In the past and present, youth has always played a significant role in the struggle of all societies for progress and social justice. The youth was militantly present in the greatest struggles of the peoples for peace, solidarity and social transformation. In a world that imperialism presents itself as inevitability, the anti-imperialist struggle proves that the youth chooses its own future. The 18th World Festival of Youth and Student that will take place in Ecuador is the space for the young women and men of the World to unite their voices against imperialism.

Since the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students our estimations about the character of imperialism and our calling for anti-imperialist struggle have been justified. In the past few years with the continuing international capitalist crisis, the imperialist order, the system where the monopolies rule, is revealing more and more clearly its true colors, its brutal and barbaric nature, that leads to wars, occupations international injustice, exploitation and blackmail by capitalists against the workers, human rights violations, threats and blackmail against countries and its people.

We live in a time of great danger and great potentialities. The capitalist crisis leads the imperialist alliances to intensify their rivalries over the control of the markets, of natural resources and commercial routes. This fact inevitably leads to military actions like the NATO and EU war in Libya, the aggressions against Syria and the threats against the Korean people. The inter-imperialist antagonisms due to the crisis create increasing tensions and dangers for greater international military conflicts which will have as victims the peoples of the world.

The Youth of the World is also witnessing a great offensive against their rights of work, education, health, access to culture and sport. Governments around the world and international imperialist organizations are pushing measures so that the workers and the popular strata will pay the price of their crisis. Their aim is to safeguard the rotting capitalist system, to guarantee their profits and expand the exploitation in benefit of the monopolies.

At the same time we have seen millions of peoples and especially the youth and students movement to resist the imperialist aggression. We have seen a growing struggle against the will of the monopolies and their governments, against the implementation of the policies that want to lead youth to the path of enslavement. The popular struggle the past years has proved that the potential of overthrowing imperialism depends on the popular determination and orientation of the struggle.

The resistance and the anti-imperialist struggle of the Youth and Students internationally is the flame that lights up and guides the Festival Movement since 1947. For 65 Years and in 17 Festivals, the Worlds Youth has united its voice and its struggle against fascism, dictatorships, anti-democratic regimes, colonialism, war, occupation, discrimination and demanded peace, freedom, solidarity, equality and the overthrowing of imperialism.

It is for all this reasons that we call every young man and woman to join our struggle in the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students.

We call Youth and students to join us for the overthrown of imperialism because our prosperity and happiness cannot be found within this system, that only gives birth to poverty, exploitation and unemployment. We call them to join us to fight for the right for work and for dignity in our working rights. We call them to fight for our right for Free and Public Education, against privatizations, tuition fees and class barriers. We call the Youth to fight against imperialism which destroys the environment, which creates class, racial and gender discriminations. We call the youth to fight for democracy and against the repression of reactionary forces. We call the Youth of the World to express their solidarity with the peoples who are fighting for their freedom against occupation as in Palestine, Western Sahara and so many other countries. We call the Youth to support the peoples who have chosen their own path of development and are threatened by imperialist forces.

Today more than ever, it is necessary for the Youth that its struggle is identified with the struggle of the workers and peoples; to intensify the struggle to overthrow capitalism and its higher stage of development, imperialism, and construct the new world, of peace, equality, solidarity, friendship, and revolutionary social transformation, where the wealth created by the work of the peoples will belong to the people and will benefit their needs.

After a successful 17th World Festival of Youth and Students in South Arica at the birth place of the anti-apartheid movement and the Continent which today struggles for economic freedom, we renew our Festival Movement meeting for the fourth time in Latin America. After Havana in 1978, 1997 and Caracas in 2005 we make our way to Quito in 2013. The 18th World Festival of Youth and Students is taking place in Latin-America and the Caribbean region which is having an increasingly strong anti-imperialist movement, consolidating the true unity in the peoples will for social progress, without the presence of foreign interventions, giving hope for the international anti-imperialist movement.

Supported by the growing popular movement of Ecuador, that is expressed at this moment by the Citizen Revolution led by President Rafael Correa, embraced by the proud anti-imperialist youth of Latin America, we pay homage to all the heroes that gave their lives for the liberation of Latin America, we unite our struggle in the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students.

Youth unite against imperialism for the world of peace, solidarity and social transformation!