Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and a representative of the World Concentration Camp Network from Europe.
  • g) Closing speech. Launching of a campaign to include Pisagua in the World Concentration Camp Network.
  • h) Return.
  • i) Dinner.
    
    

• The second day, Saturday November 6, will be developed at the Santa Maria School, and the program and methodology will be as follows:

• • a) Breakfast.
  • b) Explanatory plenary on the methodology.
  • c) Thematic workshops: towards a Carte of Responsibilities.
  • d) Coffee Break.
  • e) Plenary to present the conclusions from each thematic axis.
  • f) Forming of a commission, with a representative from each thematic axis, in order to draft a common Carte of Southern Cone Citizens’ Responsibilities, to be introduced during the plenary session the next day.
  • g) Lunch.
  • h) Bus departure and tour of the saltpetre towns.
  • i) Return.
  • j) Dinner.
    
    

• The third day, Sunday November 7, will be developed at the Santa Maria School, and the program and methodology will be as follows:

• • a) Breakfast.
  • b) Explanatory plenary on methodology.
  • c) Plenary discussion of the Carte of Southern Cone Citizens’ Responsibilities draft.
  • d) Coffee break.
  • e) Carte of Southern Cone Citizens’ Responsibilities approval, incorporating previous discussions.
  • f) Lunch.
  • g) Bus departure to the seaside.
  • h) Signing of a Peoples’ Treaty for a peaceful and supportive solution of the pending issues between Southern Cone countries.
  • i) Indigenous praying ceremony for peace and fraternalism among people.
  • j) Return to Santa Maria School. Launching of a campaign to declare the Santa Maria School national historical monument. Unveiling of the mural in honor of Carlos Liberona and public presentation of his book.
  • k) Closing speech.
    
    

By Monday November 8 at 10:00 hrs all delegations will have to have checked out and formally returned to their places of origin.

As a result, there will be a Carte of Southern Cone Citizens’ Responsibilities (and minutes of the event’s process).