Asia People and Social Movements Call to Action
June 14-15, 2004, Seoul, Korea

We, the Asia Social and Peoples Movements - trade unions, peasants, 
small farmers, women, consumers, students, migrant workers, urban poor, 
anti-war and anti-neoliberal globalization activists - have gathered 
here in Seoul, Korea to demonstrate against the World Economic Forum, 
neoliberal globalization and the war. Despite their blocking of 
information on the outcome of their meeting, we will continue to 
struggle against the WEF, which embodies neoliberal globalization.

For two days we shared, discussed and debated on issues such as food 
sovereignty, food safety, privatization of public services, labor 
flexiblization, war and militarism, feminization of poverty, trade 
liberalization, migrant labor, free trade agreements and the World Trade 
Organization. 
Based on our experience in Seoul both in action and discussion we have 
resolved to continue our struggles against corporate led globalization, 
militarism and war. We are also gathered here to strengthen our 
solidarity and discuss our strategies for our common struggles. 

The people of Asia, like all other people of the world, are suffering 
from the effects of militarism and global capitalism. This was 
heightened in 1997 when the full effects of neo-liberal policies swept 
across the region and since then our economies have been further 
restructured and liberalized at the expense of the people. The 
proliferation of FTAs further entrench the people in poverty. Poverty, 
unemployment and precarity is becoming even more widespread. Asia is 
also home to a number of military bases, which is crucial for the US to 
project power around the region -- in pursuit of its economic and 
strategic interests. And since the declaration of the so-called war on 
terror in 2001, US military intervention has increased in the region 
threatening peoples security. This US strategy of destabilization in the 
region can be seen all throughout, including here in the Korean 
peninsula where we are gathered. 

Neo-liberal globalization and militarism go hand-in-hand. We have 
identified the US occupation of Iraq and the WTO/FTAs as key sites of 
struggle, symbolizing the two faces of armed globalization . We will not 
stop struggling until the occupation of Iraq and Palestine have ended. 
We demand the withdrawal of US and other troops. We continue to pressure 
our governments to stop further deployment of Asian troops. We must also 
maintain our victory in Cancun by blocking the current negotiations on 
agriculture and not allow the EU and US to revive the WTO. Education, 
health, water, culture and all basic services are not for sale either 
though the WTO or FTAs. We will reclaim our rights from the so-called 
free trade system.
We therefore call on all peoples and social movements to join us in this 
plan of action:

June 30 The US will handover sovereignty to a puppet government in Iraq 
and attempt to legitimize its illegal occupation and we reiterate our 
demand to end the occupation in Iraq. We will join the global actions 
from June 26 to 30.

July 19-24 Global Week of Action for food sovereignty and block the 
current negotiations on agriculture in the WTO.

September 10 In commemoration of the death of Lee Kyung Hae on September 
10, International day of action will be held to attain food sovereignty 
and resist the WTO. 

WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong We commit to mobilize for the coming Hong 
Kong Ministerial in 2005. We will use this as a way to concretely 
strengthen our solidarity by mobilizing together for Hong Kong. We 
welcome the initiative of the Hong Kong committee to take the lead in 
planning and organising the actions and mobilisations. We will work with 
them in the coming months to realise this plan, taking advantage of the 
momentum we have gained from the successful mobilization in Seoul. We 
will mobilise not only in Hong Kong but in all our countries as a global 
expression of our opposition and strength. 

We are in solidarity with the resistance of the Iraqis and Palestinian 
peoples, the struggles of migrant workers and irregular and informal 
workers, trade unions, peasants, small farmers, urban poor and women. We 
are committed to coordinate our actions, broaden and strengthen our 
struggles in Asia. 

Globalise the hope! Globalise the struggle!