Caracas, January 11, 2025. The ALBA-TCP Social Movements Council met this Saturday in Venezuela to address various social issues.

During the meeting, held within the framework of the International Antifascist Festival, participants debated proposals for the creation of literacy, reforestation, and health brigades.

Carlos Ron, president of  the Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples , explained that the focus was on key points: literacy, reforestation, and public health.

The idea of the literacy brigade is to advance the educational process already established in some countries of the region and to extend it to English and Spanish, with the possibility of incorporating contributions from other organizations.

The second proposal involves a reforestation brigade to repopulate deforested areas, and the third brigade is a medical organization that includes vaccination campaigns conducted by volunteers trained through the Bolivarian Alliance.

“We have made progress, which we have already submitted to the Ministry of Ecosocialism, and it has been well received. We aim to implement this by March, which is why in the coming days, a training school will be established as a foundation for preparing these brigade members,” Ron said.

Manuel Bertoldi, a delegate from Argentina, expressed that these meetings encourage the continued promotion of social movements and bring to life the idea of being part of the continent’s transformations.

René Moreno, a delegate from Venezuela, proposed the consolidation of a comprehensive health brigade to expand natural medicine across ALBA-TCP countries through the “I can be healthy” (‘Yo sí puedo ser saludable’ in Spanish) Plan.

Ana Maldonado, a delegate representing Venezuela, applauded the creation of health brigades that could be trained in three pilot countries.

Ronaldo Ortíz, a delegate from Panama, affirmed that these meetings are essential for exchange, activism, progress, and action in defense of the countries’ sovereignty.

Renata Menezes, a delegate from Brazil, emphasized the need to create new forms of integration among peoples to build a better future.

The Mexican delegation stressed the necessity of constructing a global front against imperialist policies and uniting struggles worldwide against the current system. “Latin America remains the place where the left-wing has managed to develop, and therefore we have a responsibility to realize the proposed projects.”

ALBA-TCP Executive Secretary Jorge Arreaza urged delegates from different countries to create a practical offensive equipped with the necessary tools to make their projects visible and impactful.

“The Alliance is the only organization that promotes unity and gives voice to the people. What we do will determine the existence of the Social Movements Council and demonstrate to governments what we stand for,” he stated during the event at Centro de Convenciones La Carlota.

He added that the proposals from the movements can generate structural changes.

“If we are going to promote literacy, we must make it known. It is essential at this historical moment to show that there is another humanity rising against domination,” he emphasized.

He reminded everyone that the Alliance is in the process of establishing a cooperation agency to fund social movements and their initiatives.