Adopted by the XVIII Congress, Stockholm, June 1989
I. Global Change and Future Prospects
1. The idea of Socialism has caught the imagination of
people across the world, promoted successful political
movements, decisively improved the lives of working men and
women, and contributed to shaping the 20th century.
However, justified satisfaction about the realisation
of many of our goals should not prevent us from clearly
recognising present dangers and problems. We are aware that essential
tasks still lie ahead which we can master only through common
action, since human survival increasingly depends upon the
joint efforts of people around the world.
2. Current economic, technological, political and
social changes reflect a profound transformation of our world.
The fundamental issue we now face is not whether there will be
change in future years, but rather who is going to control it and how.
The socialist answer is unequivocal. It is the people of the
world who should exercise control by means of a more advanced
democracy in all aspects of life: political, social, and
economic. Political democracy, for socialists, is the necessary
framework and precondition for other rights and liberties.
3. All the peoples of the world should be involved in
the process of transforming our societies and promoting new
hope for humankind. The Socialist International calls on all
men and women committed to peace and progress to work together
in order to translate this hope into reality.
4. The challenge of global change opens up enormous possibilities:
- The internationalisation of the economy and
wide-spread access to information and new technologies can, if
brought under democratic control, provide a basis for a world
society better suited to cooperation. It is obvious that a world family
is no longer a utopian dream, but, increasingly, a practical
necessity.
- The technological revolution can and should be used
to preserve the environment, create new employment and provide
the means to liberate people from routine work rather than
ruthlessly impose unwanted idleness.
- On the basis of suitable and humane democratic
structures, freedom, equality, security and prosperity can be
achieved within the framework of a democratic world society.
5. However, many current trends also give rise to unprecedented threats:
- Proliferation of the technologies of destruction
promote a precarious balance of terror where there are
inadequate guarantees for the security of humankind.
- The physical conditions for life on the planet are
threatened by an uncontrolled urban and industrial expansion,
the degradation of the biosphere, and the irrational exploitation
of vital resources.
- Hunger, famine and death threaten whole regions and
communities in the South, even though the world has enough
natural and technical resources to feed itself.
6. This transformation of social and economic
structures is at least as dramatic and far-reaching as the
transition from laissez-faire to the corporate capitalism and
colonialism of pre-World War I days. The social cost of these
transformations - unemployment, regional decline, destruction
of communities - has affected not only the very poor but also
working people in general.
7. The rapid process of internationalisation and
interdependence in the world economy has given rise to contradictions
within existing political, social and national institutions. This
growing gap between an international economy and inadequate
international political structures has been a contributory
factor to the poverty and underdevelopment of the South, as
well as to mass unemployment and new forms of poverty in many
areas of the North.
8. Real progress has been made since World War II in
vital areas such as decolonisation, the growth of the Welfare
State and, more recently, disarmament, where the first hopeful
steps have been taken. However, age-old injustices remain. Human
rights are still violated, racial and sex discrimination are rife, and
individual opportunities in life are still determined by the
region and class in which people are born.
9. Faced with such crucial issues, the Socialist
International reaffirms its fundamental beliefs. It is
committed, as ever, to the democratisation on a global scale of
economic, social and political power structures. The same principles
and political commitments which socialism has always held have
to be attained in a world that has changed radically since the
Frankfurt Declaration of 1951.
10. The Socialist International was founded a hundred
years ago in order to coordinate the worldwide struggle of
democratic socialist movements for social justice, human dignity and
democracy. It brought together parties and organisations from
different traditions which shared a common goal: democratic
socialism. Throughout their history, socialist, social
democratic and labour parties have stood for the same values
and principles.
11. Today the Socialist International combines its
traditional struggle for freedom, justice and solidarity with a
deep commitment to peace, the protection of the environment, and
the development of the South. All these issues require common
answers. To this end, the Socialist International seeks the
support of all those who share its values and commitment.
II. Principles
Freedom, Justice and Solidarity
12. Democratic socialism is an international movement
for freedom, social justice and solidarity. Its goal is to
achieve a peaceful world where these basic values can be
enhanced and where each individual can live a meaningful life with the
full development of his or her personality and talents and with
the guarantee of human and civil rights in a democratic
framework of society.
