SELF-DETERMINATION ASSEMBLY OF PUERTO RICO

The emergence of the World Social Forum and its Statement of Principles at beginning of the 21st century provided a strategic perspective that contributed to contextualize the Puerto Rican “resistances” in the new period of neo-liberal regimes. Puerto Rican delegations were present at the 2005 World Forum in Porto Alegre and the first and second regional Social Forums of the Americas in Quito and in Caracas.

This experience became an inspiration to Puerto Ricans (2004, 2006). As a consequence the Puerto Rican people organized in 2006 the First Puerto Rican Social Forum. More than 3,000 people and 100 organizations gathered to explore alternatives to the social model that has been imposed on our nation, thus, enhancing the strategic importance of the Statement of Principle of the World Social Forum. This strategic perspective increased when the United States Social Forum (USSF) was organized and gave evidence of the strategic need to unite the struggles of oppressed communities and peoples within the United States (particularly Black, Latino, Asian/Pacific-Islander and Indigenous communities) to the struggles of oppressed nations in the Third World. The Puerto Rican nation is part of those communities within the Unites State’ and in the island. This resolution presents some of the action proposals that emerged within the Puerto Rican Social Forum. They expressed, in the form of a manifesto, and guided by the principles of the World Social Forum anti-colonial action guidelines to build a socio-economic and political system where there would be no exploitation or oppression. It wants to stimulate the creation of a radical form of democracy.