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<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
Emily Kawano<SPAN class=305331121-08012008><FONT face="Courier New"> <A
href="mailto:emily@populareconomics.org">emily@populareconomics.org</A></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2008: A
GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AND MOBILISATION<BR><BR>Millions of women and men,
organizations, networks, movements, trade<BR>unions from all parts of the
world the January 26th will act together<BR>all around the globe to show that
another world is possible<BR><BR>On January 22, 2008 at least seven global
press conferences will<BR>announce details of the 2008 decentralized World
Social Forum Global Day<BR>of Mobilization and Action.<BR><BR>Millions of
people all over the world will march, speak, celebrate, and<BR>dialogue in
villages, rural zones, and urban centers. They will mobilize<BR>on the date of
the 26th of January to coincide the Global Day of<BR>Mobilization and Action
with the World Economic Forum held in Davos,<BR>Switzerland to confront this
important neo-liberal gathering of the elites.<BR><BR>In these same days the
"old" world, represented by the World Economic<BR>Forum complete with its
economists, experts, and ideologies that produce<BR>violence, exploitation,
exclusion, poverty, hunger and ecological<BR>disaster and deprive people of
human rights, will meet in Davos as<BR>usual. In contrast, the people's
movement of movements will raise their<BR>collective voices and take action
all around the globe for the World<BR>Social Forum 2008.<BR><BR>The World
Social Forum is an open space where social movements,<BR>networks, NGOs and
other civil society organizations come together to<BR>lift up issues, debate
ideas democratically, formulate proposals, share<BR>experiences, and network
for effective action. These movements are<BR>opposed to neo-liberalism and a
world dominated by capital and all forms<BR>of imperialism. Since the first
worldwide encounter in 2001, the World<BR>Social Forum has become a permanent
global process seeking and building<BR>alternatives to neo-liberal
policies.<BR><BR>World Social Forums have taken place at the end of January at
different<BR>sites throughout the world each year for the past seven years,
and their<BR>spirit will continue to be reflected in the activities planned at
those<BR>same sites and worldwide in 2008.<BR><BR>On January 22nd, at least
nine press conferences will take place in:<BR><BR>- Atlanta, USA<BR><BR>-
Zurich, Switzerland<BR><BR>- Mumbai, India<BR><BR>- Rome, Italy<BR><BR>-
Brussels, Belgium<BR><BR>- Sao Paulo, Brazil<BR><BR>- Rio De Janeiro,
Brazil<BR><BR>- Erbil, Iraq (to be confirmed)<BR><BR>- Seoul, Korea<BR><BR>The
press conferences will highlight actions happening in each country<BR>as well
as stories from the front lines of people's struggles.<BR><BR>Millions of
people, workers, organizations, networks, and movements<BR>around the world
are struggling, against neo-liberalism, war,<BR>colonialism, racism, and
patriarchy with rich and varied proposals of<BR>real-life alternatives. They
represent all ages, peoples, cultures, and<BR>beliefs united by the strong
conviction that ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE!<BR><BR>The website <A
href="http://www.wsf2008.net">www.wsf2008.net</A> <<A
href="http://www.wsf2008.net">http://www.wsf2008.net</A>> is on line.