13. Freedom is the product of both individual and
cooperative efforts - the two aspects are parts of a single
process. Each person has the right to be free of political
coercion and also to the greatest chance to act in pursuit of individual
goals and to fulfil personal potential. But that is only
possible if humanity as a whole succeeds in its long-standing
struggle to master its history and to ensure that no person,
class, sex, religion or race becomes the servant of another.
14. Justice and Equality. Justice means the end of all
discrimination against individuals, and the equality of rights
and opportunities. It demands compensation for physical,
mental and social inequalities, and freedom from dependence on either
the owners of the means of production or the holders of political
power.
Equality is the expression of the equal value of all
human beings and the precondition for the free development of
the human personality. Basic economic, social and cultural
equality is essential for individual diversity and social progress.
Freedom and equality are not contradictory. Equality
is the condition for the development of individual personality.
Equality and personal freedom are indivisible.
15. Solidarity is all-encompassing and global. It is
the practical expression of common humanity and of the sense of
compassion with the victims of injustice. Solidarity is rightly
stressed and celebrated by all major humanist traditions. In the
present era of unprecedented interdependence between
individuals and nations, solidarity gains an enhanced
significance since it is imperative for human survival.
16. Democratic socialists attach equal importance to
these fundamental principles. They are interdependent. Each is a
prerequisite of the other. As opposed to this position, Liberals
and Conservatives have placed the main emphasis on individual liberty
at the expense of justice and solidarity while Communists have
claimed to achieve equality and solidarity, but at the expense
of freedom.
Democracy and Human Rights
17. The idea of democracy is based on the principles
of freedom and equality. Therefore, equal rights for men and
women - not only in theory, but also in practice, at work, in
the family and in all areas of social life - are part of the socialist
concept of society.
18. Democratic socialists strive to achieve equal
rights for all races, ethnic groups, nations and denominations.
These rights are seriously in question in many regions of the
world today.
19. Forms of democracy of course may vary. However, it
is only possible to speak of democracy if people have a free
choice between various political alternatives in the framework
of free elections; if there is a possibility for a change of
government by peaceful means based on the free will of the people; if
individual and minority rights are guaranteed; and, if there is
an independent judicial system based on the rule of law
impartially applied to all citizens. Political democracy is an
indispensable element of a socialist society. Democratic
socialism is a continuing process of social and economic democratisation
and of increasing social justice.
20. Individual rights are fundamental to the values of
socialism. Democracy and human rights are also the substance
of popular power, and the indispensable mechanism whereby
people can control the economic structures which have so long dominated
them. Without democracy, social policies cannot disguise the
dictatorial character of a government.
21. There can be no doubt that different cultures will
develop their own institutional forms of democracy. But
whatever form democracy assumes - nationally or internationally
- it must provide full rights for individuals and for organised
minority opinions. For socialists, democracy is of its very
nature pluralist, and this pluralism provides the best
guarantee of its vitality and creativity.
22. Freedom from arbitrary and dictatorial government
is essential. It constitutes the precondition whereby peoples
and societies can create a new and better world of peace and
international cooperation - a world in which political, economic and
social destinies will be democratically determined.
The Nature of Socialism
23. Democratic socialists have arrived at the
definition of these values in many different ways. They
originate in the labour movement, popular liberation movements, cultural
traditions of mutual assistance, and communal solidarity in
many parts of the world. They have also gained from the various
humanist traditions of the world.
But although there are differences in their cultures
and ideologies, all socialists are united in their vision of a
peaceful and democratic world society combining freedom, justice
and solidarity.
24. The national struggles for democratic socialism in
the years to come will show differences in policy and
divergences on legislative provisions. These will reflect different
histories and the pluralism of varied societies. Socialists do not
claim to possess the blueprint for some final and fixed society
which cannot be changed, reformed or further developed. In a
movement committed to democratic self-determination there will
always be room for creativity since each people and every
generation must set its own goals.
25. In addition to the principles which guide all
democratic socialists, there is a clear consensus among
socialists on fundamental values. Despite all diversity, it is common
ground that democracy and human rights are not simply political
means to socialist ends but the very substance of those ends - a
democratic economy and society.
