• event2017 fearlesscities municipalist summit program en

last modified June 9, 2017 by facilitfsm


 FRIDAY  -  SATURDAY  -  SUNDAY -   SIDE EVENTS

 

www.fearlesscities.com

streaming

public sessions of the summit will be streamed online.

about fearless cities international municipalist summit

in a world in which fear and insecurity are being twisted into hate, and inequalities, xenophobia and authoritarianism are on the rise, towns and cities are standing up to defend human rights, democracy and the common good.

in europe, refuge cities are welcoming refugees fleeing war and terror, and pushing national governments and the european union to do more to prevent death at the continent’s borders.

in the united states, cities are on the front line of resistance to trump, standing up for diversity, women’s and lgbti rights, and working to tackle climate change. sanctuary cities gained global admiration for recognizing the contributions and rights of undocumented residents and protecting them from deportation.

in turkey and syria, kurdish cities are a beacon of participatory democracy, feminism and human rights in a sea of violence and discrimination.

in latin america, new municipalist movements are springing up and working to fight poverty and inequality by building economic alternatives from below.

in hong kong, young democracy activists have been elected to the city legislature, where they are speaking out against chinese state repression and censorship.

democracy was born at local level, and that’s where we can win it back.

now is the time to demonstrate the potential of towns and cities to resist hate and to spur democratic transformation across the world. in the face of hate, walls and borders, we will build global networks of solidarity and hope among city halls and citizens.

see you in barcelona from 9-11 of june for fearless cities, the international municipalist summit, organized by barcelona en comú.

ada colau mayor of barcelona

ada colau is the first woman to be elected mayor of barcelona, as part of the citizen municipal platform barcelona en comú. she studied philosophy at the university of barcelona and rose to national and international prominence as a housing rights activist in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis as one of the founders of the mortgage victims platform (pah).

manuela carmena mayor of madrid

manuela carmena is a magistrate and judge. she has been mayor of madrid since 2015, when she was elected as part of the citizen platform ahora madrid. in 1965 she founded the employment law firm of atocha (madrid) where, in 1977, an attack by the far right killed many of her colleagues. she represented workers and detainees during the franco regime and went on to serve as spokeswoman for the general council of the judicial brank and representative in the basque country, judge dean of madrid and judge of penitentiary surveillance, as well as representing spain in the un working group on arbitrary detention. in 2010 she retired and then ‘unretired’ to work for the victims of police abuse in the committee of the human rights section of the justice department of the basque government.

éric piolle mayor of grenoble (france)

éric piolle was fired as a senior manager at hewlett-packard company for refusing to set up a relocation plan away from grenoble. he has co-founded an association to support the children of undocumented immigrants and the roosevelt 2012 collective, which works for the social and ecological transformation of economy. piolle was elected mayor of grenoble in 2014 with the support of the eelv, the parties parti de gauche, les alternatifs and the anticapitalist left, and two local associations, ades and the citizen network.

jorge sharp  mayor of valparaíso (chile)

jorge sharp took a degree in law at the pontificia universidad católica de valparaíso and active in the chilean student movement for affordable education of 2006. he was one of the founders of movimiento izquierda autónoma. in 2016 he won a ‘citizen primary’ process to stand for mayor of chile’s second city, valparaíso. as mayor he has opened a popular pharmacy co-managed by residents that has reduced prices by 90%.

luigi de magistrismayor of naples (italy)

luigi de magistris is a former public prosecutor, known for standing up against corruption and the mafia. as mayor he has appointed a “commons advisor” to his government and pioneered innovative initiatives to reverse processes of privatization and protect the urban commons. in 2017 he obtained the ‘valerioti-impastato’ award for his work against crime and corruption.

rena dourou regional governor of attica (greece)

rena dourou is a political scientist with a background in the anti-globalization movement. dourou took office as governor in september 2014, representing the coalition of the radical left (syriza), and increased social welfare spending to establish food banks, health care for the uninsured. she also ordered tens of thousands of residents disconnected from electricity to be reconnected.

jesse arreguin mayor de berkeley (california)

jesse arreguin was elected as berkeley’s mayor on november 8, 2016, and is the city’s first latino and youngest elected mayor in a century. arreguin began his career on the berkeley housing advisory commission, where he helped secure funding for hundreds of new affordable units, strengthened inclusionary housing policies, and fought for city funding for student cooperative housing. in 2004, arreguin was elected citywide to serve on the rent stabilization board, where he strengthened renter protections to help keep families in their homes. from 2008-2016, arreguin served on the city council where he fought for tenants, immigrants, and civil liberties.

