In December 2018, the Democracy in Europe Movement led by Yanis Varoufakis, former minister of finance of Greece, and the Sanders Institute led by independent US Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders issued an open call for the progressive forces in the world to unite. This call gave birth to the Progressive International on the 11th of May. “There is a global struggle taking place of enormous consequence,” Progressive International said. “Nothing less than the future of the planet is at stake.”
This is a coalition of left-leaning intellectuals, activists, and political leaders from around the world with an interim council of which includes Noam Chomsky, Aruna Roy, Arundhati Roy, Harsh Mandar, Jean Drez, Sarika Sinha among others.
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From Latin America, political leaders such as the Ecuadorean ex-president Rafael Correa; former Brazilian presidential candidate Fernando Haddad; former Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim; Bolivian former Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera are part of the founding members.
The time has come for progressives everywhere to form a common front.
Join us today, and help us build the Progressive International — brick by brick, member by member, action by action. https://t.co/4KFoVA88rp pic.twitter.com/JeGVeynuLc
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) May 11, 2020
“Never before has international solidarity been more necessary—and more absent,” says General Coordinator of Progressive International, David Adler. ” Only a common international front can match the scale of our crises, reclaim our institutions, and defeat a rising authoritarian nationalism. That is why, we are launching the Progressive International, a global initiative with a mission to unite, organize, and mobilize progressive forces around the world.”
The activities of the initiative are divided amongst three pillars. The Movement pillar aims to connect, support, and mobilize activists across the globe and forge global networks that coordinate work across borders. Through toolkits and training, they bring the members together. The Blueprint pillar convenes activists, thinkers, and practitioners to develop principles and policy blueprints of a progressive international order. The Wire pillar is building a coalition of progressive media outlets to report grassroots stories and share perspectives from around the world.
They aspire for a world that is Decolonised, where all nations determine their collective destiny free from oppression, Solidaristic where the struggle of each is the struggle of all, Post-capitalist, that rewards all forms of labour while abolishing the cult of work, Plural, where the difference is celebrated as strength, Sustainable, that respects planetary boundaries and protects frontline communities, and Ecological, that brings human society into harmony with its habitat among other things.
Varoufakis told the Guardian Monday that a left coalition had “been urgent for quite a while now” and that he hoped the crises brought about by the coronavirus had not made the left “late to the party.”
“The stakes could not be higher,” says the Progressive International. “The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the urgent need for universal healthcare, worker protections, and international cooperation. Only a Progressive International can match the scale of these challenges and stand up for collective rights against those that would profit from fear, bigotry, and alienation.”
In September, the Council will meet for the inaugural Summit of the PI in Reykjavik, Iceland, hosted by the Prime Minister of Iceland and the Left-Green Movement, to analyze the challenges of the 21st century and consider proposals from the Progressive International membership.
Climate change. Inequality. Poverty. Pandemics.
PI Council member @GaelGarciaB knows: The only way to solve these global problems is through global solidarity.
Join us: https://t.co/gSzsiCiz51 pic.twitter.com/wgZJuBmRkP
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) May 11, 2020
“The ambitions of this initiative are undoubtedly high — no higher than the present crisis demands. But the Progressive International is only as powerful as its membership, and to reclaim the world after Covid-19, we will need a powerful movement of progressive forces. So join the Progressive International and work with us to build this common front.” said David Adler.
Visit Progressive International to become a member and to know more.
Great development. We shall overcome this crisis and create a new world order rooted in justice democracy and equality