26. Individual freedom and basic rights in society are
the preconditions of human dignity for all. These rights
cannot replace one another, nor can they be played off against
each other. Socialists protect the inalienable right to life and to
physical safety, to freedom of belief and free expression of
opinion, to freedom of association and to protection from
torture and degradation. Socialists are committed to achieve
freedom from hunger and want, genuine social security, and the
right to work.
27. Democratic socialism also means cultural
democracy. There must be equal rights and opportunities for the
different cultures within each society as well as equal access
for everyone to the national and global cultural heritage.
III. Peace
Peace - A Basic Value
28. Peace is the precondition of all our hopes. It is a
basic value of common interest to all political systems and
necessary for human society. War destroys human life and the
basis for social development. A nuclear holocaust could spell the end
of human life as we know it.
29. A lasting peace cannot be guaranteed through
nuclear deterrence nor through an arms race with conventional
forces. Therefore disarmament and new models of common security
are imperative.
30. What is now essential is the achievement, not
merely of military stability at the lowest possible level of
defensive weapon systems, but also a climate of mutual political
confidence. This can be developed through cooperation on projects for
our common future and a new emphasis on peaceful competition
between societies with different political, economic and social
structures.
31. Peace is more than the absence of war. It cannot
be based on fear or on ephemeral goodwill between the
Superpowers. The fundamental economic and social causes of international
conflict must be abolished by the achievement of global
justice and by the creation of new institutions for the
peaceful resolution of conflicts around the world.
32. The establishment of a New International Economic
and Political Order is an essential contribution to peace. This
should involve respect for national sovereignty and the right
to national self-government, negotiated settlement of conflict,
and suspension of arms supplies to the parties in conflict. There must
be both global and regional systems for cooperation and
peaceful conflict resolution in all parts of the world. These
could be brought about through the action of the UN,
complementing agreements between the Superpowers.
33. Peace is equally a necessity within nations.
Violent ways of handling conflicts destroy opportunities for
development and human rights. Education for peace and disarmament
must be intensified.
34. The militarisation of relations between nations of
the South has become a serious threat to the future of
humanity, as are the tensions between East and West. In some
cases the major powers, with their tendency to globalise conflict,
have engaged in proxy struggles in countries of the South. In
others, the arms merchants of both East and West have
contributed to raising the level of violence in the South as
they sought political advantage or profit. It is undeniable
that every war in the past four decades has been fought in
those regions of the world. Social, economic and other causes of
conflict in the South must be eliminated.
Initiatives for Peace
35. Democratic socialists reject a world order in
which there is an armed peace between East and West but
constant bloodshed in developing countries. Peacekeeping efforts
must focus upon putting an end to these confrontations. Europe has a
unique role in this process. For decades it has been the most
likely battlefield for armed conflict between East and West.
Europe can now become the area in which a new climate of mutual
trust and restraint can develop and grow.
36. Initiatives for peace require that different
socio-economic systems and nations cooperate with one another
on projects for confidence building and disarmament, justice in
the South and protection of the planet's biosphere. At the same time,
they should engage in peaceful competition in the fields of
wealth creation, welfare and solidarity. Societies should be
prepared to learn from one another. It must become the norm for
the different systems to trade, negotiate and work together.
There should also be a place for frank and open exchange of
views, in particular where issues of human rights and peace are at
stake.
37. East-West cooperation in the common struggle to
close the gap between North and South and for the protection of
the environment are perhaps the areas of greatest potential
for fruitful action to build human solidarity regardless of frontiers
and blocs.
IV. North and South
Globalisation
38. Recent decades have been characterised by an
accelerating internationalisation of world affairs, or
globalisation. Oil shocks, exchange rate fluctuations and stock market
crashes are directly transmitted between the world's economies,
North and South. New information technologies disseminate a
mass culture to every corner of the world. Financial decisions
by multinational corporations can have far-reaching effects
overnight. National and international conflicts are generating
huge and growing refugee movements of continental and intercontinental
dimensions.
