Political Working Agenda of the Progressive Alliance

The world is experiencing an epochal shift in its history. People’s trust in the existing social, political, and economic systems are being eroded by failures to address the multiple crises we face today.

Progressive responses and solutions have to carve their way through institutions and public life to turn the tide. As the defining issues of our time are undeniably global and interconnected, progress can only be achieved if we work together and build solidarities that transcend our national borders. Progressives need to reclaim that global cooperation, as we define it, is a force for good in the world.

Our world is now facing a crisis of security and peace with ongoing conflicts and civil strife affecting all continents. Unresolved wars and conflicts are disrupting economies and tearing apart the social fabric and cohesion of nations.

We have yet to see a decisive breakthrough on the issue of climate change and environmental degradation. Despite numerous attempts to reverse the deleterious impacts of climate change, extreme changes in climate continue to put at risk the living conditions of more than 3 billion people in the most vulnerable areas of the planet, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2023 Report. These most vulnerable people are often already the most marginalized in their societies and countries.

The Covid pandemic exposed systemic problems in many countries’ health and economic systems. The pandemic’s immediate effect was to strain economies and displace many of the working poor, leaving them in a state of precariousness. The crisis exposed the gap between the rich and the poor. The former were able to weather the pandemic or even flourish despite it, while the latter experienced huge economic and social dislocation. This inequality also manifested on a country level, with rich countries often having better access to treatment and vaccines than their poorer counterparts.

The economic crisis is an ever-present problem. Many of the crises mentioned here are tied to a lack of economic justice in the world economy. The unfair access to the fruits of economic progress is seemingly a fixture and not a defect of the current global economic order. Despite the huge advances in the economies of many countries, people continue to feel unease and hardship in their day-to-day lives. In comparison, a few global billionaires have amassed wealth which dwarfs the GDP of some countries. This concentration of wealth and power effectively gives them outsized influence in determining the trajectory of national economies.

The world is not yet expected to reverse the ongoing democratic decline. This democratic decline, characterized by attacks on media freedom, unfair elections, corruption, and machinations of political institutions by authoritarian incumbents, is persisting in all continents. Right-wing populists and authoritarian movements are gaining ground, even in countries with long histories of liberal democratic institutions.

In the field of advancing gender justice, we are falling short of our goals. The recent Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report indicated that we are not on track to reach gender equality goals. Women’s sexual and reproductive health rights are under assault, and violence against women remains high. Such trends risk obstructing our overall goals of creating equity in our societies.

As progressives, socialists, and social democrats, our commitment to the causes of freedom, social justice, solidarity, gender equality, and internationalism has to be manifested in our concrete and coordinated work as a political force. Our mission to transform the 21st century into an era of progress and cooperation has to gain momentum.

For this term, we will consolidate our agenda for transformation and build momentum for international solidarity. We will unite progressive forces and build consensus around programmatic solutions on the promotion of fair economic governance, peace and common security, sustainability, and democratic resilience. We will nurture the political conditions and prioritize platforms for democratic forces to forge greater unities for the protection of human rights and freedoms in all parts of the globe, especially those where it is most under assault. Our ties to trade unions, social movements, and civil society provide us the opportunity to strengthen our collective progressive agenda and cross-border cooperation.

We will embark on strategic North-South dialogue and cooperation. Internationalism must be our response to growing isolationism and nationalism. The ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East, along with the growing tension between the USA and China, threaten to disrupt not only our economic order but also create more tensions among nations. Alongside our push for ensuring a rights-based and rules-based international order, we must endeavor to internationalize the progress our movements have made. Peoples in developing countries deserve the same benefits and protections that the welfare states created by successful social democratic and socialist parties and governments.

By positioning ourselves to influence the creation of alternatives, we are renewing the case for a global narrative that social democracy can address the challenges of the current times. We will actively engage multilateral and multinational organizations to influence progressive solutions. Existing multilateral organizations like the United Nations ECOSOC, Interparliamentary Union, and regional intergovernmental bodies are platforms where our efforts can be more coordinated.

Our political community exerts its influence in upholding freedom and justice, and we will continue to stand in solidarity with activists and politicians fighting for our values. Together, we aim to secure a future where democracy thrives, freedoms are safeguarded, and human rights are protected.