helen gymcouncilor, philadelphia (usa)

helen gym is a community and education leader and the first asian-american woman to serve on the philadelphia city council. as a councilwoman, her primary concern is addressing widespread poverty in philadelphia, particularly through an emphasis on building a quality public education system. gym’s political vision is rooted in her organizing background. for over 20 years she has been a leader in some of philadelphia’s most prominent campaigns, including the opposition to a proposed stadium and casino, the founding of a public school serving immigrant children and families, and campaigns around human rights issues in immigration and deportation.

ritchie torres deputy leader, new york city council

ritchie torres was elected in november 2013 to represent the 15th council district in the central bronx. as chair of the council’s committee on public housing, council member torres oversees the new york city housing authority (nycha), the largest provider of affordable housing in the usa. he has introduced and enacted legislation on a wide range of issues including expanding job opportunities for public housing residents; protecting the city’s affordable housing stock and improving mental health resources for the lgbt community. torres is a leading voice on issues related to affordable and public housing, police reform, school integration and youth civic engagement. the youngest member of the city council, council member torres is a rising star in city politics and has been profiled by numerous media outlets including new yorker magazine, new york times, newsweek, observer, daily news and others.

vandana shiva philosopher and activist

vandana shiva is a scholar, environmentalist and feminist. through her books biopiracy, stolen harvest and water wars, dr. shiva has made visible the social, economic and ecological costs of corporate-led globalization. in 1991 she founded navdanya, a movement to protect biodiversity, especially native seed, in india. dr. shiva is a founding board member of the women environment and development organization (wedo) and chairs the commission on the future of food set up by the region of tuscany in italy. she is also a  board member of the international forum on globalisation (igf) and a member of the steering committee of the indian people’s campaign against the wto.

dolors sabater mayor of badalona

dolors sabater is an educationalist specialized in special education, who worked as a teacher until her election as mayor of badalona as part of the citizen municipal platform ‘guanyem badalona en comú in 2015. as an activist, she has defended linguistic and political rights from the resistance to the franco dictatorship to the present day. sabater has worked in many areas of community action in badalona, including youth participation, anti-militarism, peace education and environmentalism. in recent years her activism has focused on the rights of people with functional diversity, mobility, social cohesion to combat racism and xenophobia and the campaign against fascism in city halls.

xulio ferreiromayor of a coruña

xulio ferreiro was elected as mayor of a coruña, galicia in 2015 as part of the citizen municipal platform “marea atlántica”. a lawyer by profession, after working on research projects in germany, the usa, chile and belgium, he began his career as a university professor in 2012. between 2012 and 2015 he was substitute judge for the provincial court of lugo. his government has introduced a municipal income to tackle exclusion and poverty and has put an end to waste dumping, a problem left unresolved in a coruña for decades. it has also opened up its budget to citizen participation. ferreiro holds monthly “dillo ti” meetings with residents in the neighbourhoods of the city.

debbie bookchinjournalist

debbie bookchin is an author and award-winning investigative journalist who has written for the atlantic, the nation, the new york times, and numerous other publications. she was press secretary for u.s. presidential candidate bernie sanders for three years when he served in the u.s. house. she co-edited a recent book of essays by her father, murray bookchin, called the next revolution: popular assemblies and the promise of direct democracy (verso 2015).

áurea carolina de freitas councilor of belo horizonte (brazil)

áurea carolina de freitas is a political scientist specialized in gender and equality. her activism began in the streets, in dialogue with the hip hop movement and with various citizen initiatives to promote human rights. she has held the positions of undersecretary of policies for women of minas gerais and is one of the founders of the youth forum of greater belo horizonte. she participates in the municipal movement muitas pela cidade que queremos and was the most voted candidate to the belo horizonte city hall in 2016, where she aims to strengthen the struggle for the rights of historically marginalized groups, such as women, young people and the black community. among her priorities are the right to occupy public space and the promotion of citizen participation in politics.

caren tepp councilor of rosario (argentina)

caren tepp is president and councilor of the municipalist movement ciudad futura. she has been active in movements for self-management, the cooperative economy and land rights in rosario. one of her main lines of work in ciudad futura is on strengthening its anti-inflation cooperative, misión anti-inflación.