From<BR>now until January 26th, the Global Day of Action, it will be the
main<BR>communication tool for organizing actions as well as the main source
of<BR>information about the World Social Forum 2008.<BR><BR>World Social Forum
2008<BR><BR>Snapshots of current mobilizations towards January 26
2008.<BR><BR><BR>In AUSTRIA:<BR><BR>- There will be a Carnival of Solidarity
in Vienna and a conference on<BR>the reform treaty in Linz,<BR><BR>a
conference in RUMANIA, and a meeting in CHECH REPUBLIC.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In
BELGIUM:<BR><BR>- The Belgian Social Forum is organizing a guided tour of "a
different<BR>Brussels", to invite people to visit Brussels while meeting
its<BR>movements and associations. Between January 21st and 25th 2008,
local<BR>activities will be held in some cities, like debates, public events
and<BR>workshops. On Saturday, January 26th, a common action day will
be<BR>organized in Brussels. On this date, a big "alternative visit
to<BR>Brussels" will begin at 12 p.m. (GMT +1), with stops at 15
typical<BR>places in the city. Several guides will accompany the visitors
during<BR>the walking. Between 5 and 6 p.m. (GMT +1), the idea is to have
an<BR>interactive action, with direct contact with people that
organize<BR>actions in other countries of the world, like, for instance, a
giant<BR>videoconference.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In BRAZIL:<BR><BR>- Many events are
happening, from a large carnival parade in Belem to a<BR>large concert on the
beach in Rio, alternating famous performers with<BR>performers from the
favelas. Actions are known to take place so far also<BR>in Sao Paulo,
Brasilia, Curitiba, Natal, Belo Horizonte and Pelotas.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In
CANADA:<BR><BR>- Organizations in Quebec are organizing a week in which all
the events<BR>will be symbolically linked by the image of snow and fire, under
the<BR>idea of "La neige brule".<BR><BR>In CATALUNYA:<BR><BR>- Civil society
organizations will organize the first Fòrum Social<BR>Català (FSCat) on 25-27
Jan (press dossier available on<BR><A
href="http://www.forumsocialcatala.cat">www.forumsocialcatala.cat</A>) which
has already been announced through an<BR>action on 28 Dec (people on the
streets of Barcelona carrying banners<BR>with phrases showing how "naive" is
our political and economic<BR>establishment... like "it's not pollution that
threatens the<BR>environment, but impurity of water and air" by Bush, or "what
is good<BR>for multinational corporations, is good for the country" by World
Bank).<BR>On the 26th, in the Hall of Barcelona University, we will project on
a<BR>big screen activities being done on the Global Day of Action,
and<BR>establish direct connection with movements all over the
world.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In COLOMBIA:<BR><BR>- The WSF local committee is
focusing the activities on the struggle<BR>against poverty and exclusion.
There will be a large concert in the<BR>Bolivar Square in Bogota.<BR><BR>In
CONGO:<BR><BR>- The journey will coincide with several local social forums,
one of<BR>them in Kinshasa. Three other provinces have also expressed that
they<BR>will carry through some activities.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In
FINLAND:<BR><BR>- In Finland, we are planning on having a WSF speakers corner
downtown<BR>Helsinki from Monday 21 January - Friday 25 January 2008. On
Saturday 26<BR>January 2008 the idea is to give an as large as possible
visibility to<BR>the WSF process /our visions for another world in the form of
an open<BR>space for any organisations to carry out own actions, followed by
a<BR>downtown Helsinki rally with candles/torches.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In
FRANCE:<BR><BR>- Large mobilization in Paris and other smaller initiatives in
other<BR>towns, specially about migration and the war on
Iraq.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In INDIA:<BR><BR>- Women's groups are planning a
conference and a march.<BR><BR>- In Maharashtra there will be a protest by
indebted farmers and their<BR>supporters.<BR><BR>- In Mumbai a float parade is
planned. Delegates also reported that they<BR>would try and organize a
response to the global call in west Bengal and UP.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In