39. Further, globalisation of the international
economy has shattered the bipolar division of the world which
dominated the era of the Cold War. New industrial powers have
emerged in the Pacific rim and, until recent setbacks, the rapidly
developing Latin American nations. There are also new
international forces such as China and the Non-Aligned
Movement. Interdependence is a reality. It is more important
than ever to establish multilateral institutions with a more
equal role for the South under the aegis of the UN.
40. At a global level, economic crisis and
conservative deflationary policies have brought the return of
mass unemployment to many of the advanced economies. They have also
had a destructive effect on poor countries. They have wiped out
export markets, sharpened the debt crisis and undone progress
already made. At the same time, such regress in the South,
combined with the necessity to service enormous debts, closed
huge potential markets to the North. Thus the declining living
standards of the debtor nations became a factor promoting
unemployment in the creditor nations.
41. A transformed global economy must involve the
growth centres of the South in a radically new way if it is to
advance the development of either South or North. Programmes to
stimulate economic and social development in the South can and must
become a vehicle for stimulating the world economy as a whole.
Such issues must feature as integral parts of global
macro-economic strategies.
42. In Africa, the continuation of the apartheid
regime in South Africa is not only a crime against the majority
of the people of that nation but has subverted the economic efforts
of the Front Line States and had a negative impact throughout the
entire continent. There, as elsewhere, the fight for human
rights and democracy goes hand in hand with the battle for
economic and social justice.
43. Africa and Latin America are in particular faced
with an intolerable debt problem which precludes the
investments and imports which are needed to ensure development and
provide jobs for rapidly growing populations. Global action to
alleviate the debt burden is a precondition for progress. It
must be a central goal of East-West cooperation in the common
search for North-South justice.
The Environmental Challenge
44. A critical and fundamental challenge of worldwide
dimensions is the crisis of the environment. ln both the North
and the South, the ecological balance is jeopardised. Every
year, animal and plant species are being exterminated while there is
increasing evidence of a depletion of the ozone layer. In the
North, irresponsible industrialism destroys forest areas; in
the South, the rain forests which are vital to the survival of
the whole world are shrinking with alarming speed. In the rich
countries, soil pollution is increasing. In the poor countries,
deserts are encroaching upon civilisation. Everywhere clean
water is in short supply.
45. Since environmental destruction extends across
national frontiers, environmental protection must be international.
It is, above all, a question of maintaining the relations between
natural cycles, since ecological protection is always more
economical and more responsible than environmental renovation.
The best and cheapest solutions to the crisis are those that
change the basic framework of production and consumption so
that environmental damage does not occur in the first place.
46. We advocate joint international efforts to replace
all environmentally damaging products and processes by
alternatives which enhance nature. The transfer of technology from
North to South must not be allowed to become a matter of exporting
ecologically unacceptable systems, or the toxic wastes of rich
economies. Renewable energy sources and decentralised supply
structures should be encouraged in both North and South.
Moreover, there must be an international early warning system
to identify environmental threats and catastrophes which cross
national frontiers.
47. These environmental problems affect the whole
world community as well as doing harm to the developing
countries. Without multilateral assistance and cooperation, poor nations
cannot solve them. For these reasons it is crucial to achieve a
substantial transfer of resources through development aid.
48. Such policies are compatible with qualitative
economic growth, in the North and South, in order to meet the
social and economic responsibilities of the future. Social investment
in ecological reconstruction - which many experts count as an
expenditure without benefits and which is not computed as part
of the Gross National Product - is one of the most positive
investments a society can possibly make.
Social Control of Technological Development
49. The technological revolution which has already
begun in the advanced industrial economies will profoundly
change the conditions of the environment and resource management within
the life-time of the present generation. Moreover, the impact
of this change will be experienced worldwide.
Micro-electronics, robotics, weapons technology,
bio-engineering - plus innovations which are not yet dreamed of
- will transform the circumstances of both individuals and the
structures of society in the world as a whole.
50. Technology is not simply a matter of objective
science or inanimate machines. It is always guided by
particular interests and designed according to human values, whether
implicit or explicit. It has to be brought under social control in
order to use the positive opportunities offered by new
technologies for humankind, to minimise the risks and the
dangers of uncontrolled developments and to prevent socially
unacceptable technologies.
