Signs of The Times
IN FOCUS
The preparation for the Global Day of Mobilisation and Action
advances
From:
"CACIM" <cacim@cacim.net>
Date: November 23,
2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The preparation
for the Global Day of Mobilisation
and Action advances
*WSF Program*
16.10.2007
*The
preparation for the Global Day of Mobilisation and Action advances*
@ http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.php?id_menu=7&cd_language=2
More
than 1.600 organisations and individuals in the world have already signed the call
committing to organise activities during the mobilisation
week
and the Global Day of Action – January 26th 2008 (see: www.wsf2008.net).This edition of the
WSF bulletin brings brief news about the mobilisation in the world (in
countries as well as regionally), from information sent by participants of the
2008 Mobilisation working group (WG). It brings as well some support
material to disseminate the journey.
*Mobilisation in
the world*
*AFRICA*
*Democratic
Republic of the Congo*
Discussions
about the global day of mobilisation and action began recently. The journey will
coincide with several local social forums, one of them in Kinshasa. Three
other provinces have also expressed that they will carry through some
activities.
*EUROPE*
The
mobilisation for January 26th 2008 was an important point on the agenda
for the Preparatory
Assembly of the European Social Forum, held between September 14th and
16th, in Stockholm, Sweden. A letter to reinforce it was prepared to be
widely disseminated. It is available in English at http://groups.google.com/group/2008actionday,
file EPA letter call for January 26th or in
the WSF website:
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/download/EPA%20letter%20call%20for%20January%2026th.pdf).
Some countries at
the assembly already reported what they are preparing for the mobilisation
journey (like Belgium, see below). Other countries
delegations
– like the ones from Italy and Germany – informed they will hold national meetings
still in October to define actions to be made. The next ESF Preparatory
Assembly will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from *November 30th to December
2nd*.
Further
information: www.fse-esf.org
*Belgium*
The
Belgian Social Forum committee coordinates the actions that will take place in the
country, where a common activities subject was chosen: human rights. *Between
January 21st and 25th 2008*, local activities will be held in some cities,
like debates, public events and workshops. On Saturday,
*January 26th*, a common action day will be organised in Brussels. On this
date, a big "alternative visit to Brussels" will begin at 12 p.m. (GMT +1),
with stops at 15 typical places in the city. In each place several groups
(NGOs, associations, trade unions) will organise events for public information
around a specific topic (one topic by place). The target audience are
Belgian families that go for shopping (it's rebate period on January) and
foreign tourists. Several guides will accompany the visitors during the walking.
After
this visit, around 4-5 p.m., there will be a gathering at the Place de Monnaie: "a public
warming" activity (with hot drinks), not too long, and
some
common actions taking place (still to be detailed). Among the proposals
being discussed
are, for instance, building something together, like
rewriting
the letter of human rights on a giant patchwork or creating a work of art made by the
15 groups. Between 5 and 6
p.m. (GMT +1), the idea is to have an interactive action, with direct contact
with people that organise actions in other countries of the world, like,
for instance, a giant video conference. Those who are interested in
building this articulation can write to info@wsf.be
(in English, Spanish,
French or Dutch).
More
information about the preparations in Belgium can be found at www.wsf.be (in
French and Dutch).
Address:
9 Quai du Commerce 1000 Bruxelles Tél: +32.(0)2.250.12.68 Fax: +32.(0)2.250.12.63
*Catalonia*
Barcelona
will host a Catalan Social Forum from *January 26 to 27, 2008*. It is being organized
by more than hundred Catalan organisations, covering a broad diversity of
sectors and issues. Concretely, it will be carried out activities like
seminars and workshops about the impacts of capitalist globalisation in
various aspects of life and the alternatives proposed by the social
movements. An assembly of social movements and a demonstration will also be
organised.
Further
information: http://www.forumsocialcatala.cat
*France*
Since
the first WSF in Porto Alegre, the main French Unions, Movements and NGOs have been
organising different meetings to prepare the World and European Social
Foruns. In 2003, these informal encounters became more regular with the
creation of the French Initiative Committee (CIF, in French) to prepare
the II European Social Forum, in Paris. Since this period, the CIF,
which is an open frame, became the main place in which the Social Forum
initiatives are discussed. During a meeting
held on September 4th, the CIF decided to write a French call (see inhttp://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/dinamic.php?pagina=appel_cif)
to encourage the
mobilisations for January 26 and start a discussion about the best way to assure
the best visibility, particularly in Paris. The discussion is going
on; new meeting will take place in October.
*AMERICAS*
An
Americas Social Forum (ASF) preparation meeting was held in Guatemala
on September 11th and
12th. In which regards January 26th, some initiatives at continental level
were reported, like those of Hemispheric Social Alliance and Via
Campesina/CLOC. Launching of ASF is scheduled for October, when the call for the global
day of mobilisation and action will also be reinforced. Besides this,
meetings to organise and coordinate several initiatives being prepared will be
held in the next two months at Chile and Ecuador.