gala pin  councilor for participation, barcelona

gala pin is a founding member of the citizen municipal platform barcelona en comú and councilor for participation and the historic centre of barcelona. resident in barcelona since 2003, pin was involved in the struggle for the right to housing through the mortgage victims platform (pah). she has worked on issues of internet rights and freedoms and the practice of technopolitics and online democracy since 2009. as city councilor, one of her priorities is tackling the problem of unlicensed tourist apartments in the city centre that are forcing local residents out of the neighbourhood.

fatima taleb councilor for participation, badalona

fàtima taleb is a cultural mediator with studies in modern literature, who was elected badalona’s first muslim councilor as part of the citizen municipal platform ‘guanyem badalona en comú’ in 2015. she worked for over 15 years in mediation, diversity management and conflict resolution. at city level, she has volunteered in various social and interreligious projects and groups working. in 2012 she coordinated the project ‘construïm barri’ to promote peaceful coexistence and multiculturalism in badalona.

laura pérez councilor for feminisms and lgbti, barcelona

laura pérez is councilor for the citizen municipal platform barcelona en común. previously, she worked on tourism development strategies in peru and bolivia, municipalism in ecuador, economic and political rights of women in guatemala and el salvador, and on the eradication of sexual violence in public space with un women. she had also worked as a researcher in the program of city studies at the latin american faculty of social sciences. as a councilor she has led the creation of a department for gender mainstreaming, which aims to ensure that gender equality is a central goal of all action at city hall.

gerardo pisarello first deputy mayor of barcelona

gerardo pisarello is responsible for economy, work and strategic planning at barcelona city hall as part of the barcelona en comú government. he was previously professor in constitutional law at the university of barcelona and one of the founders of procés constituent, a catalan movement for a bottom-up process to create a republic for the 99%.

chloe eudaly commissioner, portland (usa)

bookseller, publisher, writer, and activist chloe eudaly is only the 8th woman to be elected to portland city council in its over 100-year history. eudaly came of age as an activist during the first gulf war and has been involved in a variety of social, economic, and environmental justice causes ever since. she has advocated for disability rights, with a focus on school and community inclusion for over a decade. in 2015, she created an online group devoted to exploring gentrification, displacement, affordable housing and tenants’ rights, called the shed. it was her involvement in this group and the larger housing advocacy community that inspired her to run for city council in 2016.

stay tuned! if you want to recieve further information about the event, send us a whatsapp with the words “fearless cities” to this number +34 693594386

if you need more information about the fearless cities summit, write to us at fearlesscities at bcnencomu.cat

for media enquiries, write to premsa at bcnencomu.cat

if you’re part of a citizen municipal platform and you want more information about barcelona en comú you can contact our international committee at global at bcnencomu.cat

 

FRIDAY PROGRAM 

19 - 21h         

fearless cities: global networks of refuge and hope

ada colau, mayor of barcelona

manuela carmena, mayor of madrid

éric piolle, mayor of grenoble (france)

rena dourou, regional governor of attica (greece)

jorge sharp, mayor of valparaíso (chile)

dolors sabater, mayor of badalona

jesse arreguin, mayor of berkeley, california (usa)

dejla hamo, co-mayor of derik, rojava

gerardo pisarello, deputy mayor of barcelona

xulio ferreiro, mayor of a coruña

pedro santisteve, mayor of zaragoza

martiño noriega, mayor of santiago de compostela

caren tepp, councilor of rosario (argentina)

andrea reimer, councilor of vancouver (canada)

helen gym, councilor of philadelphia (usa)

áurea carolina de freitas, councilor of belo horizonte (brazil)

SATURDAY PROGRAM  

mayors and local leaders come together to share their vision of what it means to be a “fearless city”, from resisting state authoritarianism and combatting the far right to fighting speculation and guaranteeing the right to the city.

location: plaça dels àngels, 08001 barcelona

09:00 - 10:00 

opening plenary: municipalism and the feminization of politics

10:00 - 12:00 

welcome to barcelona! in our opening plenary we’ll explain the goals of the fearless cities international municipalist summit and discuss how municipalism can help us to feminize politics and democratize democracy.

speakers:

laura pérez, councilor for feminisms and lgbti, barcelona

workshop 6: organizing a municipalist platform: structure and confluence (es)

room 3 40p

10:00 - 12:00 

this workshop will focus on how to build a strong organization with effective, democratic decision-making. it will focus on organizational structures, information flows and on how to integrate people from parties and social movements.

