Public consultation on the 2011 axes

The International Council of the World Social Forum and the African Social Forum and the Senegalese Organizing Committee launch a public consultation until September 10th to finalize the thematic axes of the centralized edition of the WSF, to be held in Dakar, Senegal, on February 06-11 2011. This methodological proposal was defined after Mumbai (Maharashtra, India), five years ago. Its main goals are to give a structure to the physical space of the WSF, in relation to the distribution of the self-organized activities, and contribute to facilitate the communication between organizations, networks and movements, groups and campaigns participating in the WSF process, reaching greater convergence and articulation between them.

This consultation moment was therefore prepared after the three structuring strategic axes of the 2011 event:

1)To strengthen the offensive capacity against neoliberal capitalism and its instruments;

2)To deepen struggles and resistances against capitalism, imperialism and oppression;

3)To propose democratic and people's alternatives

The Dakar Social Forum proposes 11 thematic axes taking into account the current international context and the context of the movements' organized struggles and of themes related to Africa. The organizers proposes:

1.For a human society founded on common principles and values of dignity, diversity, justice, equality between all human beings, regardless of genders, cultures, age, disabilities, religious beliefs, health status, and for the elimination of all forms of oppression and discrimination based on racism, xenophobia, caste system, sexual orientation and others.

2.For environmental justice, for universal and sustainable access of humanity to the common goods, for the preservation of the planet as source of life, especially land, water, forests, renewable energy sources and biodiversity, guaranteeing the rights of indigenous, traditional, native, autochthonous and original peoples, their territories, resources, languages, cultures, identities and knowledge.

3.For the applicability and effectivity of all human rights – economic, social, cultural, environmental, civil and political rights – particularly the rights to land, food sovereignty, food, social protection, health, education, housing, employment, decent work, communication, cultural and political expression.

4.For the freedom of movement and establishment of all, especially migrants and asylum-seekers, trafficked people, refugees, indigenous, original, native, autochthonous and original peoples, minorities, people under occupation and people in situations of war and conflict, and for the respect of their civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.

5.For the inalienable right of people to the cultural patrimony of humanity, for the democratization of knowledges, cultures, communication and technologies, valuing the common goods, for visibilizing subjugated knowledges, towards the ending of hegemonic knowledge and of the privatization of knowledge and technologies, fundamentally changing the system of intellectual property rights.

6.For a world freed from the values and structures of capitalism, of patriarchal oppression, of all forms of domination from financial powers, transnational corporations and unequal systems of trade, colonial and debt domination.

7.For the construction of a social, solidary and emancipatory economy, with sustainable patterns of production and consumption and with a system of fair trade, putting at the heart of its priorities the fundamental needs of peoples and the respect for nature, ensuring systems of global redistribution with global taxes and without tax havens.

8.For the construction and expansion of democratic, political, economic structures and institutions, at a local, national and international level, with the participation of the people in decision-making and in the control of public affairs and of resources, respecting people’s diversity and dignity.

9.For the construction of a global order based on peace, justice and human security, the rule of law, ethics, sovereignty and self-determination of peoples, condemning economic sanctions and in favor of international rules for the arms trade.

10.For the valuing of the histories and the struggles of Africa and the diaspora and their contribution to humanity, recognizing the violence of colonialism.

11.For collective reflection on our movements, the World Social Forum process itself and our perspectives for the future

The registration and the agglutination of self-determination activities will start after this consultation.

See if your organization's struggles are contemplated above and send contributions up until September 10th to: consultation@forumsocialmundial.org.br