51. Social progress requires, and inspires,
technological progress. What is needed is technology appropriate
to the different conditions, experiences and levels of development
prevailing in the North and in the South. There must be a
substantial transfer of suitable technology - and of basic
technological know-how - between North and South. The North has
much to learn from the experience of the South, especially its
use of low-waste technologies. There should be social dialogue,
and democratic political control of the context in which new
technologies are introduced. This should ensure that their
availability:
- contributes to autonomous development in the
countries of the South, mobilising their resources rather than
wasting them, and creating new jobs rather than increasing
unemployment;
- humanises labour, promotes human health, and enhances safety in the workplace;
- facilitates economic rights and increases the scope for popular decision-making in working life.
52. In order to ensure that these standards are met
throughout the world there must be institutions and procedures
for assessment of technology. Innovation should be introduced
in accordance with social needs and priorities as expressed through
democratic debate and decision-making.
53. Manipulation of human genetic material and
exploitation of women through new reproductive technologies
must be prevented. Likewise ways must be found to protect humanity from
nuclear danger and chemical risk.
Disarmament and Development
54. Disarmament agreements between the Superpowers
will do more than remove the threat of annihilation from the
planet. With such agreements in place, many of the resources
now wasted on thermonuclear, chemical, biological and conventional
weapons could be released for investment in economic and social
development programmes in the South. Disarmament between the
East and West should be linked with programmes for justice
between the North and South.
55. A proportion of the substantial funds which the
highly industrialised countries of the West and the East would
save as a result of negotiated disarmament should be utilised to
create a multinational fund to promote a secure and sustainable
development in the countries of the South.
V. Shaping the Twenty- First Century
Political and Economic Democracy
56. Recent events have made the achievement of
political, economic and social democracy on a world scale more
feasible than ever before. Democracy represents the prime means
for popular control and humanisation of the otherwise uncontrolled
forces which are re-shaping our planet without regard for its
survival.
57. Human rights include economic and social rights;
the right to form trade unions and to strike; the right to
social security and welfare for all, including the protection of mothers
and children; the right to education, training and leisure;
the right to decent housing in a liveable environment, and the
right to economic security. Crucially, there is the right to
both full and useful employment in an adequately rewarded job.
Unemployment undermines human dignity, threatens social
stability and wastes the world's most valuable resource.
58. Economic rights must not be considered as benefits
paid to passive individuals lacking in initiative, but as a
necessary base from which to secure the active participation of
all citizens in a project for society. This is not a matter of
subsidising those on the fringe of society, but of creating the
conditions for an integrated society with social welfare for
all people.
59. Democratic socialism today is based on the same
values on which it was founded. But they must be formulated
critically, both assimilating past experience and looking ahead
to the future. For instance, experience has shown that while
nationalisation in some circumstances may be necessary, it is
not by itself a sovereign remedy for social ills. Likewise,
economic growth can often be destructive and divisive,
especially where private interests evade their social and
ecological responsibility. Neither private nor State ownership by
themselves guarantee either economic efficiency or social
justice.
60. The democratic socialist movement continues to
advocate both socialisation and public property within the
framework of a mixed economy. It is clear that the internationalisation
of the economy and the global technological revolution make
democratic control more important than ever. But social control
of the economy is a goal that can be achieved through a wide
range of economic means according to time and place, including:
- democratic, participative and decentralised
production policies; public supervision of investment;
protection of the public and social interest; and socialisation of the
costs and benefits of economic change;
- worker participation and joint decision-making at
company and workplace level as well as union involvement in the
determination of national economic policy;
- self-managed cooperatives of workers and farmers;
- public enterprises, with democratic forms of control
and decision-making where this is necessary to enable
governments to realise social and economic priorities;
- democratisation of the institutions of the world
financial and economic system to allow full participation by
all countries;
- international control and monitoring of the
activities of transnational corporations, including
cross-frontier trade union rights within such corporations.
61. There is no single or fixed model for economic
democracy and there is room for bold experimentation in
different countries. But the underlying principle is clear - not simply
formal, legal control by the State, but substantial involvement
by workers themselves and by their communities in economic
decision-making. This principle must apply both nationally and
internationally.
62. In societies structured in this fashion, and
committed to genuine economic and social equality, markets can
and must function as a dynamic way of promoting innovation and
signalling the desires of consumers through the economy as a whole.
