Introduction
This resource examines successful cross-border solidarity campaigns that have transcended national divisions to build collective power. These case studies illustrate how movements have connected struggles across geographic boundaries, created mutual support networks, and developed shared strategies for confronting common systems of oppression.
In a world where capital, resources, and power flow freely across borders while people face increasing restrictions, building transnational solidarity is both a necessity and an opportunity. These examples demonstrate that effective solidarity is not charity or saviorism but mutual struggle and reciprocal support based on the understanding that our liberation is fundamentally interconnected.
Understanding Cross-Border Solidarity
Beyond Charity Models
Effective cross-border solidarity differs from traditional international aid or charity approaches in several key ways:
Mutual Struggle vs. Saviorism
- Recognizing shared systems of oppression rather than “helping the less fortunate”
- Centering the leadership and wisdom of frontline communities
- Building relationships based on reciprocity rather than dependency
- Acknowledging interconnected histories and futures
Structural Analysis vs. Symptom Response
- Addressing root causes rather than just immediate needs
- Naming common adversaries and systems
- Connecting local manifestations of global problems
- Building toward systemic transformation
Relationship Building vs. Transaction
- Investing in long-term relationships and trust
- Creating ongoing communication and coordination structures
- Developing cultural and political exchange
- Building personal connections alongside organizational ones
Multi-Directional vs. One-Way Support
- All parties both giving and receiving
- Recognizing diverse forms of contribution
- Exchanging knowledge, strategies, and resources
- Supporting each other’s local struggles
Core Elements of Effective Solidarity Campaigns
Analysis of successful cross-border campaigns reveals these essential elements:
Deep Relationship Building
- Investment in understanding each other’s contexts
- Cultural exchange and immersion experiences
- Regular communication and coordination
- Building genuine trust and accountability
Shared Analysis and Framework
- Collaborative development of understanding
- Connecting local manifestations to global systems
- Articulating common vision and values
- Creating shared language across differences
Concrete Mutual Support
- Material resource sharing
- Strategic knowledge exchange
- Amplifying each other’s voices and demands
- Taking coordinated action at strategic moments
Decentralized but Coordinated Structure
- Local autonomy with transnational coordination
- Clear communication channels and decision processes
- Distributed leadership and responsibility
- Mechanisms for accountability and conflict resolution
Long-Term Vision with Immediate Actions
- Building toward transformative goals
- Identifying winnable short-term campaigns
- Creating feedback loops for learning and adaptation
- Building movement infrastructure for sustained work
Case Study 1: La Via Campesina and the Globalization of Peasant Resistance
Background and Context
Founded in 1993, La Via Campesina (“The Peasant Way”) has grown into one of the world’s largest social movements, connecting over 200 million small farmers, agricultural workers, and Indigenous land stewards across 81 countries. The movement emerged in response to the globalization of industrial agriculture and neoliberal trade policies that threatened small-scale farming communities worldwide.
Key Elements of the Solidarity Model
Unified Concept: Food Sovereignty
- Developed the framework of “food sovereignty” as an alternative to corporate-controlled food systems
- Created a positive vision (not just resistance) that could be adapted to diverse contexts
- Established shared language connecting disparate struggles
- Articulated rights of communities to define their own food systems
Horizontal Structure with Regional Autonomy
- Organized through autonomous regional bodies
- International coordination committee with rotating leadership
- Women’s and youth assemblies with dedicated power
- Active internal mechanisms for ensuring gender balance
Knowledge Exchange and Farmer-to-Farmer Learning
- Agroecology schools and training centers in multiple countries
- Exchange programs where farmers learn directly from each other
- Documentation and sharing of traditional and innovative practices
- Recognizing farmers as knowledge creators, not just recipients
Coordinated Global Actions with Local Implementation
- Annual global days of action around key dates
- Synchronized demonstrations targeting international institutions
- Local actions adapted to specific contexts and needs
- Combined resistance and alternatives-building
Strategic Focus on International Policy Spaces
- Collective participation in UN food and agriculture forums
- Development of international legal instruments like UNDROP (UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants)
- Challenging trade agreements and corporate power
- Creating alternative spaces for food policy development
Campaign Example: Seeds and Peasants’ Rights
One successful campaign focused on seed sovereignty against corporate patents and GMO monopolies:
Challenge: Transnational seed companies were patenting traditional seed varieties, criminalizing seed saving, and introducing GMO crops that created dependency.
