The Territory, a Place of Relations: Toward a Community of Linkage and Sharing

The logic of private enterprise and the market that dominates the current system of development ensures that trade for profit is practically the only basis for human relations. This phenomenon is aggravated by globalization, with the result that the territory is losing its role as an entity of integration. This system of development is called into question, since it has generated a serious crisis in relations between human beings, between societies and between humanity and the biosphere. In this context, the territory constitutes the building block of governance that allows, among other things, setting up a system of relations based on independence and solidarity. However, our current territorial-management methods run counter to the true importance that should be given to the territory. In many countries, a feudal conception of power crystallizes centralization and prevents the innovation of solutions to adapt them to local situations. The main proposal of this document is the invention, at the local level, of alternative forms of development, the development of territorial governance, and the transformation of the local into global via concrete alliances among territories. The aim is not to oppose globalization outright or to remain anchored in the local, but to ensure that international trade and exchanges, which will expand in many areas, occur in a spirit of sustainable development.