speakers

susanna segovia, executive board, barcelona en comú, barcelona

caren tepp, councilor for ciudad futura, rosario city hall

anna pérez català, guanyem badalona en comú, badalona

mariano fernandez, marea atlántica, a corunha

policy roundtable 15: mobility and pollution

room 7 60p en

10:00 - 12:00 

this roundtable will present several ecofeminist mobility policies and discuss their role in combatting pollution while creating post-car cities.

speakers

janet sanz, fifth deputy mayor for ecology, urban planning and mobility, barcelona

olga margalef, plataform for air quality, catalonia

andrea reimer, councilor for environmental action, vancouver city council

silvia casorrán, platform for the promotion of public transport, catalonia

javier miranda baz, ahora madrid and m129, madrid

policy roundtable 13: commons

room 6 60p en

10:00 - 12:00 

what are the urban commons and how should they be governed? this workshop will present models that go beyond the public-private dichotomy from cities around the world.

speakers

anne-sophie olmos, councilor for public management and procurement, grenoble city council

giuseppe micciarelli, massa critica, naples

mayo fuster, procomuns.net, wikipedia

mauro castro, la hidra cooperativa, barcelona

sylvia fredriksson, remix the commons

policy roundtable 20: remunicipalization (es)

room 5  60p ES

10:00 - 12:00 

Policy debate on the advantages and challenges of deprivatizing public services, with examples of water, energy, etc.

Speakers
Eloi Badia, Councilor for Water and Energy, Barcelona City Council
María Sanchez, Councilor for Environment and Sustainability and spokesperson for Valladolid Toma la Palabra, Valladolid
Jordi Colomer, Advisor on Environment at Sabadell City Council
Lourdes Berdié, Network for Energy Sovereignty, Catalonia

 

workshop 10: municipalism for dummies

room 4

10:00 - 12:00 

New to municipalism? In this workshop we’ll explore the history and theory of municipalism, as well as its advantages compared to other political strategies. We’ll also introduce you to some of the municipal movements transforming their towns and cities around the world.

Speakers
Elisenda Alamany, Councilor for Decidim Castellar
Beppe Caccia, Venezia in Comune
Laura Roth, International Committee, Barcelona en Comú

 

workshop 2: social networks

room 2

10:00 - 12:00 

How can you use social media to win elections, engage your community and fight back against the mainstream media? This workshop will provide practical tools on how to communicate as a network to increase your movement’s reach and influence.

Speakers
Adrià Rodriguez Alós, Barcelona en Comú
Emma Avilés, 15M activist

 

workshop 7: municipalism in towns and rural areas

room 1  40 EN ES

12:00 - 12:30 

This workshop will explore the main opportunities and challenges of standing for office and governing in small towns and rural areas and provide practical advice from municipal movements in Catalonia and the UK.

Speakers
Pamela Barrett
, Mayor of Buckfastleigh, Founder of Buckfastleigh Independence Group
Mercè Amich Vidal
, Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), Councilor for Youth and Equality at Celrà City Council
Marina Vicen, Vecinos por Torrelodones, Councilor for Youth and Education, Torrelodones City Council

 

Break

12:30 - 14:30 

policy roundtable 11: housing, gentrification and tourism

room 7

12:30 - 14:30 

Speculation on the housing market is a problem in cities across the world. Rents are rising and residents are being pushed out of their neighbourhoods. The increasing use of housing stock for short-term tourist rentals is making this even worse in many cities. How can we guarantee the right to housing in the age of Airbnb?

Speakers
Paula Marques
, Councilor for Housing and Urban Development, Lisbon
Andrej Holm, Professor at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Vanesa Valiño, Advisor of the Housing Department, Barcelona City Council
Rocío Novello, Councilor for Ciudad Futura, Rosario City Hall
Loïc Géronnez, Community Land Trust Brussels
Ritchie Torres, Deputy Leader, New York City Council
Chloe Eudaly, Commissioner, Portland City Council, Oregon   EN

 

policy roundtable 18: transparency and the fight against corruption (es)

room 6

12:30 - 14:30  ES

Presentation of projects by city halls and social movements to fight corruption at local level, including Barcelona’s whistleblower mailbox.