Download
further information on the 2008 Americas Social Forum here:
English
-http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/download/III%20FSA%20-%20GT08en.pdf
Spanish
-http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/download/III%20FSA%20-%20GT08es.pdf
Further
information on ASF process: www.forosocialamericas.org
*Brazil*
On
August 2nd the launch of the global day of mobilisation and action took
place during the
2nd North-eastern Social Forum, in Salvador, Bahia, when a wide dissemination
of this initiative was done as well as a large distribution of
printed folders about the journey.
The
2008 mobilisation was also a main subject during the first preparatory meeting towards WSF
2009, in Amazon. The meeting, held in Belem, in August 9 and 10, was
attended by more than 100 people from many organisations, movements and
networks of the Pan Amazon region. A workgroup integrating entities from the
Pan-Amazon region was formed to prepare an action plan for January 26th and
also mobilisation for WSF 2009. Among the proposals that were made for 2008,
there is the preparation of water caravans in several states of the
Amazon region, besides demonstrations and other actions.
At this
meeting, a mobilisation schedule <http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/noticias_01.php?cd_news=2393&cd_language=2>towards
2008
was prepared, containing several events and mobilisations carried out until
the end of December 2007 by the organisations, movements
and
networks that act in Amazon. Those events will be moments in which the several social
actors and actresses commit to disseminate the mobilisation day and the WSF
process.
Other
activities being organised in Brazil, which are as well prepared under the framework of
the mobilisation week, are:
**Distrito Federal*
National
Congress of the Central of Popular Movements
Date: *January 25th to 27th 2008*
Venue: Brasilia
**Paraná*
Mercosul
Social Forum
Date: *from January 26th to 29th
2008*
Venue: Curitiba
Site: http://www.forumsocialdomercosul.org/
**Rio de Janeiro*
The
World Social Forum Rio Committee is organising a big event on January 26th, in the sea
edge. The event intends to promote the junction between culture and
politics in the struggle for another possible world. Social movements members,
artists, intellectuals and other individuals are taking part of the whole
mobilisation process. There will be debates, musical groups and drama
presentations, dance, poetry, space for solidarity economy etc. To mobilise
the population and groups, communities and social movements to participate in
the global day, there will be events carried out beforehand.
Cultural and debate meetings will take place at the Circo Voador on *October 16th* –
focused on social mobilisation - and *December 10th* –focused on human
rights.
**Sao Paulo*
Assembly
of the Global Campaign for Education
Date:
*January 22nd to 24th 2008*
Venue:
Sao Paulo
*ASIA*
*India*
Organisations,
groups, movements and networks linked to the WSF in India held a meeting on
the days of *August 10th and 11th* to, among other points, discuss the
mobilisation for 2008. The meeting
endorsed WSF India's participation in the call. It was felt by
participants
that a mix of activities should be planned that would include:
1)
Decentralised activities by organisations linking together at local, state and regional
levels;
2) A few selected events/ activities that are conceived and
co-ordinated by WSF India. WSF India can also act as a resource centre for
the decentralised activities. It was also felt that thisopportunity could
be utilised to contact all WSF India partners and also conduct an
evaluation of the WSF process in India, as perceived by organisations who
have been part of the process. Participants also felt that the nationally
co-ordinated call could link with ongoing struggles and actions against
globalisation. It was decided that the main slogans around which the
activities could be conducted would be:
1) against war;
2) against globalisation and
privatisation.
At the meeting, two subgroups were formed, that will work by
e-mail to detail the Indian participation in the several actions. A new
meeting to deepen the actions planning is set to be held in *October 5th and 6th*.
*South Korea*
Between
August 30th and September 2nd, in the capital Seoul, a forum that gathered several
social movements was held (*see information on this event at*
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/download/SMF_EN.doc).
Participating movements made the
commitment of prioritizing the global day of mobilisation and action in their
agendas.
*Actions organised
in world level*
*Campaign Act
Together – Housing for All!*
Various
international networks that develop and organise campaigns and events for housing
and land rights are taking part of this action. It will
last
four months: from *October 1st 2007*, International Housing and Land Rights Day and/or
the celebration of the Habitat Day, until January 26 2008, with the global day
of mobilisation and action within the WSF process. Further information
can be found on the site:
http://campaign.hic-net.org/and
in
http://www.hic-net.org/articles.asp?PID=803
The
world campaign is the result of a joint initiative from the networks Habitat
International Coallition (HIC), International Alliance of Inhabitants (IAI)
and Forum of Local Authorities, consolidated at the WSF 2007 in Nairobi.
Since then, it has been supported by other networks worldwide.
Inside
of this campaign, each network is invited to organize actions around specific issues
linked to land and housing rights. IAI, for instance, is
organizing
along this October up to January 26th the World Zero Evictions Days for secure
housing rights. This campaign will have different actions like
demonstrations, press conferences, meetings and occupations.
Click
on the links below for further information:
*English*:
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/dinamic.php?pagina=inv_habitants_en
*Spanish*:
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/dinamic.php?pagina=inv_habitants_es
*French*:
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/dinamic.php?pagina=inv_habitants_fr
*Italian*:
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/dinamic.php?pagina=inv_habitants_it
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