INDONESIA:<BR><BR>- Farmer groups are responding to the call from Via
Campesina, an<BR>international movement of peasants, small- and medium-sized
producers,<BR>landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural youth and
agricultural<BR>workers.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In IRAQ:<BR><BR>- The Hiwar (means
"dialogue" in Kurdish) Centre in Erbil is<BR>coordinating activities that will
take place in Erbil, Dohuk, Suleymania<BR>and other towns of the Iraqi
Kurdistan. In Erbil there will be a panel<BR>between laical politicians and
activists, islamists, trade unions, NGOs<BR>and the local civil society on the
meaning of the WSF as an open<BR>political space. The Hiwar Centre will also
produce material in Arabic<BR>on the WSF that will be posted on websites of
Iraqi networks for Human<BR>Rights and Nonviolence. The Iraqi Nonviolent
Movement LAONF expressed<BR>interest in organizing decentralized actions in
some central and<BR>southern towns of Iraq.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In ISRAEL:<BR><BR>-
The Alternative Information Centre is interested in organizing an<BR>event
against the occupation of Palestinian territories, or at least<BR>spreading
information in Israel on what is going on in Palestine on
that<BR>day.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In ITALY:<BR><BR>- Several events will take place
all regions in around issues of peace,<BR>disarmament, racism, xenophobia and
solidarity economy. Symbolic actions<BR>will take place around military basis
and barraks. Arci Turin and Arci<BR>Terni, for instance, are organizing in
Turin a concert in memory of the<BR>dead workers of ThyssenKrupp and a
congress in Collegno (Turin) about<BR>the experience of other workers killed
by cancer in a colour factory.<BR>The nonviolent activist of Rete Lilliput
will do several decentralized<BR>pacifist actions. In Rome the Città
dell'Altraeconomia, the first "town<BR>in the town" of fair trade, organic and
social economy will host an<BR>event organized Fair Cooperative, Liberomondo,
Reorient and other<BR>solidary economy linked to similar initiatives done by
Thanapara Project<BR>(Thanapara Village, Bangladesh), Asha Handicrafts
(Mumbai, India), Rais<BR>network (Guatemala), Kwanza (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
and Korogocho<BR>(Nairobi, Kenya). In Florence a party will celebrate the
experience of<BR>European Social Forum 2002 hosted by this city, that
introduced regional<BR>Forums in WSF process.<BR><BR>- This email group has
been created for making easier a common thought:<BR>we could imagine to
organize different and small events coordinated (as<BR>a seminar, a public
debate, or a small exhibition, or a prayer meeting)<BR>having the same keyword
and a common idea.<BR><BR>We think that six different initiatives coordinated
could be an<BR>important message for our fair trade movement: we have to act
together<BR>if we want to change our future.<BR><BR>Within few days we'll send
you more informations about the initiative in<BR>Rome, have you any new idea
about the eventual your initiatives in your<BR>country?<BR><BR>Remember to
register your organization end your event on the WSF website<BR>too: <A
href="http://www.wsf2008.net">www.wsf2008.net</A> (you can find some
informations on<BR><A
href="http://www.faircoop.it/wsf2008.htm">www.faircoop.it/wsf2008.htm</A>)<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>In
JAPAN:<BR><BR>- To protest the coming G 8 meeting to be held in Hokaido, a
campaign<BR>starts in the end of December and will continue through January
26th.<BR><BR>Trade unions, non-governmental organizations and a wide variety
of<BR>social movements will come together to focus on issues including
labor<BR>rights, caste, migration, peace, and human rights.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In
LEBANON:<BR><BR>- Beirut International Resistance Social Forum will take place
from 26<BR>JANUARY /02 FEBRUARY /2008.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In MAURITANIA:<BR><BR>-
The Maghreb Social Forum will take place in Mauritania and the
African<BR>Council is organizing support for widespread initiatives connected
to<BR>the Global Day of Action.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In MEXICO:<BR><BR>- Large
events will coincide with the summit of the heads of state of<BR>the Latin