Speakers
Jaume Asens,
 Fourth Deputy Mayor for Civil Rights, Participation and Transparency, Barcelona City Council
Eulàlia Reguant
, MP in the Catalan Parliament, Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP)
Yago Álvarez
, Municipalist Network Against Illegitimate Debt and Cuts
Simona Levi, Xnet
Ana Taboada, Somos Oviedo

 

policy roundtable 16: public space

room 5

12:30 - 14:30  EN

Debate on how to create inclusive public spaces with a feminist, intercultural perspective. Featuring Superblocks from Barcelona.

Speakers
Francesc Magrinyà
, District Councilor, Barcelona City Council
Raquel Rolnik, Architect and urbanist
Laura Calbet, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS)
Ksenija Radovanovic, Ne Davimo Beograd (Don’t Let Belgrade Drown), Belgrade
Iva Marcetic, Zagreb Je Nasz (Zagreb is Ours), Zagreb

 

policy roundtable 17: radical democracy in the city council

room 4 EN

12:30 - 14:30 

Debate on the challenges, limits and opportunities of direct democracy and participatory budgeting at local level.

Speakers
Elvira Vallés
, Zaragoza City Council
Bernardo Gutiérrez, MediaLab Prado, Madrid
Gala Pin, Councilor for Participation and Districts, Barcelona City Council
Brad Lander, Deputy Leader for Policy, New York City Council

 

workshop 3: social networks (es)

room 2

12:30 - 14:30  ES

How can you use social media to win elections, engage your community and fight back against the mainstream media? This workshop will provide practical tools on how to communicate as a network to increase your movement’s reach and influence.

Speakers
Javier Toret, Barcelona en Comú
Marta G Franco, Ahora Madrid

 

workshop 8: creating non-state institutions

room 1

12:30 - 14:30  EN

This workshop will discuss how to create non-state institutions (schools, kindergartens, cultural centres, alternative economy networks, health projects, universities, etc) as part of the construction of municipal commons.

Speakers
Sacajawea Hall
, Cooperation Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
Mauro Pinto, Massa Crítica, Naples
Halide Turkoglu, Women’s Assembly, Kurdistan

 

workshop 5: organizing a municipalist platform: structure and confluence

room 3 EN

17:00 - 19:00 

This workshop will focus on how to build a strong organization with effective, democratic decision-making. It will focus on organizational structures, information flows and on how to integrate people from parties and social movements.

Speakers
Yolanda Sánchez
, Barcelona en Comú, Barcelona
Emine Özmen, Vice Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party, Kurdistan
Adriana Manzoni
, Massa Critica, Naples
Kali Akuno, Cooperation Jackson, Mississippi

 

public panel debate: democracy from the bottom up: municipalism and other stories

19:00 - 20:00  EN ES

Around the world, movements and organizations are working, against the odds, to build a better democracy from the bottom up. They’re working in neighbourhoods, territories, urban peripheries and rural areas to set up new economic models, feminize politics and put care at the centre of the debate, and to protect the commons. They are the foundation of any cultural, political and economic transformation that seeks to be sustainable. In this panel we’ll discuss how municipalist and other grassroots movements work, their unique characteristics as compared to other strategies, and what relationship they should seek with state and transnational projects.

Speakers
Gala Pin
, Councilor for Participation, Barcelona City Council
Luigi Demagistris, Mayor of Naples
Hazna Youssef, Co-Chair of the Committee of Municipalities of Cizîre, Rojava
Ritchie Torres, Deputy Leader, New York City Council
Debbie Bookchin, Journalist and Writer
Iago Martínez, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office, A Coruña City Council
Chloe Eudaly, Commissioner, Portland City Council

 

free time

20:00 h           

dinner

SUNDAY PROGRAM

10:00 - 12:00 

policy roundtable 14: economy (es)

room 7

10:00 - 12:00 

Discussion on how to build feminist, environmentally sustainable economic alternatives at local level in a world of global financialized capitalism.

Speakers
Álvaro Porro
, Barcelona City Council
Isabel Álvarez, Municipalist Research and Support Network (Redinam)
Eric Griego, Director of the Working Families Party, New Mexico, USA
Susana Martín Belmonte, Social Currency Institute (INM)
Fernando Sabín, Mares Project of Madrid

 

policy roundtable 12: sanctuary and refuge cities

room 6

10:00 - 12:00 

While States build walls and fences, cities and towns are welcoming refugees and providing spaces of sanctuary to undocumented residents. Here we’ll discuss the role of cities and towns in challenging the rise of the far right and how local governments and social movements can work to protect human rights and forge inclusive, non-ethnocentric identities.

