A Victorious Day of Struggle for CONAM

The Grand March colored the Ministries Esplanade yellow, marking the closure of the Struggles of the National Confederation of Inhabitants’ Associations (CONAM) Day. The voice and strength of more than a thousand delegates of the grassroots community movement from across the country reaffirmed their fundamental priorities to the government, so that it still further commits to social matters to fight the crisis, for lower interest rates and for more social rights and public policies.

The day began very early. At dawn, the delegates and buses arrived from all regions of Brazil. In the morning, our day started in the presence of federal deputies Paulo Teixeira from Sao Paulo, and Romulo Golveia from Paraiba. The group of delegates reaffirmed the key strands of the community movement’s platform of demands.

The platform of the “National Caravan of CONAM” made motions in several realms, and, in particular, on matters of the struggle for proper housing, the ratification of PEC 285/08, the right to health with regulated enforcement of EC 29, for the right to energy, public transport, education, environmental sanitation and the preservation of the environment, against evictions, for the amnesty of inhabitants assocations with the federal revenue office.

This platform animated the supporters who were in several federal ministries and bodies, such as Ministries of Sports, Environment, Education, Labor, the City, the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, the National Secretary of Public Policies for Women and the Caixa Econômica Federal (federal development bank) where we received positive results.

Among the important moments of this day, one will note the meetingwith Minister of Cities Marcio Fortes, with whom more than two hundred community delegates participated, as well as with federal deputy Valtenir Luis Pereira from Mato Grosso. On this occasion, the minister presented his programs, listened to the participants’ suggestions and complaints and affirmed that, despite the economic crisis, there will not be cuts in the budget of more than 110 million real already allocated to the PAC (Accelerated Growth Package) for sanitation, housing and urban mobility. The minister also assured that the financing for the construction of housing intended for families whose income is less than three mimimum salaries, within the framework of the Minha Casa Minha Vida (My House My Life) program, will be implemented quickly.

Another important moment was being with more than twenty delegates at the opening of the National Council of Health meeting in the presence of the Minister, during the launch of the stamp commemorating twenty years of SUS (Unified Health System). The minister announced that regulated enforcement of EC 29 was anticipated to take place by the end of the month.

The success of the Struggle of CONAM Day is due to the strong unity of our movement, the investment of our structures at the state and municipal level which, with hundreds of community delegates, worked collectively for this day to produce positive results. So we must pursue this mobilization process in organizing the Days of Struggles, for the Urban Reform and the reenforcement of SUS . It is important to emphasize the role of our organization in the construction of public policies throughout our 27 years of existance. Our path in this struggle allows us to be recognized as one of the most important and influential organizations of the Brazilian people’s struggle.

Bartiria Lima da Costa
President of Conam

Wanderley Gomes da Silva
Director of Communications for Conam

Ministério da Saúde

Ministério das Cidades

Ministério do Esporte