Markets should not be dominated by big business power, and
manipulated by misinformation.
63. The concentration of economic power in few private
hands must be replaced by a different order in which each
person is entitled - as citizen, consumer or wage-earner - to influence
the direction and distribution of production, the shaping of
the means of production, and the conditions of working life.
This will come about by involvement of the citizen in economic
policies, by guaranteeing wage earners an influence in their
workplace, by fostering open and accountable competition both
domestically and internationally and by strengthening the
position of consumers relative to producers.
64. A democratic society must compensate for the
defects of even the most responsible market systems. Government
must not function simply as the repair shop for the damage
brought about by market inadequacies or the uncontrolled application of
new technologies. Rather the State must regulate the market in
the interests of the people and obtain for all workers the
benefits of technology, both in work experience and through the
growth of leisure time and meaningful possibilities for
individual development.
Culture and Society
65. Education is crucial for the development of a
modern, democratic and tolerant society. The goals of education
which we advocate, are:
- information, learning and knowledge;
- the passing of a spiritual and cultural heritage from generation to generation;
- the preparation of the individual for life within society on the basis of equal opportunity for all;
- helping each individual to develop his full personal potential.
66. The values of freedom, social justice, solidarity
and tolerance must be central messages in the process of
education.
We advocate tolerance and cooperation between
different groups in multicultural societies. Cultural diversity
enriches rather than endangers our societies. Cultural uniformity
is a threat to freedom and democracy.
67. Special attention must be given to the relations
between different generations. Elderly people in particular
need the respect and support of the young. They need a guaranteed
income through social security and public pension, homes and nursing
in the community, room for cultural and social activities, and
the right to live their old age in dignity.
The Role of Men and Women in Modern Society
68. Inequality between men and women is the most
pervasive form of oppression in human history. It may be traced
almost to the origin of the species itself and has persisted
in almost every socio-economic order to the present time.
69. Recent years have seen a new surge of feminist
consciousness, both within and outside the socialist movement,
leading to the emergence of one of the most important social
movements of our time. In part, the renewal of feminism occurred as the
women of the most advanced welfare States came to realise that,
despite the progress made in many fields, they were still
often relegated to subordinate positions in occupational and
political structures.
70. The social costs of economic crises, at national
and international levels, have been borne to a disproportionate
degree by women. Poverty, unemployment, homelessness and low-wage
exploitation have all contributed to this effect. In some areas
of the South, the overcoming of patriarchal attitudes is a
fundamental precondition for both the vindication of the rights
of women and the achievement of sustainable economic development.
71. The Socialist International supports the struggle
of women for equal rights and opportunities everywhere in the
world. In some countries there has been progress, while in others
the struggle for equality is only beginning. Equality and justice for
women is a crucial element of a just and peaceful world. The
UN has played an important role in facilitating the emergence
of a global feminist consciousness which links the women of the
South and the North.
72. The Socialist International specifically endorses the following measures:
- legislation and positive action programmes which guarantee full equality between men and women;
- support for programmes to promote education,
vocational training and professional integration for girls and
women;
- legislation to ensure equal pay for work of equal value;
- dissemination of information and practical assistance for family planning;
- good facilities for child care;
- public backing for full and equal participation of
women in the social and political activities of every country
by positive steps which ensure women's representation at all
levels of decision making.
73. Women constitute slightly more than half of the
population on our planet. Justice and equality for them is a
sine qua non of international justice and equality.
A New International Culture for Political Dialogue
74. The increasing interdependence of the world leaves
little space for fundamentalist controversies and hostilities.
Common survival and development demand both cooperation and
civilised forms of dispute even between antagonistic political forces
and ideas. We therefore reject and condemn any form of religious
or political fundamentalism.
75. Communism has lost the appeal that it once had to
parts of the labour movement or to some intellectuals after the
October Revolution or during the struggle against fascism.
The crimes of stalinism, mass persecution and the
violation of human rights, as well as unsolved economic
problems, have undermined the idea of communism as an alternative to
democratic socialism or as a model for the future.
