In 1994, Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro celebrated a historic first meeting in Havana. The two leaders spoke of Latin America’s second independence: a new era of integration and sovereignty.
Their words came full circle 10 years later, on #14Dec, 2004, with @ALBATCP’s creation.
Chávez and Fidel wrote a visionary document that became the foundation of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP). They stated 2 goals: sovereignty from US domination and Latin America's economic, political and cultural integration.
ALBA-TCP was the reason Washington’s neocolonial “free trade” ALCA treaty was buried in 2005, with the Peoples’ Trade Treaty (TCP in Spanish), based on complementarity, solidarity, and cooperation, added in 2006. The platform even has its own common regional currency: SUCRE.
In 2006, Bolivia joined ALBA-TCP with Evo Morales’ indigenous revolution helping shape the mechanism’s future. Nicaragua followed in 2007, with Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada also becoming members.
Misión Milagro is one of the most inspiring social programs borne from ALBA-TCP. Since 2004, over 3.6 million people regained their vision in Latin American and Caribbean nations. The integration platform upholds “universal access to equitable and affordable health systems.”
To advance regional social goals, Hugo Chávez proposed PetroCaribe in 2005, an ALBA-TCP program that provided Venezuelan oil to Caribbean countries with long-term payment plans or in exchange for goods/services. This helped boost development and energy sovereignty.
With Chávez declaring knowledge and consciousness as weapons to end inequality, ALBA adopted Cuba’s “Yo Sí Puedo” teaching program, with Venezuela (2005), Bolivia (2008) and Nicaragua (2009) eradicating illiteracy. Over 4.9M people have learned how to read and write in the region
ALBA-TCP set out to democratize global communications and create an alternative media that gave a voice to Latin American and Caribbean people. For this purpose, @teleSURtv was launched in 2005 to showcase the region's popular struggles and cultural diversity.
Chávez said ALBA “was born out of that first hug” with Fidel when the leaders met in 1994. Today, despite setbacks (US-backed coups+emboldened right-wing regimes) @ALBATCP celebrates its XX Summit in Cuba to uphold sovereignty, solidarity, complementarity, justice and cooperation
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