ASSEMBLY OF CARIBBEAN PEOPLE
20-24 AUGUST, 2003
CARIBBEAN PEOPLE! LET’S BUILD
OUR SOVEREIGN CARIBBEAN!
Dear Caribbean Sisters and Brothers,
While gathered at the Sao
Paulo Forum in December in December 2001 in Havana, Cuba, the Regional Executive
Committee (REC) of the Assembly of Caribbean 
People
(ACP), which Committee is comprised of seven countries (Barbados, Cuba, Curacao,
Dominican Republic, Haiti, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago), met and elected
Haiti as the location for the holding of the Third ACP.
The Third Assembly will be held in Cap-Haitian from August 20th
–24th, 2003, with associated events of a
Caribbean Youth Forum on
August 19th and a Caribbean Women’s Forum on August 20th.
HAITI: SYMBOL OF FREEDOM!
The venue of Cap-Haitian and dates of August 20-24th 2003 commemorates:
v Two hundred and twelve (212) years since the general slave uprising (22-23 August 1791) in the Northern Plain of Haiti that launched the Haitian Revolution
v The Bicentennial of the first successful black revolution against slavery, which resulted in the Independence of Haiti on 1st January 1804.
Choosing Haiti therefore has a double significance: Solidarity with the Haitian people and reflecting on the relevance of the Haitian Revolution as a rupture in the world order of that time, in the context of the fight against neo-liberal globalisation today. The programme for the Third Assembly will enable participants to be a part of this historic bicentennial.
The Assembly of Caribbean People is a dynamic collective of Caribbean social movements and political organizations, farmers, working people, students and youth, artistes, intellectuals, NGOs and representatives of community organizations and women’s liberation movements. The Assembly creates a significant democratic space for dialogue on and the development of Caribbean struggles for social justice, peace, sovereignty and cultural identity.
The First Assembly took place in Trinidad and Tobago from the 17th –21st August, 1994 with the Theme of “Towards the Sovereignty of the Region and the Welfare of the People”. The Second Assembly was held in the Dominican Republic from the 19th to 22nd April 2001 on the theme “Globalising Solidarity and Integrating People”.
THE MAIN GOALS OF THE ASSEMBLY ARE:
v To unify, organize and strengthen Caribbean social movements.
v To promote a Caribbean identity based on mutual respect and rejection of foreign domination in all its forms.
v To defend the Caribbean against the threat of globalisation.
THE THIRD ASSEMBLY – AUGUST 20-24TH, 2003
The Theme of the Third Assembly is - “Let’s Build our Sovereign Caribbean: Just, Equitable, Equal, Peaceful”.
The Sub-Themes for the Third Assembly are:
1. The struggle against the Free Trade Area of the Americas and the construction of alternatives (Haiti and Cuba)
2. Power, ethics, democracy and colonialism (Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao)
3. Caribbean identities and popular culture (Martinique)
4. Social Movements in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic)
Youth and gender are cross cutting issues for all sub-themes
There will be a Working Paper prepared on each Sub-Theme, with the countries responsible for the papers identified in the brackets.
In addition a space has been created for specific sectors to meet.
v August 19th - Caribbean Youth Forum
v August 20th - Caribbean Women’s Forum
v August 21st - Caribbean Farmers
v August 20-24th - Fair and Exhibition of Caribbean Agriculture, Food, Music, Art, Literature, Handicraft – all are invited to bring items for display/sale
v Other meetings e.g. of workers and Indigenous Peoples can also be facilitated.
There will also be a meeting of the Grito de los Excluidos/as (Cry of the Excluded) a hemispheric grouping of social movements. This meeting takes place in the Haitian city of Cabo Haitiano on August 18-19. Those who are interested can contact the Organisers – Pedro Franco at the e-mail: cupconsejo@hotmail.com
The Regional Executive Committee and the Haitian National Committee invite all Caribbean people – in the Region and in the Diaspora – who are committed to the goals of the Assembly to gather in Cap-Haitien from August 20th –24th for the Third Assembly of Caribbean People!
We encourage the formation in each country of a National Preparatory Committee comprised of representatives all the various sectors of the social movement. The Regional Executive Committee has identified a process leading up to the Assembly and has prepared a guidelines document to this effect.