76. The Socialist International supports all efforts
aimed at the transformation of communist societies through
liberalisation and democratisation. The same support must apply
to the development of decentralised market mechanisms, struggles
against bureaucratisation and corruption and, above all, the
realisation that human rights and political openness are
important elements of a dynamic and progressive society.
77. Detente, international cooperation and peaceful
competition create an atmosphere in which the most promising of
the present initiatives may prosper. The Socialist International
wants to promote a culture of international dialogue. All sides must
cooperate in mutual trust where there are basic common
interests, and argue openly and frankly where the commitment to
human rights, democracy and pluralism is at stake. Socialists
want to play a prominent role in that dialogue.
A New Model for Growth
78. In order to generate employment and prosperity all
across the world, there is a need for ecologically balanced
development. Growth which is not designed to meet ecological
and social imperatives runs counter to progress, since it will cause
environmental damage and destroy jobs. The market system alone
can never ensure the attainment of the social goals of economic
growth. It is the legitimate function of democratic economic
policy to promote development which opens up future
opportunities while improving the quality of life.
79. To achieve these objectives on a global basis, it
is imperative to establish a genuinely new international
economic order. This must reconcile the interests of both industrialised
and developing countries. A fundamental reform of financial
relations must create the conditions for international economic
cooperation. A more equitable international economic order is
necessary not only for reasons of solidarity, but also in order
to create a more efficient, productive and balanced world
economy.
80. The priority in the case of international debt
must be to write down, write off or capitalise the debts of the
poorer countries. Institutional arrangements are needed to
stabilise both the terms of trade and the export earnings of the
countries of the South by establishing internationally
supported commodity funds. The North must open its markets to
the products of the South, and end its policy of subsidising
exports from the North.
81. As productivity rapidly increases due to new
technologies, it is also necessary to redefine working life.
The aim must be to humanise working conditions by both appropriate
production technologies and workers' participation. Employment
should be created by investment in social services and in
environmental reconstruction, as well as by public spending on
the development of new technologies and on improving
infrastructure. By contrast, conservative economic policies in
many industrialised countries have allowed for mass unemployment, thus
jeopardising social justice and security, and giving rise to new
manifestations of poverty in the rich world. It is of
paramount importance that governments take on in practice their
overall responsibility to provide for full employment.
82. In many cases, a reduction of working hours can
help achieve a fair distribution of both paid jobs and work at
home between men and women. It also increases the leisure time
of workers, farmers and employees, thus giving them more time for
other activities.
Solidarity between North and South
83. Economic development is unquestionably a priority
for the South. This is not to say that there is a simple
formula for ending poverty in the developing countries, be it
socialist in origin or not. Economies need a reduction in trade
barriers, improved access to markets and the transfer of
technology. They need the opportunity to develop their own
scientific resources - for example, in the area of
biotechnology - and to end dependence on second-hand technologies.
84. Where the poorer countries are concerned,
traditional development assistance remains vital. Many of them,
in different regions of the world, need land reforms, incentives
to farmers to achieve a sustained food supply, and support for
cooperative traditions within their rural cultures. But,
increased food production alone will not end hunger and famine.
Sadly, in some cases, an increase in export agriculture can
destroy traditional patterns of food supply, at one and the
same time adding to farm output and hunger. It must be the task
of the political system to guarantee both the right to food and
employment.
85. The debt crisis has led to a net financial flow
away from developing countries to industrialised ones. The UN
development target of 0.7% of GNP in official development
assistance, which is twice the current rate, must be achieved without
delay. Internationally coordinated efforts are urgently needed to
alleviate the burden of the external debt of developing
countries.
86. Programmes of cooperation with the South must
support development goals which relate to economic growth as
well as a fair distribution of income. Aid programmes must focus
on the development of the poorest groups. They should help to
transform stultifying social structures and improve the
situation of women in society. Specific programmes for children
are of the greatest importance. Assistance through
cooperatives and popular movements serves to promote democratic
development.
87. A broadly based approach to development is also an
important factor in stemming the massive tide of migration to
the big cities of the South, many of which are threatened by
uncontrollable population growth and are becoming huge megapolitan
slums.