Speakers
Ignasi Calvó, Coordinator of the Refuge City Plan, Barcelona, Spain
Liora Danan, Chief Of Staff at NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, New York City
Daniel Gutierrez, Interventionistische Linke, Berlin
Xristina Moschovidou, Omnes voluntary association, Kilkis, Greece
Amélie Canonne, Emmaus International, Paris

 

policy roundtable 19: remunicipalization

room 5

10:00 - 12:00  EN

Policy debate on the advantages and challenges of deprivatizing public services, with examples of water, energy, etc.

Speakers
Carmine Piscopo,
 Naples City Council
Olivier Petitjean, Observatory on Multinationals
Claire Roumet, Director of Energy Cities
Pilar Castillejos, Councilor for Housing, Ripollet City Council

 

workshop 4: code of ethics and crowdfunding

room 1

10:00 - 12:00  EN

How can we make sure our elected representatives govern by obeying? This workshop will teach you how to draw up a code of ethics and introduce some of the main debates on term limits, salaries and accountability. It will also teach you how to crowdsource your funding to keep your candidacy independent from the banks and big businesses.

Speakers
Miguel Ongil, Cuentas Claras
Susi Capella Novejarque, València en Comú
Gemma Tarrafa, Barcelona en Comú
Joan Giner, Podemos Catalonia

 

workshop 1: how to create a participatory municipalist candidacy

room 2

10:00 - 12:00  EN

Participation is at the core of municipalism. This workshop will teach you how to set up neighbourhood assemblies, how to draw up a participatory manifesto and a code of ethics, how to combine online with face-to-face participation mechanisms and how to organize internal and primary elections.

Speakers
Jorge Sharp
, Mayor of Valparaíso, Chile
Claudia Delso Carreira, Councilor for Participation and Democratic Innovation, Marea Atlántica, A Corunha
David Balbás, Barcelona en Comú, Barcelona
Clare Walden, Take Back the City, London

 

workshop 9: creating non-state institutions (es)

room 1

10:00 - 12:00 

This workshop will discuss how to create non-state institutions (schools, kindergartens, cultural centres, alternative economy networks, health projects, universities, etc) as part of the construction of municipal commons.

Speakers
Pedro Salinas, Councilor for Ciudad Futura, Rosario City Council
Mariona Pascual, Councilor for the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), Sant Celoni City Council

 

workshop 21: how to create a participatory municipalist candidacy (es)

room 4

12:00 - 12:30 

Participation is at the core of municipalism. This workshop will teach you how to set up neighbourhood assemblies, how to draw up a participatory manifesto and a code of ethics, how to combine online with face-to-face participation mechanisms and how to organize internal and primary elections.

Speakers
Roberto Andres, MUITAS pela Cidade que Queremos, Belo Horizonte
Laura Bergés, Comú de Lleida, Lleida
Raül Sancho, Barcelona en Comú, Barcelona
Elisabet Sánchez, Vilaseca en Comú, Vilaseca

 

break

12:30 - 14:00 

closing plenary: international municipalism

We’ll close the Fearless Cities international municipalist summit by presenting a map of municipalist movements around the world and outlining how we can work as a network to support one another organizationally and politically over the coming months and years.

14:30  

lunch

18:00 - 20:00 

public panel debate: between neoliberalism and the far right: wtf?!

We’re living in times of crisis, times of breakdown. Inequalities are on the rise thanks to an economic system designed by and for the 1%. Citizens are questioning the ability of traditional parties and state institutions to respond to the demand for more and better democracy. Unfortunately, in many countries it’s the authoritarian right – the Trumps, Erdogans and Le Pens – that is best taking advantage of this desire for change, putting human rights, especially those of women and migrants, at risk. We need brave, transformative ideas that can offer an alternative to the politics of fear and to unchecked speculation. In this panel we’ll debate what these ideas might be.

Keynote address: 
Vandana Shiva, Philosopher and Activist

Speakers
Laura Pérez
, Councilor for Feminisms and LGBTI, Barcelona City Council
Valery Alzaga, Labour organizer and migrant rights activist
Rachel Heaton, Co-founder, Seattle NoDAPL Coalition
Fatima Taleb, 
Councilor for Participation, Badalona City Council
Ivan Lam Long-Yin, Standing Committee of Demosisto, Founding Convener of Scholarism, Hong Kong
Yayo Herrero, Anthropologist and Ecofeminist

 

 

Contact

Stay tuned! If you want to recieve further information about the event, send us a Whatsapp with the words “Fearless Cities” to this number +34 693594386

If you need more information about the Fearless Cities summit, write to us at fearlesscities a bcnencomu.cat

For media enquiries, write to premsa a  bcnencomu.cat

If you’re part of a citizen municipal platform and you want more information about Barcelona en Comú you can contact our International Committee at global a bcnencomu.cat

 

 side events

these side events have been organized by different organizations and are not part of the official programme of the meeting.