Haiti, the host country, has initiated an important organizational process with a National Assembly comprised of 74 organisations, movement, networks, representatives of diverse social sectors: women, young people, religious groups farmers, worker, students, professionals, etc. This is co-ordinated by a National Executive Committee comprised of 11 organisations and a Permanent Secretariat staffed by full time professionals. Haiti is preparing to welcome more than 600 participants!
There also exists a communication structure with a website which soon will be able to respond interactively to the applications coming from all the countries of the Caribbean and which should construct an instrument for dialogue and exchange in the preparation process for the third ACP.
David Abdulah
Member of the Regional Executive Committee
For Further Information and/or Assistance, Contact the Sub-Regional Secretariat - English Speaking Caribbean, Suriname and St. Maarten:
Ardene Sirjoo
C/o Communication Workers’ Union, 146 Henry St., Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. Tel: (868)624-1117; Fax: (868) 625-3308; e-mail: acphaiti2003@yahoo.co.uk
To contact the Permanent Secretariat in Haiti: Jowel Ernst Jean Pierre, PAPDA Office, #7 Rue Riviere, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Tel: &Fax: (509) 2444-4727
Email: Papda@papda.org, secapc@hotmail.com adm@papda.org, camille.sec-exe@papda.org
You may also visit the following web sites:
www.Movimientos.org/apcaribe OR www.owtu.org
ACCOMODATION: Dormitory-style housing will be provided for all delegates, with no cost attached. However, for persons desirous of independent accommodation, you will find the details for hotel and guesthouse options below. It is advisable that reservations are made as soon as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact the Haitian Secretariat for assistance in doing so.
v Hotels: Hotel Montjoli (3-4 star) Hotel Roi Christophe (3-4 star)
No. of Rooms: 45 No. of Rooms: 18
General Price range: US$55-80 General Price Range: US$45-55
Telephone: (509) 262-0300 Telephone: (509) 262-0414
Guest Houses: Pension Brise de Mer Hotel Beck
General Price: US$25 General Price: US$25
Telephone : (509) 262-0821 Telephone : (509) 262-1202
TRAVEL: SOME INITIAL OPTIONS
v For persons traveling from the Southern Caribbean, we propose the following options: Fly to Santo Domingo via BWIA. Travel from Santo Domingo to Santiago via bus (bus arrangements will be made by the Dominican Republic Committee). Fly from Santiago to Cap Haitien. OR Fly to Port-au-Prince via Curacao with the Dutch Caribbean Airline (DCA). Then travel from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien via airplane or bus (bus arrangements will be made by the Haitian Secretariat).
v For persons coming from Belize and Jamaica, we suggest the following: Belizean delegates to fly to Jamaica. From there both Belizean and Jamaican delegates fly to Port-au-Prince. Then travel from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien via airplane or bus (bus arrangements will be made by the Haitian Secretariat).
v For persons traveling from the North-Eastern Caribbean there are the following options: Fly to Santo Domingo via Puerto Rico. Then travel to Cap Haitien by bus. OR Fly to Jamaica, then to Port-au-Prince. Optional arrangements from here to Cap-Haitien are same as those stated for Belizean and Jamaican delegates.
v For persons traveling from the South-Eastern Caribbean we propose the following: Fly to Martinique. The fly from Martinique to Port-au-Prince via Air France. Then travel from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien via airplane or bus (bus arrangements will be made by the Haitian Secretariat). OR Fly to the Southern Caribbean. Then, use either of the travel options indicated for persons coming from the Southern Caribbean.
Should any other option arise, we will be sure to inform you.
v Persons from CARICOM countries do not require visas for entry into Haiti. However, a tourist card is needed for those going into the Dominican Republic. This can be purchased upon arrival at the airport in Santo Domingo. To be safe you can check your country’s Foreign Ministry.
v For those traveling by bus between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, there are border-crossing fees on either side! The total is approximately $50US traveling in and out of Haiti. The airport departure tax of Haiti is $30US. The airport departure tax of the Dominican Republic is $10US
Please note that we are in the process of negotiating airfares with the airlines we have identified thus far. Hence, it is crucial that feedback is received as soon as possible with respect to the option(s) you have chosen.
We look forward to communicating and working you in the near future in order to ensure the success of the Third (3rd) Assembly of Caribbean People!