Coordinated Response:
- Documentation: Member organizations cataloged traditional seed varieties and farming practices
- Knowledge Exchange: Established seed saving networks and training across countries
- Direct Action: Coordinated destruction of GMO test fields in multiple countries
- Policy Advocacy: Collectively fought for seed sovereignty provisions in UNDROP
- Alternatives Building: Created community seed banks across continents
Outcomes:
- Peasants’ right to seeds explicitly recognized in the UN Declaration on Rights of Peasants
- Multiple countries adopted restrictions on seed patents and GMOs
- Network of over 40 regional seed banks established across continents
- Revitalization of traditional seed varieties and associated knowledge
- Strengthened transnational movement capable of confronting corporate power
Lessons and Principles
Shared Analysis with Diverse Expression The movement created a unified framework while respecting diverse implementations based on local contexts and cultures.
Leadership from Most Impacted Small farmers and peasants—not NGOs or “experts”—led the movement’s development, strategy, and implementation.
Long-Term Vision with Immediate Struggles The movement balanced immediate defensive campaigns with long-term alternatives-building.
Structural Transformation of Power Internal governance mechanisms actively worked to address power imbalances within the movement.
Multi-Level Strategy The movement operated simultaneously at local, national, regional, and international levels.
Case Study 2: Haiti-DR Solidarity Network Against Anti-Black Discrimination
Background and Context
Despite sharing an island and deep historical connections, Haiti and the Dominican Republic have been divided by colonial borders, language differences, and state-promoted nationalism. In 2013, the Dominican Constitutional Tribunal issued ruling TC 168-13, which retroactively stripped citizenship from Dominicans of Haitian descent, affecting over 200,000 people, many of whom had lived in the Dominican Republic for generations.
In response, a transnational solidarity network emerged connecting Haitian and Dominican grassroots organizations, diaspora communities, and international allies. This network worked to address immediate humanitarian needs while building toward longer-term transformation of the colonial divisions that had been weaponized against both peoples.
Key Elements of the Solidarity Model
Centering Directly Affected Communities
- Leadership from Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian migrants
- Diaspora communities in the US and Canada as key connectors
- Support role for international organizations
- Emphasis on amplifying rather than speaking for affected communities
Challenging Colonial Divisions
- Explicit analysis of shared history and colonial division
- Recovery and celebration of historical solidarity
- Confronting anti-Blackness in both countries
- Connecting border struggles to global patterns
Transnational Coordination Structure
- Regular coordination calls across countries
- In-person convenings for strategy and relationship building
- Shared digital platforms for communication
- Translation and language justice practices
Multiple Tactics Across Borders
- Humanitarian support for displaced communities
- Legal challenges in Dominican, Haitian, and international courts
- Grassroots education on shared history and struggle
- Media and advocacy campaigns
- Cultural events and exchanges
Intersectional Analysis
- Connecting migration, labor, racism, and gender
- Recognizing differentiated impacts based on identity
- Building coalitions across issue areas
- Addressing root causes in global economic systems
Campaign Example: Reconocimiento Campaign
The Reconocimiento (Recognition) campaign worked to restore citizenship rights while building cross-border solidarity:
Challenge: The denationalization crisis created both an immediate humanitarian emergency and a long-term threat to human rights and dignity.
Coordinated Response:
- Emergency Support: Cross-border networks provided immediate aid to displaced people
- Documentation: Grassroots teams documented cases of rights violations
- Legal Advocacy: Coordinated legal challenges in multiple jurisdictions
- Public Education: Developed curriculum on shared history and connected struggles
- Cultural Resistance: Organized arts festivals celebrating Afro-Caribbean identity across the island
Outcomes:
- Partial restoration of documentation rights through Law 169-14
- Establishment of permanent solidarity infrastructure connecting communities
- Increased visibility and international pressure around denationalization
- Cultural revival of historical solidarity between Haitian and Dominican freedom struggles
- Growth of anti-racist movements in both countries
Lessons and Principles
Historical Memory as Resistance Recovering shared histories of resistance became a powerful tool for challenging nationalist divisions.
Diaspora as Bridge Builders Diaspora communities played a crucial role in connecting struggles across borders and contexts.
Humanitarian Response with Political Analysis The movement balanced immediate humanitarian needs with deeper political transformation.
Cultural Work as Core Strategy Arts, music, and cultural exchange were central to building solidarity, not just supplementary activities.
Language Justice Practices Intentional multilingual practices helped overcome colonial language divisions.
