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last modified March 3, 2009 by pierre

impulsfsm1.JPGBelem WSF2009 - see other assemblies here


Assembly: Facing the crisis, giving impulse to permanent process of social forum

During 2 hours, people from 50 organizations from 12 countries presented some 20 proposals, then revised proposals by assessing their degree of consensus and if they were to be implemented in  a  self organized way , or were, also, recommendations for the International Council .
A mechanism will be established on the website openfsm.net for organizations to show their support for the proposals.
We, participants of the assembly, emphasize that the World Social Forum is a popular process that is  spreading to all corners of the world, making easier transformative action and allowing to face together the global crisis.
We make the following proposals:

A - Proposals to strengthen the ongoing process beyond events
Proposals for self organization and recommendations to the WSF International Council
• Find practical ways to facilitate the articulation of struggles, improving the implementation of Article 7 of the Charter of principles.
• Organise an annual global consultation on possible actions between those involved in the consultation and supporting them, without "the forum" as such promoting them.
• Promote development of local forums with popular participation and that the International Council stress the importance of local forums. (call, bulletin, communication on GDA 2010 ...)
• Promote the use of the website openFSM.net for collaborative exchange and visibility of activities and actions.
• Implement report and systematization form of each of the activities in forums for the documentation of contacts, activities, projects and good practices.
• Promote videoconferencing between remote local groups participating in the process to form a network of decentralized intercommunication.
• Open a space for reflection  important to see how from the local or global forums we are able to generate alternatives and encourage political action

Proposals for self - organisation
Post event forum process: monitor through "space" created in the website proposals and agendas of February 1st assemblies and give voice and visibility for them in the days of action and the regional, thematic and local forums taking place in 2010
• Create in websites like openfsm.net spaces of exchange on the major issues ,  on experiences and techniques of advocacy ....
• Have dialogue with the Zapatista movement and disclose their methodology of creating  autonomous "islands" for those who wish to start some.
• Create a coalition of organizations working with information technology and free media to develop a technology solution via  web , that allow local and international solidarity economy trade transactions  based on existing systems [Assembly of Solidarity Economy]

B - Proposals about  WSF worldwide events
Proposals for self organization and recommendations to WSF International Council
• Stimulate that there be more  thematic assemblies and less workshops during the forum events.
• When there is a global central forum event, promote its  "extension" to activities around the world (as was done for Belem expanded for the first time)
• Discuss the importance of organizing, perhaps in the U.S.A, a thematic forum event on crisis.
• Ensure that commissions of the organizing committee see that, according to the guide for organizing global events approved by International Council, the infrastructure and services in the forum event are more consistent with the values that the process promotes (production with solidarity economy, mobilizing volunteers, recycling garbage, sponsors, family farming , etc. ..)
• Ensure that the forum event includes and mixes  intellectual reflection, popular expression and action and parties  in the same space.
• Ensure that the forum event include local population with appropriate mechanisms and political actions in and out of the territory

Recommendations to the International Council of the WSF
• Although there was no consensus in the assembly about the periodicity  on the forum event : one,  two, or three years, it is recommended that the event forum change continent each edition to hear all voices,  and that a global forum event be organized in the Arab world as soon as possible.

Belém do Pará, Brazil, 1 February 2009

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