Polycentric World Social Forum 2006
Next year’s World Social Forum (WSF) will take place in a decentralized fashion in 3 different parts of the developing world: Mali, Pakistan and Venezuela. From 19- 31 January 2006, each region will make theirs the slogan “Another World is Possible”.
The International Alliance Against Hunger participated in the 2005 World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where it was involved in two seminars. One focused on the potential role of civil society in influencing government in the implementation of policies and strategies for hunger and poverty reduction and the other provided an opportunity for existing National Alliances to share their success stories with other groups.
The decision of having a polycentric WSF in 2006 was made by the International Council of the WSF during the last WSF in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2005. In following meetings of the Council, a polycentric methodology was designed including key aspects such as the need to hold regional consultations in order to determine the thematic areas to be discussed during each meeting, stimulate the merging of self-organized activities, promote articulations among organizations and propose communication spaces, where interconnections among the three events can be made.
The main topics to be discussed during the meetings of each Social Forum will tackle regional concerns identified during consultations held during 2005 in each region.
Bamako, Mali
1. War and Militarization-Security and Peace
2. Globalized liberalism
3. Aggressions against peasantry
4. Alliance between patriarchal and neo liberalism systems, and marginalisation of women’s fight
5. Culture, Media and Communication
6. Destruction of ecosystems, biological diversity, and resources control
7. International order
8. International trade, debt and economic and social policies
9. Social fights, social and human rights, social organisations, and political rights
Karachi, Pakistan
1. Imperialism, militarization and armed conflicts in the region and peace movements
2. Natural resources Rights, peoples’ control & privatization, and Trans- boundary disputes
3. Trade Development and globalization
4. Social Justice Human Rights and Governance
5. State and religion, pluralism and fundamentalism
6. Nation, nationalities and ethnic and cultural identifies
7. Development strategies, poverty unemployment and displacement
8. Peoples’ movements and alternative strategies
9. Women, patriarchy and social change
10. Environment, ecology and livelihoods
Caracas, Venezuela
1. Power, policies and fight for emancipation
2. Imperial strategies and peoples’resistance
3. Resources and right to life: alternatives to the predatory civilization model
4. Diversities, identities and Cosmo visions in movement
5. Work, exploitation and reproduction of life
6. Communication, culture and education: dynamics and democratizing alternatives
The World Social Forum is an annual event which gathers civil society organizations and movements from all around the world in a democratic debate. It is deliberately scheduled to take place parallel to the World Economic Forum held in Davos to debate on alternative ways of globalization. The organization of the Social Forum is intended to be as open and horizontal as possible fostering participation of all organizations and movements engaged in ending poverty, fighting for human rights and protecting the environment.
Read the article published in our April 2005 update on the outcomes of the last WSF.
For more information on the World Social Forum in:
Caracas, Venezuela visit http://www.forosocialmundial.org.ve
Karachi, Pakistan http://www.wsf2006karachi.org/
Bamako, Mali http://www.fsmmali.org/
For general information on the World Social Forum please click here.