American countries, such as the Mexico Social Forum and the<BR>Corn March that
will be part of the Global Day of Action.<BR><BR>In PAKISTAN:<BR><BR>-
Pakistan Social Forum is planning for the year 2007-08: events,<BR>messages
and mobilization (WSF "Action Week" on 19-26th January
2008).<BR><BR><BR><BR>In PALESTINE:<BR><BR>- The National Committee for the
Commemoration of the Nakba, and the<BR>Palestinian grassroots Anti-Apartheid
Wall Campaign, in collaboration<BR>with al-Mubadara (Palestinian National
Initiative), are preparing<BR>actions along the Wall and a massive popular
march to demand an end to<BR>the Nakba in Palestine, and an end to war on
people of Middle East.<BR>Another Voice Campaign will organize actions to ask
for international<BR>solidarity for Gaza, and are planning an event in
Ramallah to denounce<BR>all deaths of Palestinians in Gaza as a result of the
siege.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In the PHILIPPINES:<BR><BR>- Different organizations
have come together for a week of action in<BR>which a "peoples camp' will be
set up from January 23-25 where various<BR>activities (workshops, forums, film
showing, trade fair, concerts) will<BR>be held.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In
PORTUGAL:<BR><BR>- Preparatory meetings are taking place at the P. Carlos
Alberto nº 128<BR>A, no Porto.<BR>(<A
href="http://pimentanegra.blogspot.com/2007/12/reunio-preparatria-para-o-dia-de-aco.html">http://pimentanegra.blogspot.com/2007/12/reunio-preparatria-para-o-dia-de-aco.html</A>).<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>In
SOUTH KOREA:<BR><BR>- There will be a week of action involving various social
movements from<BR>the 21st to 25th. Each day there will be focused on one
major theme.<BR><BR>In SPAIN:<BR><BR>- Andalucia: the Foro Social de Sevilla
(España) will organize a meeting<BR>of social movements on 23-26 Jan in
Sevilla. The january 26 several<BR>organizations of Andalucía, coordinated in
the Foro Social de Sevilla,<BR>Foro Social de Granada, Foro Social de Jaen y
Córdoba Solidaria, will<BR>organize a march in Córdoba. Contacts: Miguel Sanz
Alcántara, Foro<BR>Social de Sevilla, <A
href="mailto:msa980@gmail.com">msa980@gmail.com</A>.<BR><BR>Catalunya, civil
society organizations will organize the first Fòrum<BR>Social Català (FSCat)
on 25-27 Jan (press dossier available on<BR><A
href="http://www.forumsocialcatala.cat">www.forumsocialcatala.cat</A>) which
has already been announced through an<BR>action on 28 Dec (people on the
streets of Barcelona carrying banners<BR>with phrases showing how "naive" is
our political and economic<BR>establishment... like "it's not pollution that
threatens the<BR>environment, but impurity of water and air" by Bush, or "what
is good<BR>for multinational corporations, is good for the country" by World
Bank).<BR>On the 26th, in the Hall of Barcelona University, we willthey'll
project<BR>on a big screen activities being done on the Global Day of Action,
and<BR>establish direct connection with movements all over the world.
They'll<BR>sent to the communication commission our call for press conferences
on<BR>the 22nd, and they'll take a decision on the 9th in the
preparatory<BR>assembly.<BR><BR>- Canarias: se ha hecho un llamamiento a la
participación en el Enero<BR>26, y avanza la preparación de actividades en las
islas en el marco del<BR>Día de Acción Global. Contacto: Koldobi Velasco
Vázquez, grupo de enlace<BR>y comunicación del foro en las islas, Gran
Canaria, <A
href="mailto:moclaspalmas@gmail.com">moclaspalmas@gmail.com</A>.<BR><BR>In
SWITZERLAND:<BR><BR>- "The Other Davos" a counter- World Economic Forum
conference occurs<BR>every year during the Davos Symposium.<BR><BR>- The
Genevoise Federation of Cooperation will organize from Jan 24 to<BR>26 the
second Solidarity Crusade to the Meyrin Forum.<BR><BR>In THAILAND:<BR><BR>-
Actions are in the planning stage.<BR><BR><BR><BR>In the USA:<BR><BR>- A major
action in Atlanta, the Poor People's Caravan and Movement<BR>Assembly, will
bring together thousands of voices demanding change.<BR><BR> -
Grassroots Global Justice Alliance has called on all the member<BR>groups to
do actions across the country.<BR><BR>- There will be actions at the border of
Mexico and the US against the<BR>fence the US has plans to build along the
