THE Dilemmas of Humanity Conference closed in Johannesburg on Wednesday with a declaration that “socialism is an achievable necessity.”

The conference, held from October 14-18, brought together more than 500 activists representing social movements, trade unions and left-wing political parties from 75 countries.

The Letter from Johannesburg, the main communique from the conference, began by declaring that “socialism is an achievable necessity.”

Chairing the closing panel of the conference on anti-imperialism and national sovereignty, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), said: “We are meeting today to figure out how to pursue class struggle under very difficult conditions facing the working class, facing peasant formations, facing progressive organisations all over the world.”

She said: “We continue to be victims of the failure of the capitalist system.

During the closing panel Manuel Bertoldi of the Rural Federation for Production of Argentina said: “If we talk about anti-imperialism, sovereignty and national dignity, it is impossible not to mention the Cuban revolution and its example for all the peoples in resistance in the world.”

The conference published a special declaration condemning and calling for the lifting of the illegal blockade imposed by the United States and the arbitrary inclusion of the socialist island in the list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism.

The statement read: “Neither the economic blockade nor any other measure of this type will succeed in defeating the sovereignty or self-determination of the Cuban people.” 

The conference also issued a strong condemnation of the war crimes being committed by the Israelis against the Palestinians.

Legendary Palestinian revolutionary leader Leila Khaled told the conference: “The people are dying because they want to defend their land, they want to have freedom, this conference discussed the issues of freedom and socialism.”

She said: “We will continue to fight if one of us is still alive.”