 

academic side-event: what about new municipalism? austerity, globalization and democracy (eng)

friday 9, 12 to 18. upf (university pompeu fabra), campus ciutadella. room tbc

new municipalism is spreading around the world as a political phenomenon, questioning traditional approaches and offering alternative solutions. this political process is calling the attention of scholars in different countries. in this opportunity, some of the leading researchers in the topic will be engaging in a deep debate about the role and potential of municipalism to foster democracy, to tackle the challenges of globalization and to deal with the negative consequences of austerity.

for further information or registration, please contact laura.roth a upf.edu or subirats9 a gmail.com

 

community strategies against institutional racism: civil society, strategic  litigation and municipal policies (eng)

saturday 10, 15 to 17. room 3

the deaths of idrissa diallo, samba martine and alik manukyan in spanish detention centers sparked new campaigns against institutional racism and racist policies in spain. in the following years, the arrival of citizen-led political organizations in the spanish institutional sphere promised a new tool with which to combat these policies with renewed strength.

though migration policy and citizenship tend to be competencies of the state and not municipal governments, cities can provide major instruments through which to protect the civil and political rights of immigrant communities and minorities. there are two main areas of intervention: a review of municipal public policies geared towards protecting civil and political rights, and a new understanding of the relationship between municipal governments, civil society and social movements as a tool for actively protecting the rights ofresidents facing raids, ethnic profiling, internment in immigrant detention centers, or expedited deportation.

this side event provides a space in which to exchange knowledge, strategies and experiences of struggle against institutional racism in various local contexts. a broad range of topics will be addressed with the hopes of developing a common narrative, building international and inter-municipal networks against institutional racism and strengthening cooperation between social movements, legal teams, cultural actors and city governments.

organized by metromuster

for further information or registration, please contact idrissa a metromuster.cc

 

is the municipalist cycle going forward? (es)

saturday 10, 15:30 to 17. room 6

 workshop on systematization of municipalist practices: the need for shared learning, building a dissemination network and militant research, collectively detecting strengths and weaknesses. municipalism understood as the construction of forms of (self) government in our territory to build agendas that sustain lives and not predatory economies. it is committed to the radical democratization of political and social institutions through practices that develop new commons.

introduction: ángel calle collado (redinam), iolanda fresnillo (ekona)

organized by redinam (research and support network for municipalism)

for further information or registration, please contact redinamnet a gmail.com

 

fearless media for change (eng)

saturday 10, 16:30 to 18:30. room 4

 in the frame of the meeting fearless cities, opendemocracy (uk/international), altermédias/basta! (france), and the “right to information” group of barcelona en comú are inviting independent media from europe and all over the world, as well as the journalists coming to barcelona to cover the fearless cities conference, to a fearless media side-event. in this meeting we’ll gather representatives of new media working to be the alternative to the hegemonic message of the mass media communication groups. during this meeting, we propose to:

– get to know each other and share on our common challenges and strategies as independent media

– explore ideas for further collaboration between us

– and in particular share our plans for reporting on the fearless cities meeting and explore how we could collectively support the “fearless cities” agenda through further reporting.

Organized by

for further information or registration, please contact fearlessmediabcn2017 a gmail.com

 

technology policy and the future of cities (es)

saturday 10, 17 to 19. room 3

 people who work in the municipalities of change and the municipalist movement linked to technology are gathering in barcelona ​​to think about the following questions: how can a technology policy help design a new future for the city? how are technologies transforming the ways of life and multiple domains of our society? what can be done in light of the proliferation of predatory platforms like uber or airbnb, which are undermining rights and reconfiguring our cities? how can new digital infrastructures deepen the principles of democratization / participation of the municipalist movement? what are the proposals of technology policy of municipalism? what horizons do we imagine for the next few years?

participation in this event does not require registration for those attending the fearless cities encounter.  unregistered people who wish to participate in this side event can contact bertran.laia a gmail.com

