IRAQI SOCIAL FORUM, INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
from
"Martina Pignatti M."
on Jul 22, 2013 12:30 PM
Dear all,
the international call for participants has been finalized! Thanks to
Judith for language revision, and thanks to Pierre for suggesting
amendments to the extended forum participation form. *You can start
spreading the following text (and eventually the attached pdf) to your
organizations and all mailinglists of social movements that could have
an interest in the ISF.* Please also consider the option of inviting key
people that may want to go to Baghdad (for example Naomi Klein? who can
contact her?), even if we don't have a solidarity fund to cover
international flights. *Clarify in your messages that going to Baghdad
implies a risk, but those who want to try need to register as soon as
possible (in any case within August 5), since getting the visa is not an
easy process.*
Finally, we need language translations of this call. As soon as you've
done one, please send it to this mailinglist! Thanks a lot!
Martina
PS: Text to be disseminated follows...
****
**
DF-12777.jpg
<http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-ISF.jpg>
*Another Iraq is Possible!*
*With Peace, Human Rights and Social Justice!*
Dear Friends
We invite you to attend and seek your support for the first Iraqi Social
Forum [ISF] to be held on *September 26-28, 2013 in Baghdad, Iraq *.
*Active international solidarity is the need of this hour!*
The Iraqi Social Forum is an extraordinary event that opposes decades of
immense violence and destruction. It proposes a time and a space managed
by civil society and social movements to build another Iraq based on
peace, respect for human rights and social justice, in partnership with
all those who adhere to the principles and charter of the WSF, adopted
in Porto Alegre in 2001.
The loss of the lives of over one million people, the destruction of
infrastructure, fatal and debilitating effects of depleted uranium and
chemical weaponry used by the occupation forces cannot be forgotten,
neither by the Iraqi people nor by the international movements who have
been mobilizing against the war and the occupation.
The withdrawal of the US and occupation troops has opened the way to
complete the struggle of Iraqi people for democracy and social justice,
but the current Iraqi leadership has been built on sectarian lines, and
does not guarantee the rights and safety of its citizens. Hundreds of
thousands have protested in the streets of Iraqi cities since 2011
against corruption, for social services, for freedom of expression, and
for an independent judiciary system. More than 2600 Iraqis have been
killed since April 2013 in terrorist attacks, most of them in Baghdad.
Still Iraqi civil society acts for change.
*Now it is the time to all work together to build a way for hope to
emerge, and to contribute to the desires of the Iraqi people for a
civil, democratic society and State, based on respect for different
cultures.* The country is experiencing a political, economic and social
crisis: this is the time to build partnerships, foster dialogue and
cooperation, to find solutions to outstanding problems. Now is the time
to end violence and terrorism for which the people of Iraq have paid,
and continue to pay, a heavy price. These are the challenges of the
Iraqi Social Forum, we believe that these are our shared challenges!**
*The WSF process is now well anchored in the region. *Since 2008 we have
witnessed successful regional social fora in the Maghreb/Mashreq, a
World Education Forum in Palestine and the World Social Forum in Tunis
earlier this year. These collective experiences provide a fertile ground
for the Iraqi civil society to build the first Iraqi Social Forum as an
open space for exchange of experiences and ideas, and to build a
movement against neo-liberalism, for social change.
*Iraqi civil society organizations will raise the following issues
within the ISF:* building a civic and democratic country; challenges
faced by minorities; equitable distribution of wealth and social
justice; trade unions, and peasant associations; rights of women, youth,
children; economic, social, and cultural issues; nonviolence as a way of
social, cultural, and economic change in Iraq; international solidarity
campaigns with the Iraqi civil society. Sports Against Violence and
Artistic activities will be associated to the forum.
*The world witnessed huge demonstrations, unparalleled in the history,
against the US invasion of Iraq. This international solidarity is now
once again being convened in support of the Iraqi Social Forum.*
International participation in the Baghad ISF forum event will be
limited in numbers for security reasons, but the ISF preparatory
committee is looking for a venue in Baghdad safe enough for some
internationals to attend. We strongly encourage your remote
participation from your own country, via the "Extended Iraqi Social Forum".
Please consider the following ways of joining us:
*1) Be with us in Baghdad. Be aware that this entails a certain degree
of risk,*
and that we will confirm international participation only in early
September depending on the situation. Meanwhile, *you need to register
before the 5th of August* in order to receive a letter of invitation and
apply for the visa at the Iraqi Embassy in your country.
You will be contacted individually after submitting the application form
here:
http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/registration-form-iraqi-social-forum-2013
*2) Extended ISF. Organize a solidarity event in your own country, *
before or during the ISF, or a live exchange via Internet with a group
in Baghdad , or a tele-participation in an activity held in Baghdad . A
group of Iraqi volunteers is being trained to help connect with
counterparts who want to exchange via Internet. Define with the local
organizers which ISF activities will be enlarged for Internet
participation, and build the corresponding connections.**
You can learn more about the Extended forum and announce each of your
extended collective participations in the ISF in a form accessible
here:**http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/extended-iraqi-social-forum-registration-form
*Let us know if you are willing to participate!*
*The Iraqi Social Forum Organizing Committee *
*The International Solidarity Committee for the Iraqi Social Forum
*
/Link to read this document online, and check updates in the coming weeks://
//http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/iraqi-social-forum/iraqi-social-forum-an-international-call-for-participants//
//To receive support for international participation contact:
icssi.project@.../*
*
******
*Member organizations of the Iraqi committee:
*
*Organization* *City*
1
Women for Peace Baghdad
2
Tammuz Organization for Social Development Baghdad
3
Laonf Group Basra
4
AL Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development Erbil
5
Kurdistan Youth Empowerment Organization Erbil
6
Information Center for research and development Baghdad
7
Iraqi council for peace and solidarity (ICPS) Baghdad
8
Al Amal Association Baghdad
9
General Federation of Iraqi Workers Baghdad
10
Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions Basra
11
Press Freedom Advocacy Association In Iraq Baghdad
12
Madarik for Studying Mechanisms of Conceptual Promotion Baghdad
13
Yazidi Solidarity and Fraternity League Ninawa
14
Engineering Professions Union Baghdad
15
Iraqi Democratic Future Network Baghdad
16
Ofok Organization Baghdad
*Members of the international committee:*
*Name*
*Organization*
*Country*
Ismaeel Dawood Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative international
Martina Pignatti Morano Un ponte per... Italy
Judith Hitchman and Sergio Cordeiro Support to "Iraqi Social Forum
interpreters' team" international
Sabiha Ben Ammar Confédération Générale Tunisienne du Travail (CGTT)
Tunisia
Feroz Mehdi Alternatives International international
Mireille Fanon-Mendes Frantz Fanon Foundation international
Elena Laurenti and Nicola Visconti A.D. Sport Against Violence Italy
Pierre George Support to "Extended Iraqi Social Forum team" France
Mboirick Mohamed Gathering of Young Mauritania for Development Mauritania
Olfa Mohamed Tunisian League of Women Voters Tunisia
Ahmad Jaradat Alternative Information Center Palestine/Israel
Gershom Kabaso Zambia Social Forum Zambia
Terry Kay Rockefeller September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows USA
Felipe Daza NOVACT Spain
Raffaella Bolini ARCI Italy
Hamouda Soubhi Alternatives Forum in Morocco (FMAS) Morocco
Muhanna Al-Shamary Friendship and Peace International Organization
Denmark/Iraq
Alessandra Mecozzi Italian Network for the World Social Forum Italy
Gustave Massiah Initiatives Pour un Autre Monde (IPAM) France