Global Tapestry of Alternatives

Global Tapestry of Alternatives

Founded	2019
Type	International Network
Focus	Global South, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as Central, South and Southeast Asia
Area served	Worldwide
Website	Official Website

The Global Tapestry of Alternatives (GTA) is a network of networks connecting grassroots groups, social movements, and organizations working towards radical alternatives to dominant economic, political, and social systems strongly focused in the Global South. It seeks to connect and support grassroots efforts that promote ecological sustainability, social justice, and direct democracy.

Background

GTA was officially launched in 2019 as a response to the increasing global crises related to capitalism, climate change, and systemic inequities. The initiative was seeded through experiences of networks of alternatives in India, Mexico, and Colombia. After several conversations and endorsements of movements across the world, GTA was established as a horizontal process of weaving with non-hierarchical ways of functioning. ^[1]

The project was initially supported by key intellectuals and activists, including Ashish Kothari, a founder-member of the Indian environmental group Kalpavriksh, Gustavo Esteva, mexican intellectual and activist and Arturo Escobar, a Colombian activist-researcher working on territorial struggles against extractivism and postdevelopment. ^[2]

Objectives

The key objectives of the Global Tapestry of Alternatives include:

• Networking and Solidarity: Connecting movements and initiatives working on ecological sustainability, community self-governance, economic democracy, indigenous rights, and decolonization.
• Knowledge Sharing: Facilitating cross-learning through dialogues, workshops, and documentation of alternative practices.
• Amplification: Raising awareness about successful grassroots initiatives that challenge mainstream development models.
• Systemic Change: Encouraging transformative approaches to governance, economy, and society that prioritize people and the planet over profit.

Key areas of work

GTA collaborates with diverse movements and initiatives in various fields, including:

• Ecological Alternatives: Agroecology, permaculture, regenerative economies, and community-led conservation efforts.
• Political and Social Movements: Indigenous self-determination, participatory democracy, feminist economies, and non-hierarchical governance models.
• Economic Innovations: Cooperative and solidarity economies, commons-based production, and post-capitalist experiments.
• Cultural and Knowledge Systems: Revitalization of traditional knowledge, indigenous languages, and holistic education models.

Activities and impact

Since its inception, GTA has organized various international and regional gatherings, bringing together activists, scholars, and practitioners to share experiences and strategies. Some notable activities include:

• Global Assemblies: Periodic virtual and in-person meetings where participants exchange knowledge and strategies. For instance, in 2024, GTA organized a series of dialogue sessions among Indigenous peoples and other local communities practicing Radical Democracy, Autonomy, and Self-Determination, in preparation for a global gathering held in February 2025. ^[3]
• Publications and Media: Research reports, videos, and case studies documenting transformative alternatives. GTA maintains a collection of webinars and publications available in various formats. ^[4]
• Campaigns and Advocacy: Support for grassroots struggles against environmental destruction, economic exploitation, and social injustice.

Collaborations and affiliations

The Global Tapestry of Alternatives works in collaboration with a range of movements and networks, including Global Ecovillage Network, Transnational Institute, Greenpeace International among other more than 70 international endorsers. ^[5] In a similar way, it is endorsed by prominent individuals like Noam Chomsky, Nnimmo Bassey, Naomi Klein, Edgardo Lander, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Wolfgang Sachs, Walden Bello and others.

References

1. https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-02-10/the-global-tapestry-of-alternatives-stories-of-resilience-existence-and-re-existence/
2. https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/core_members
3. https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/events:updates2024
4. https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/
5. https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/endorsements:index

External links

• Official website