 

transition at the municipal level for the reconstruction of socio-ecological resilience (es)

saturday 10, 17 to 20. room 5

given the complexity of the global problems we face, a number of towns and cities are experimenting with approaches and tools based on the transition movement (linked to related movements such as degrowth, economy of the common good, ecovillages or permaculture), to help them move forward beyond the current paradigm, create a powerful vision based on local reality and trigger sustainable change.

this workshop aims to share existing practices of socio-ecological resilience at the municipal level that seek to address ecosocial problems such as climate change, the energy crisis or the increase of inequalities, and that are replicable and can serve as inspiration to all the participants. the overall goal is to facilitate networking and cooperative work, to generate successful, replicable examples.

please register here

 

race, migration, and the rise in white nationalism (eng)

saturday 10, 19 to 20. room 1

driven by demographic change, economic hoarding by the world’s wealthiest corporations, and migration spurred by war and climate change, white nationalism and the extreme politics of hate and exclusion are on the rise in america and across europe. this workshop will be a space to share experiences and to trade concrete examples how to fight back and win against extremism.

with the participation of rev. dewayne royster, pico network, america; neilni stamp, working families party, america; javier navarro, working families party, communications workers of america union; jennifer epps-addison (moderator), center for popular democracy, america

for further information or registration, please contact hvo a populardemocracy.org

 

municipalism and commons: realities or ilusions? (book presentation) (es)

sunday 11, 11 to 12. room 5

with the participation of the authors sandra ezquerra, rubén diaz, marta rivera, isabel álvarez, ángel calle

for further information or registration, please contact redinamnet a gmail.com

 

mobilizing for radical democratization in societies without visible crises (eng)

sunday 11, 16 to 18. room 1

all around the world we can see examples of cities and autonomous regions where social movements have risen, organizing and implementing bottom-up democratic structures. people are sick of the current system and have decided to unite and create a change in a time of crisis. what about us living in countries where there aren’t such visible crisis? we have problems with achieving equality and justice for all but we are not in the midst of war or economic turmoil. but we do indeed have different crisis in our societies, though they might not be as visible, are not felt by a majority or people are not yet acting together in large numbers.

how can we analyze our crisis and make them visible? how do we mobilize and act together on the issues we are facing in our societies? how can we engage people in the goal for a democratic society?

we are inviting fellow participants at the fearless cities forum from countries and cities with similar realities to discuss these questions and to exchange knowledge with each other. and of course anyone is welcome no matter what places they live in.

for further information or registration, please contact sannaghotbi05 a gmail.com

 

global trade and investment treaties that threaten local sovereignity (eng)

sunday 11, 16 to 18. room 3

introducing the work of the european ttip and ceta free zone network. how treaties such as ttip and ceta affect local sovereignties? (special focus on public services, energy, water). how can ceta, ttip and tisa impede remunicipalizations? local solutions and alternatives to the eu trade agenda. final statement, calendar and action plan to continue working with the network

organized by ttip free zones europe and campaña catalunya no al ttip (networks)

member organizers to host the event: entrepobles, ecologistes en acció, enginyeria sense fronteres (esf), transnational institute (tni), corporate europe observatory (ceo), attac austria, attac acordem

please register here

 

urban commons and citizen-led politics at the city level: a place for convergence? (eng)

friday 9, 16 to 18. barcelona en comú headquarters (marina, 133)

this side event is a combined proposal by representatives of the european commons assembly (eca) and the organizers of transeuropa festival, which will take place in madrid end of october (25th to 29th) 2017. the conveners are currently planning a collaboration in that context and invite you to be active part of framing and debating on the multiple relationships between urban commons, innovations and citizens’ protagonism on city level. what examples do we witness in urban contexts around europe that should be part of such an open exchange in madrid? which cities have transformed politics to re-invent and to re-enact democracy from below, experiencing concrete projects able to inspire new ways of social cooperation around commons, thus also preventing the threat of far-right growth? what are the problems and successes of these initiatives, which tools and strategies have been developed in response, and what do they teach us about supporting and scaling commons?

we want to invite everyone interested at this side-event as a moment of a process in which, starting from fearless cities meeting, the madrid event could be one of the next steps in exchanging, discussing, socializing and wide-spreading real alternatives to current “state of affairs” in europe.

with stacco troncoso, ana méndez de andés, giuseppe caccia, marcelo exposito, daphne büllesbach

please register here