88. Enhanced South-South relations form an important
path for economic progress. A substantial growth in trade
between the nations of the South will contribute to their well-being
and will enhance their prospects of dealing with the crises which
arise from dramatic changes in production and occupational
structures. Close economic links and rapidly growing markets in
the developing world are a vital prerequisite of any positive
development of the world economy.
89. An open world economy can stimulate development in
the South. But it can also bring vulnerability. Thus, the
North should not pursue economic and trade policies which impose
drastic reductions in living standards and erode the bases of stable
democracy.
90. Inequality and dictatorship are the enemies not
only of human rights, but also of genuine development. Social
and economic democracy cannot be regarded as luxuries which only
the rich countries can afford. Rather, they are necessary for any
country to make progress on the road of development. That is
why the strengthening of democratic socialism in the South is
so crucial. In this context the recent expansion of the
Socialist International in the South, especially in Latin
America and the Caribbean, is a good omen for both North and
South alike.
91. Ending poverty in the South is also a common
project for the North. It can promote disarmament, and create
both wealth and jobs in the advanced as well as the developing
countries. This is central to the strategy of socialists in dealing with
wide-ranging economic change during a period of crisis and
transition at world level. It is also an integral part of
democratic socialist proposals for new economic and social
structures which can bring the world peacefully and
prosperously into the 21st century.
VI. With the Socialist International Towards a Democratic World Society
The Unity of International Socialism
92. At a time of rapid internationalisation, the goals of democratic
socialism cannot be attained in just a few countries. The fate of people
living in many different parts of the world is more interlinked than
ever before. The various socialist parties of the world must therefore
work together, both in their individual national interest and in their
common international interest. The Socialist International, whose
history dates back to 1864, was re-established in 1951 to serve this
purpose.
93. Although it unites movements with long-standing national histories,
the Socialist International is not a supranational, centralised
organisation. It is an association of independent parties with common
principles whose representatives want to learn from one another, jointly
promote socialist ideas and work towards this objective at
international level.
94. The purpose of the International is to facilitate this work of
solidarity and cooperation, while being aware of the fact that there are
different ways of promoting the basic values of a pluralist democratic
socialism in different societies. Each member party is itself
responsible for the manner in which it puts the decisions of the
Socialist International into effect in its own country.
95. In recent years, the membership of the Socialist International has
become more genuinely international, with very marked growth in Latin
America and the Caribbean, and new members in other continents. It is
the goal of the Socialist International to cooperate with all democratic
socialist movements throughout the world.
96. Since the Frankfurt Declaration of the Socialist International in
1951, the world has become closer in economic and social terms, but not
in terms of democratic community and solidarity. It is now clear that
the socialist movement - as it looks towards the 21st century - is
becoming more truly internationalist in outlook and in practice.
A New Democratic Order
97. The international challenge is nothing less than the beginning of a
new, democratic world society. We cannot allow blocs, nations and
private corporations to shape the political structure of the planet as a
mere by-product of their own self-interest.
98. Strengthening the United Nations is an important step in the
creation of this new, democratic world society. Where there is a
consensus among the major nations, significant peace-making and
peace-keeping initiatives are possible. The UN specialised agencies,
like the WHO, and UN organs like UNDP and UNICEF, have demonstrated that
the governments and citizens of various nations can work effectively
together in pursuit of common international goals.
99. It is unrealistic to assume that justice and peace can be legislated
in a world of fundamental inequality where many millions barely cling
to life while a favoured few enjoy a standard beyond the dreams of most
of their fellow human beings. Socialist struggles in the original
capitalist nations made gains in welfare and solidarity, which in turn
made the extension of democracy possible in individual countries.
Likewise the work of abolishing international inequality will be a
crucial step forward on the road to a democratic world society.
100. There is no illusion that this ideal can be quickly accomplished.
However, the creation of a pluralist and democratic world, based on
consensus and cooperation, is a necessary condition for the advance of
humankind. This is both a challenge and an enormous opportunity. The
Socialist International is ready to meet the challenge and to strive for
a world in which our children can live and work in peace, in freedom,
in solidarity and humanity.
We are confident that the strength of our principles, the force of our
arguments and the idealism of our supporters will contribute to shaping a
democratic socialist future into the 21st century. We invite all men
and women to join us in this endeavour.
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