border. Those active against<BR>the fence have named it the "wall of
death".<BR><BR>- In New Orleans, actions will demand the Right to Return,
and<BR>solidarity actions will take place in different states for
Gulf<BR>Coast/Katrina Survivors and local housing struggles.<BR><BR>- And the
AFSC, Jobs with Justice, AFL-CIO are planning various actions<BR>with their
members.<BR><BR><BR><BR>- RUSSIA, SIBERIA, AFGHANISTAN, and perhaps UZBEKISTAN
will be on board<BR>as well.<BR><BR><BR><BR>OTHER
INITIATIVES:<BR><BR><BR><BR>- AMARC, World Association of Community Radio
stations, will cover the<BR>initiatives trying to connect them
online<BR><BR>- CARITAS INTERNATIONAL has issued a call to all its
members to<BR>participate.<BR><BR>- HABITAT INTERNATIONAL COALITION: Campaign
Act Together - Housing for<BR>All! Various international networks that develop
and organize campaigns<BR>and events for housing and land rights are taking
part of this action.<BR>It will last four months: from October 1st 2007,
International Housing<BR>and Land Rights Day and/or the celebration of the
Habitat Day, until<BR>January 26 2008, with the global day of mobilization and
action within<BR>the WSF process. The world campaign is the result of a joint
initiative<BR>from the networks Habitat International Coallition (HIC),
International<BR>Alliance of Inhabitants (IAI) and Forum of Local
Authorities,<BR>consolidated at the WSF 2007 in Nairobi.<BR><BR>- HEMISPHERIC
SOCIAL ALLIANCE is planning the following: as the Bolivian<BR>crisis is
getting deeper, the HSA proposes at the national level, but<BR>also in
Bolivia, to organize solidarity activities on Jan 26 around the<BR>Bolivian
situation.<BR><BR>- IFAT, International Fair Trade Association has communicate
to their<BR>members the event trying to connect local producers and
initiatives with<BR>global day of action.<BR><BR>- INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNIONS
CONFEDERATION (ITUC) will issue its own<BR>call on decent work.<BR><BR>- IPS
will distribute WSF 2008 Global Day of Action' stories on<BR>TerraViva and the
IPS wire<BR><BR>- PEOPLE'S HEALTH MOVEMENT: The People's Health Movement
(PHM), whose<BR>Global Secretariat is in Egypt is strongest in the Arab
countries, Iran,<BR>Africa and Asia, but have members also in Latin America,
Europe,<BR>Australia and US/Canada. Member organizations/movements from around
the<BR>world are being called on to join the Global Day of Action, with a
focus<BR>on health and neoliberalism. There will be an event in Egypt, and
they<BR>will submit others to the website and let us know as other events
are<BR>developed. Also, Doctors for Global Health, a part of PHM global and
US<BR>will be having a meeting and event in New York that week.<BR><BR>-
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS NETWORK has also issued a call to mobilize.<BR><BR>- TERRE
DES HOMMES - INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION: For a mobilisation on<BR>Child Rights.
Terre des Hommes - International Federation reiterate its<BR>support to the
Mobilisation Day 26 Jannuary 2008 by inviting all others<BR>associations,
social movements, NGOs dealing with child rights issues to<BR>create a network
so that the WSF Mobilisation Day becomes also a<BR>mobilisation for the Rights
of the Child. As international network,<BR>Terre des Hommes will promote local
initiatives with others actors in<BR>favor of child rights aiming at
supporting a successful Mobilisation Day<BR>and will invite each of those
local network initiatives to use WSF<BR>website to give visibility to the
Mobilisation Day.<BR><BR>- VIA CAMPESINA calls for mobilisation throughout the
world against<BR>multinational corporations. Via Campesina has member
organizations in 56<BR>countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the
Americas.<BR><BR>- WORLD MARCH OF WOMEN: The WMW has sent an appeal for the
different<BR>countries to participate and there are already 17 countries where
some<BR>initiative will be organized. WMW will address the specific
corporate<BR>power and is looking forward to build alliances around these
issues.<BR>There is a blog that will be used to mobilize the women. Blog on
J26:<BR><A
href="http://www.wmw-action26january.blogspot.com/">http://www.wmw-action26january.blogspot.com/</A><BR>
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