The Third World Congress of Education International, meeting in Jomtien, Thailand, from 25 to 29 July, 2001:
Considering:
1. That, since the beginning of the 1990s, Peru has been victimised by one of the dictatorships in South America, to apply the neoliberal model most unconditionally. In fact, the Fujimori regime restructured society, applied economic reforms and modified the legislation in direct favour of transnational capital, rendering the teachers, the workers, and the people defenseless and poor;
2. That, since April 1992, this regime was in power following a coup disrupting the Republican Congress, Public Authority, Judicial Authority and the means of communication, and installed with the complicity of the leaders of the armed forces a fierce dictatorship persecuting the opposition and the democratic sectors such as SUTEP;
3. That, the regime, in its intent to seize power for two or more presidential terms, changed into an officially democratic regime, but in reality became a corrupt dictatorship. The Fujimori and Montesinos criminals killed while remaining unpunished, plundered the country's resources, and overexploited its workers. And as if that was not enough, they repressed the people mercilessly, and from their position of power engaged in arms and drugs trafficking;
4. That the dictatorship had as one of its objectives the privatisation of public education and imposed the "recommendations" of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which in the long run have accelerated the deterioration of public education. At this point SUTEP, representing 285,000 teachers, had to defend firmly quality public education as well as the necessity to develop a national plan on education, which would put education back on its tracks.
5. That, especially in the last two years, the main fighting strategy of the Peruvians has been the utmost unity of action to defeat the dictatorship. In this process, SUTEP has played a crucial and decisive role. At the end of 2000, the corrupt regime was thrown out by the people. Today, Vladimiro Montesinos is imprisoned, and Alberto Fujimori, the other major criminal, is protected by the Japanese Government;
6. That the actions of the dictatorship not only have affected the economy, the productive structure and the agriculture, resulting in the fact that an unprecedented 50.7% of the population now lives in poverty; but the dictatorship has also institutionalised corruption, blackmail and immorality, affecting the whole society;
In conclusion, the Third Education International World Congress Wishes:
7. To express its solidarity with SUTEP and the Peruvian people in their democratic and antidictatorial fight which has defeated the dictatorship of Fujimori and Montesinos and restored the democracy in Peru;
8. To urge the elected Government to implement from 28 July of this year, the readjustment of its political economy so as to help respond to the needs of the country;
9. The respect and validation of quality public education, converting it into a state affair with the fundamental strategic aim of developing the country;
10. The just punishment of the accused Vladimir Montesinos and the just extradition judgement and conviction of Alberto Fujimori;
11. Support for and solidarity with SUTEP's fight to achieve professional, economic, social, cultural and labour rights, towards the success of a National Education Project.