HISTORY OF ALBA-TCP 

In the III Summit of the Americas, in Québec/Canada held from April 20th to April 22nd, 2001, the President Hugo Chávez, signed the final declaration, specifying that Venezuela objected to the proposal of the FTAA (Free trade Area of the Americas). Shortly after, the Cuban President Fidel Castro and Chávez, found themselves creating the basis of what is today ALBA.

In December 2001, in the framework of the III Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Association of Caribbean States, held in Margarita Island - Venezuela, the President Hugo Chávez put forward the idea of ALBA, as a proposal of integral, economic, social, political and cultural integration of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.

If we look back to the past, we can find the roots of this project in documents such as the 'Letter from Jamaica', when for the first time Simón Bolívar established the doctrine of unity and sovereignty of the countries that became free from the colonial power. We can analyze other historical documents that are evident background to ALBA and it is clear that this idea was upheld by Bolivar, Martí, Sucre, O'Higgins, St Martin, Hidalgo, Pétion, Morazán, Sandino and so many other national heroes, without selfish nationalism or restrictive national policies that reject the objective of constructing a Big Homeland in the Latin America, according to the dreams of the heroes of our emancipating fights

The institutional framework of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America ( ALBA) officially emerged on December 14th, 2004 when the presidents of Cuba, Fidel Castro, and of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez met in Havana and signed the protocols for its foundation as a form of integration and union of Latin America and the Caribbean, based upon a model of independent development with emphasis on the regional complementarity that permits it to promote the development of all and strengthen the cooperation through mutual respect and solidarity.

For April 2006, with the incorporation of Bolivia, ALBA is enriched with the proposal of the Peoples' Trade Treaty(TCP), which is the exchange instrument based upon solidarity and complementarity between the countries, intended to benefit the peoples as opposed to the Free Trade Agreements that are geared to increasing the power and the domination of the transnational enterprises.

In June 2009, the Heads of State and Government of the member countries decided that the ALBA-TCP should be called” Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples' Trade Treaty” (ALBA-TCP) in the understanding that the growth and political strengthening of ALBA-TCP make it into a real and effective force.

Chronology of accession by countries:

Venezuela – 14 December 2004
Cuba – 14 December 2004
Bolivia – 29 April 2006
Nicaragua – 11 January 2007
Dominica – 26 January 2008
Honduras – 25 August 2008 *
Ecuador – 24 June 2009
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 24 June 2009
Antigua and Barbuda  – 24 June 2009

 * On December 15th, 2009, the de facto president Roberto Micheletti issued during a Council of Ministers, an executive decree through which he decided that Honduras should leave ALBA, and before he left office on January 27th, 2010, he ratified it.

Chronology of Summits:

I Summit – Havana, Cuba – 14 December 2004
II Summit – Havana, Cuba – 28 April 2004
III Summit – Havana, Cuba – 29 April 2005
IV Summit – Managua, Nicaragua – 11 de January 2006
V Summit – Tintorero, Venezuela – 29 April 2007
VI Summit – Caracas, Venezuela – 26 January 2008
I Extraordinary Summit – Caracas, Venezuela – 23 April 2008
II Extraordinary Summit– Tegucigalpa, Honduras – 25 August 2008
III Extraordinary Summit– Caracas, Venezuela – 26 November 2008
IV Extraordinary Summit– Caracas, Venezuela – 02 February 2009
V Extraordinary Summit– Cumana, Venezuela – 17 April 2009
VI Extraordinary Summit– Maracay, Venezuela – 24 June 2009
VII Extraordinary Summit– Managua, Nicaragua – 29 June 2009
VII Summit – Cochabamba, Bolivia – 17 October 2009
VIII Summit – La Habana, Cuba – 14 December 2009
IX Summit – Caracas, Venezuela – 19 April 2010
X Summit – Otavalo, Ecuador – 25 June 2010
XI Summit – Caracas, Venezuela – 04 and 05 February 2012