• meeting 2015 in Lucknow september 2013

last modified September 20, 2013 by facilitfsm

meeting2015 lucknow 2013 minutes

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: WSF India <socialforum.ind at gmail.com>
Date: 17 September 2013 12:36
Subject: [wsf-India-2013] Decisions-Lucknow consultation of the social forum process in India

Preview of the decisions taken in the 4th All India Consultation on the social forum process in India, held in Lucknow, UP state, on 15th September 2013. 

Over 65 participants from different states in India participated in the 4th all India consultation held in Lucknow, UP state, on 15th September 2013. The earlier consultations were held in Chennai (3 August 2013), and Delhi (May 18th 2013 and 12th March, 2013).

The Lucknow meeting began with a homage to Vinod Raina who has been one of the core members of the social forum process, who passed away recently.

In total over 200 organisations have participated in the discussions so far. In all the consultations there was almost total unanimity that there is a need to revive the social forum process in India, that it is useful and relevant to do so. It was felt that it is necessary to organize an event, or more than one, to facilitate this, and that at least one of these events has to be international in scope.

The Lucknow meeting took the process of decision making forward. While the minutes and list of participants in the Lucknow are still being prepared, the main decisions of the consultation held on Sept 15th, are given here:

1.    Indian organizations will prepare a proposal expressing willingness to the International Council of the WSF to host the World Social Forum 2015 in India. There are other countries too which are interested in hosting the event, and there are proposals to make it a polycentric event; Indian organizations will only submit a proposal and let a collective dialogue decide on the best possible form and venue/s in the current global context.

2.    In 2013 a South Asian Forum India is proposed to be held in India, in Lucknow, capital of the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. A group of facilitators in Lucknow will start a broader process of outreach with other organizations in UP, and a decision will be taken wrt dates, venue, office, budget, organizational set up, etc.

3.    The Dhaka organizing team, and the earlier South Asia Organising Committee, set up before the Dhaka event will be contacted to explore the possibility of organizing a South Asia social forum committee meeting in Kathmandu as soon as possible. There have been discussions with some of the organizations in other South Asian countries, including Dhaka, where the last South Asian Forum was held last year. Organisations in Nepal that have been attending the meetings in India will take the initiative to get in touch with other organizations in Nepal.

4.    The next India meeting will be on 19th October 2103, in Delhi, in which the necessary documents, and the process of setting up the various groups and organizational preparedness to host the South Asia Forum and to prepare a proposal for the WSF 2015 to be sent to the International Council, will be taken forward. It is hoped that a large number of networks, unions, sectoral organizations, NGOs, research institutions, media organizations etc make it convenient to attend the Delhi meeting.