Case Study 3: International Campaign to Ban Landmines
Background and Context
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) brought together diverse organizations from over 100 countries to secure a comprehensive ban on anti-personnel landmines, which killed or maimed thousands of civilians annually. What began as scattered local efforts by mine victims, humanitarian organizations, and peace activists became a coordinated global campaign that achieved the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, signed by 164 nations.
The campaign demonstrated how a transnational coalition could effectively change international law against powerful military and commercial interests, creating a new model for global civil society campaigns.
Key Elements of the Solidarity Model
Survivor and Affected Community Leadership
- Mine survivors in key decision-making roles
- Organizations from mine-affected countries setting priorities
- Testimonies and experiences of affected communities as central evidence
- Balance of humanitarian, technical, and political perspectives
Simple, Clear Demand with Strategic Focus
- Uncompromising call for complete ban, not regulation
- Consistent messaging across diverse countries and contexts
- Strategic targeting of specific forums and decision points
- Maintaining focus despite attempts to water down demands
Coalition Structure Balancing Unity and Diversity
- Shared minimum platform with space for diverse approaches
- Decentralized implementation with coordinated strategy
- Regular international meetings for alignment and relationship building
- Strong coordination support without centralized control
Multiple Pressure Points Strategy
- Simultaneous work at local, national, and international levels
- Coordination between insider and outsider tactics
- Technical expertise combined with moral persuasion
- Creative direct action alongside diplomatic negotiation
Self-Reinforcing Success Spiral
- Early wins with individual countries created momentum
- Media strategy amplified growing movement
- Strategic use of each victory to pressure additional targets
- Ongoing capacity building for continued monitoring and implementation
Campaign Example: The Ottawa Process
The “Ottawa Process” demonstrated effective transnational coalition work:
Challenge: Traditional diplomatic channels were blocked by powerful military states opposed to a comprehensive ban.
Coordinated Response:
- Alternative Forum Creation: Developed a “fast-track” diplomatic process outside usual channels
- Global-Local Connection: National campaigns pressured individual governments while international coordination maintained momentum
- Strategic Partnerships: Built alliance with middle-power countries (Canada, Norway, etc.)
- Media Strategy: Coordinated international media coverage highlighting human impact
- Technical Expertise: Provided detailed evidence countering military and industry arguments
Outcomes:
- Mine Ban Treaty secured in record time (20 months from launch to signing)
- 164 states eventually joined the treaty
- Significant reduction in landmine production, trade, and use
- Establishment of victim assistance programs and mine clearance funding
- New model for civil society influence on international law
Lessons and Principles
Clear Demand with Flexible Tactics The campaign maintained a non-negotiable core demand while allowing diverse tactical approaches in different contexts.
Strategic Exclusion of Spoilers The movement created alternative forums when traditional channels were blocked by powerful opponents.
Implementation Monitoring Strong accountability mechanisms ensured the treaty resulted in actual change, not just symbolic victories.
Balance of Insider-Outsider Tactics The campaign effectively coordinated diplomatic engagement with public pressure and direct action.
Legitimacy Through Affected Leadership Leadership from mine survivors and affected communities gave the campaign moral authority and practical expertise.
Case Study 4: Zapatista Movement and Global Solidarity Networks
Background and Context
When the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) emerged publicly on January 1, 1994—the day the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect—they not only launched an Indigenous resistance movement in Chiapas, Mexico, but also initiated a new form of transnational solidarity.
Unlike many earlier international solidarity movements that positioned Northern activists as “saviors,” the Zapatistas created a model of “solidarity encounters” where diverse movements could learn from each other as equals. They explicitly invited international supporters to participate not as charitable helpers but as co-conspirators in a global struggle against neoliberalism.
Key Elements of the Solidarity Model
“Walking Asking Questions” Pedagogy
- Invitation to learn by doing rather than bringing pre-determined solutions
- Emphasis on questions rather than answers
- Challenging traditional activist-beneficiary relationships
- Creating spaces for mutual learning and exchange
Autonomy at Every Level
- Local autonomous governance in Zapatista communities
- Independent solidarity collectives forming their own connections
- No central control of international support
- Respect for diverse tactics and approaches
Connecting Local and Global Struggles
- Framing the struggle against NAFTA as one front in a global battle
- Explicit connections between Indigenous sovereignty and global anti-capitalism
- Analysis of shared systems across different contexts
- Recognition of differentiated but connected impacts
Alternative Spaces for Encounter
- Intercontinental Encounters for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism
- Good Government Councils as interfaces with solidarity visitors
- Escuelitas (Little Schools) bringing international participants into communities
- Digital networks translating communiqués and connecting struggles
Long-term Relationship Building
- Multi-year or decades-long solidarity relationships
- Deep familiarization with context and history
- Creation of lasting infrastructure for support
- Intergenerational knowledge transmission
Campaign Example: Schools for Chiapas Initiative
The Schools for Chiapas project exemplifies the Zapatista approach to solidarity:
Challenge: Zapatista communities needed education infrastructure while rejecting government control of curriculum and teaching.
