Closing Words of the Main Coordinator to the 2nd ICOR World Conference
Dear comrades,
I believe that we all agree that the 2nd World Conference shows that we have taken a big step ahead in building up the ICOR.
We could notice that it has grown by 12.5% since its founding, although single members have left.
We have succeeded in founding Coordinating Committees on all four continents. They have begun with their work to establish practical connections with the member organizations and to coordinate the practical tasks in party building and class struggle.
The ICOR has struggled very successfully for its financial independence and has made great progress in financing itself. This conference is financed to 55% by the participants themselves.
The greatest success is that we could feel that we are working on a common project. At the Founding Conference there was a relatively large influence of delegations that did not become members or left the organization again, but spread a lot of skepticism. Back then we took alone three hours for passing the introductory decisions and rules of procedure. This time these decisions were a matter of course. Great efforts were made to work together constructively, to listen to what others had to say, whether objections, proposals or criticism. Efforts were made not to intensify contradictions unnecessarily.
That shows the great process of maturity that the ICOR has undergone.
The 2nd World Conference was composed of 28 delegations from 24 countries.
12 delegations came from Europe, 6 delegations from America, 6 delegations from Asia and 4 delegations from Africa. Our African participants attended to 100%. 12 delegations, i.e. 43 percent, took part in the World Conference for the first time. However, it was actually as if they had always been a part of ICOR. They were inspired by the spirit of ICOR and have understood the problem.
The broad participation of the delegations was very impressive. Almost all the delegates took part in the discussion. We heard 370 contributions in the past four days. Of course the limitation of speaking time to five minutes was sometimes constraining, but it also allowed the diversity of the discussion and its democratic range.
The first report of the ICC was passed in great unanimity and without opposing votes and in the introductory speech the ICC concluded that “the ICOR building is still at the beginning and that we have to better learn to deal properly with our principles in practice.“ But the conference also showed the clear progress in handling the principles. We had no problems in extending or changing the principles if necessary and correct as regarding the composition of the ICC. This shows the progress in the development of the ICOR.
For the members, and especially for the organizations that took part in the World Conference for the first time, the report gave a critical-self-critical overview of the work done. In this form it is only possible to do this here. What has been accomplished in ICOR work cannot be read in papers. It was a material basis for the decisions on the further building of the ICOR by the 2nd World Conference. And it showed an optimistic perspective of our common house ICOR for the future.
We had three main discussions at the conference:
1. on the progress of the ICOR work. There were different proposals on this. Even if the resolution proposed could not be passed jointly, the discussion was very valuable because all delegations were interested in the ICOR making progress. We only have different ideas on how this shall be done. The discussion deepened our understanding of the ICOR.
2. on the struggle for freedom and democracy. It is a new phenomenon in the world, where the masses are beginning to break away from imperialism. This is an important prerequisite to defeat and overthrow this system.
3. on the environmental question. First of all, this discussion was very diversified. At the same time we have thus extended our field of work. We all agreed that we have to take up this environmental question, take more active influence and correct mistakes made in the past. We must learn to join forces with the people in the streets and to see to it that the influence of bourgeois ecologism is pushed back so that the masses can recognize that the struggle for societal change for socialism-communism is the way out.
The ICOR has great goals – and that requires time and energy. And that especially means cadres, as well as strategy and tactics. In the past years we have gained a lot of insights. The cadre potential has grown. The emphasis lay on the strengthening of the CCCs (Continental Coordinating Committees) so that they coordinate the practical work.
We have to make use of the objective conditions in order to accelerate ICOR building, even if we cannot influence it arbitrarily.
It was also very impressive how mutual trust has grown noticeably. This aspect should not be underestimated. Everyone is familiar with the division which marks the Marxist-Leninist and working-class movement. The ICOR includes only a part of it up till now.
In the past three years a certain basis of trust has already developed for working with each other constructively. The mutual respect becomes clear, you don't have the impression that the large organizations do not respect the small ones. On the contrary: we work on the same eye-level and regarding soul you can also sense a great feeling of togetherness which has supported the conference.
So much for the results of our conference.
Mutual trust has also grown among the organizations and between them and the elected organs. That is the way in which we must deal with each other in the future. It is an illusion to expect that there will be no contradictions. We live under different conditions and therefore have different modes of working and living. However, it is important that we use these contradictions to advance and not to emphasize the differences among us.
The conference was well-organized. All participants also contributed to this.
Special thanks to the 59 comrades in the MOS (Multilateral Organizational Staff). They untiringly saw to it that we could communicate with each other. Even if we are close in our hearts and minds, language communication is, of course, necessary. That worked very well with a non-professional translation apparatus.
Thank you, too, to the catering team. They took good care of us.
The security team did a good job protecting us.
Thank you also to the technical team, to the keepers of the minutes, as well as to the financial team.
We can view optimistically toward the future and transport the spirit of the conference in public, win over further organizations and scatter their reservations. We have to put our entire strength into the common project and win further organizations. It is important that organizations which have influence on other organizational connections are in the ICOR so that the process of unification can advance.
On behalf of the presidium I close the 2nd World Conference of the ICOR and request that you rise from your seats so that we can sing the „Internationale“ together.
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