World Social Forum

More than 100 people of many entities from Amazonia countries, International Council and Americas Social Forum's Hemispheric Council took part on August 9 – 10 in the first meeting to prepare the organisation of WSF to be held in January 2009 in Belem. The meeting had two main agendas: the preparation for the week and day of mobilisation and global action (January 26 2008) and discussions on the first initiatives towards 2009 event organisation.

In regards to the mobilisation journey, one of the immediate results were a first schedule systematising an agenda of events and mobilisations to be held by organisations, movements, networks acting in Amazonia (see the complete and updated document on the website, in the section Agenda of Events and Mobilisations > Upcoming Calls for Action). These events will be moments, in which diverse social actors will disseminate information on the day of mobilisation and global action, as well as on World Social Forum in Amazonia. At the meeting were debated various initiatives to be developed in this journey of struggles. It was highlighted: boat caravans, marches, parades, artistic-cultural demonstrations (movies, theatre performances etc.).

A broad working group have been constituted in this meeting to depth-in the activities preparation for January 2008 and also those towards WSF 2009 in Belem. Some of them: encourage WSF mobilisation committees set up in states, to think on activities to disseminate WSF process in whole Amazonian region and organise caravans of participants abroad Belem.

WSF Amazon concept and relation with Pan Amazonian SF
During the meeting, It was agreed that, in a WSF in the Amazonian region, the struggles, campaigns, subjects and concerns that emerges from the local should be a reference in the event and in the organisation process, as well as the need to take place a Pan Amazonian Social Forum to highlight amazonian issues at the WSF agenda.

At the same time, it was underlined that, even if the basis is Amazonian, the WSF must be global. Other strategical issues will point out in accordance to the diversity of countries and local, thematic and regional forums from many parts of the world (Africa, Asia, Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle Eastern, Latin America and North America). As well as WSF issues will be defined in the way to call and encourage discussions of whole world, letting link with problems from Amazonian region.

A second working group, Methodology/program, was set up to, from proposals made during the meeting, depth-in the debate and elaborate until October a proposal of how to do this link between world and amazonian issues, as well as between WSF and V Pan Amazonian Social Forum. It was agreed also that WSF in Amazon will not be tight to the environmental issues and it should be a space, in which mostly, Amazonians speak on Amazon to the world and not the opposite.

Moreover, the working groups (WG) of mobilisation and methodology/program, were set up two other WG: communication, information and memory; and on logistics (infrastructure) and resources for WSF 2009. All the four WGs set up will meet in a seminar at the end of October, just before WSF International Council meeting, in which a set of amazonian proposals on WSF 2009 will be presented to the delegates from more than 150 international entities member of this council.

See also:
- WSF Process - Upcoming calls for action towards 2008 and 2009
- Towards WSF 2009, in Amazon