Coordinated Response:
- Community-Defined Needs: Autonomous communities determined educational priorities and approaches
- Resource Mobilization: International supporters provided materials and funding while respecting Zapatista autonomy
- Knowledge Exchange: Educational exchanges where both Zapatistas and internationals learned from each other
- Infrastructure Building: Physical construction of schools through collaborative work between communities and supporters
- Ongoing Relationship: Development of lasting connections through regular communication and continued solidarity
Outcomes:
- Construction of dozens of autonomous schools run by and for Zapatista communities
- Development of Zapatista-controlled education system outside state influence
- Training of generations of education promoters within the movement
- Creation of lasting international solidarity networks supporting autonomy
- Demonstration model for solidarity based on autonomy and mutual learning
Lessons and Principles
Dignity and Autonomy The movement centered dignity and autonomy in all aspects of solidarity work, rejecting paternalism and dependency.
Political-Cultural Exchange Cultural elements (art, poetry, music) were integrated into all political work, not treated as separate domains.
Long-Term Commitment Effective solidarity required sustained engagement over decades, not short-term projects.
“Walking at the Pace of the Slowest” The movement prioritized inclusive participation over efficiency, ensuring no one was left behind.
Prefigurative Politics The process of building solidarity embodied the values and world they sought to create.
Key Insights for Cross-Border Solidarity Work
Based on these case studies, we can identify these overarching principles for effective transnational solidarity:
- Center directly affected communities in leadership and decision-making
- Build shared analysis while respecting contextual differences
- Develop structures that balance coordination with local autonomy
- Invest in deep relationship building across cultural and geographic differences
- Balance immediate needs with long-term transformative vision
- Recognize and address power differences within solidarity relationships
- Create multiple entry points and roles for participation
- Develop clear, shared language while maintaining space for diverse expressions
- Connect struggles across issues and geographies through structural analysis
- Build lasting infrastructure for ongoing solidarity work
Application for Ubuntu Freedom Movement
These case studies offer several implications for Ubuntu Freedom’s cross-border solidarity work:
- Develop explicit frameworks connecting local projects to global systems and struggles
- Create infrastructure for ongoing communication and coordination across geographic contexts
- Invest in translation and language justice to overcome colonial linguistic divisions
- Prioritize relationship-building alongside and before tactical collaboration
- Ensure liberation principles are consistently applied within solidarity relationships themselves
- Create opportunities for mutual learning where all participants are both teachers and students
- Build autonomous but connected nodes rather than centralized coordination structures
- Document and share learning across the network to build collective intelligence
- Address material inequalities without recreating charity or savior dynamics
- Connect spiritual and cultural practices across contexts to strengthen solidarity bonds
Resources for Deepening Cross-Border Solidarity Work
Books:
- Zapatista Stories for Dreaming An-Other World by Subcomandante Marcos
- Building Transnational Feminisms: Solidarity Through Dialogue by Richa Nagar and Amanda Lock Swarr
- Undoing Border Imperialism by Harsha Walia
- Transnational Solidarity: Anticolonialism in the US and Global South by Rupa Pillai and Tao Leigh Goffe
Organizations:
- La Via Campesina: viacampesina.org
- Grassroots Global Justice Alliance: ggjalliance.org
- International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights: escr-net.org
- Border Network for Human Rights: bnhr.org
- World March of Women: worldmarchofwomen.org
Tools:
- Language Justice Toolkit (Communities Creating Healthy Environments)
- Cross-Cultural Solidarity Framework (Movement Strategy Center)
- Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing
- Digital Security Guide for Transnational Organizing (Tactical Tech)
- Popular Education Methods for Cross-Border Exchange (Project South)
By studying these examples of successful cross-border solidarity, we can build more effective transnational movements that honor our differences while strengthening our collective power for liberation.