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Noam Chomsky at the World Social Forum in 2003. Photo by Marcello Casal Jr/ABr.
Noam Chomsky at the World Social Forum in 2003. Avram Noam Chomsky (noʊm ˈtʃɑmski born December 7 1928 is an American linguist, Philosopher, cognitive scientist, Political Photo by Marcello Casal Jr/ABr.

The World Social Forum (WSF) is an annual meeting held by members of the anti-globalization (using the term globalization in a doctrinal sense not a literal one) or alter-globalization movement to coordinate world campaigns, share and refine organizing strategies, and inform each other about movements from around the world and their issues. " Anti-globalization " is a term that encompasses a number of related ideas Globalization (or globalisation) in its literal sense is the process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the Alter-globalisation (or Alter-mondialization from the French altermondialisme) is the name of a Social movement whose political line is close to Anti-globalization It tends to meet in January when its "great capitalist rival", the World Economic Forum is meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The World Economic Forum (WEF is a Geneva -based Non-profit foundation best known for its Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland Davos ( Romansh: Tavau, Italian: Tavate is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation This is not a coincidence. The date was chosen because of the logistical difficulty of organizing a mass protest in Davos and to try to overshadow the coverage of the World Economic Forum in the news media.

Contents

History

Originated by Oded Grajew, the first WSF was held from 25 January to 30 January 2001 in Porto Alegre, organized by many groups involved in the alternative globalization movement, including the French Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens (ATTAC). Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Porto Alegre ( is the 10th largest city in Brazil, and the capital city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Attac1jpg|thumb|200px|An ATTAC Banner in front of the Kölner Dom, Germany, 2004]]%attac aus stand The WSF was sponsored, in part, by the Porto Alegre government, led by the Brazilian Worker's Party (PT). The Workers' Party ( Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT is a left-wing Political party in Brazil. The town was experimenting with an innovative model for local government which combined the traditional representative institutions with the participation of open assemblies of the people. Participatory budgeting is a process of democratic Deliberation and decision-making in which ordinary residents decide how to allocate part of a Municipal or public Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Participatory democracy is a process emphasizing the broad Participation (decision making of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems 12,000 people attended from around the world. At the time, Brasil was also in a moment of transformation that later would lead to the electoral victory of the PT candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (pronounced /lu'iz i'nasju 'lulɐ da 'siwvɐ/; born October 27, 1945) known simply as Lula, is the thirty-fifth and

The second WSF, also held in Porto Alegre from 31 January to 5 February 2002, had over 12,000 official delegates representing people from 123 countries, 60,000 attendees, 652 workshops, and 27 talks. Porto Alegre ( is the 10th largest city in Brazil, and the capital city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

The third WSF was again held in Porto Alegre, in January 2003. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. There were many parallel workshops, including, for example the Life After Capitalism workshop, which proposed focussed discussion on non-communist, non-capitalist, participative possibilities for different aspects of social, political, economic, communication structures [1]. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Among the speakers was famed American linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky. Avram Noam Chomsky (noʊm ˈtʃɑmski born December 7 1928 is an American linguist, Philosopher, cognitive scientist, Political

The fourth WSF was held in Mumbai, India, from 16 January to 21 January 2004. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The attendance was expected to be 75,000 and it shot over by thousands. The cultural diversity was one notable aspect of the forum. A notable decision that was taken was the stand on Free Software. Free software or software libre is Software that can be used studied and modified without restriction and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified One of the key speakers at the WSF 2004 was Joseph Stiglitz. Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (born February 9, 1943) is an American Economist and a professor at Columbia University.

The fifth World Social Forum for 2005 was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil between 26 January and 31 January. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes There were 155,000 registered participants at the Forum, with most coming from Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Uruguay, and France. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Uruguay.(official full name in República Oriental del Uruguay;, Oriental Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A number of participants in the forum released the Porto Alegre Manifesto. The Porto Alegre Manifesto is a proposal for social change produced at the 2005 World Social Forum.

The sixth World Social Forum was "polycentric", held in January 2006 in Caracas (Venezuela) and Bamako (Mali), and in March 2006, in Karachi (Pakistan). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Caracas (kaˈɾakas is the Capital and largest city of Venezuela. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Bamako, population 1690471 (2006 is the Capital and largest city of Mali, and currently estimated to be the fastest growing city in Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. (ڪراچي) is the largest city in Pakistan. It is the world's second largest city proper behind Mumbai in terms of population which exceeds 10 million Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The Forum in Pakistan was delayed to March because of the Kashmir earthquake that had recently occurred in the area. The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake (also known as the South Asian earthquake or the Great Pakistan earthquake) was a major earthquake centred in Azad Kashmir [2]

The seventh World Social Forum was held in Nairobi, Kenya in January 2007. Nairobi (naɪˈroʊbɪ is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south There were 66,000 registered attendees, and 1,400 participating organizations from 110 countries, making it the most globally representative WSF so far. [1] It was criticized as being 'an NGO fair'[3]and movements of the poor in Kenya and South Africa mounted vigorous protests against some of the NGOs that attended and, in their view, dominated the forum in the name of the African poor. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

The eighth World Social Forum in 2008 was not organized at a particular place, but globally, which means by thousands of autonomous local organizations, on or around January 26. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. They are also known as the Global Call for Action. [2]

The ninth World Social Forum is expected to take place in the Brazilian city of Belém, located in the Amazon rainforest, between January 27 and February 1, 2009. Belém is city of Amazonia, in the northern part of Brazil. It is the capital of the state of Pará. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. [4]

Regional Social Forums

The WSF has prompted the organizing of many regional social forums, including the European Social Forum, the Asian Social Forum, the Mediterranean Social Forum, and many local and national social forum, such as the Italian Social Forum, Liverpool Social Forum and the Boston Social Forum. The World Social Forum (WSF is an annual meeting held by members of the Anti-globalization (using the term Globalization in a Doctrinal sense not The European Social Forum (ESF is an annual conference held by members of the Alter-globalization movement (also known as the Global Justice Movement) Asian Social Forum was a Left-wing conference held by members of the Alter-globalization movement (also known as the Global Justice Movement The Mediterranean Social Forum is the first interregional Social Forum, created between movements from Europe, Maghreb and Mediterranean The Liverpool Social Forum (LSF is a fortnightly meeting held in Liverpool, England. The Boston Social Forum was the first North American social forum to use the methodology of the World Social Forum process and adhere closely to its Charter of Principles The first-ever US Social Forum took place in Atlanta in June of 2007. The United States Social Forum is a gathering which took place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on June 27 - July 1 2007. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [5] Regional forums have taken place in the SW ([6]), NW, NE, Midwest, and SE ([7]) regions of the United States.

Most, though not all, social forums adhere to the WSF Charter of Principles drawn up by the World Social Forum.

Criticisms

This mural in Seattle's Chinatown echoes the slogan of the World Social Forum: 'Another world is possible'.
This mural in Seattle's Chinatown echoes the slogan of the World Social Forum: 'Another world is possible'.

The WSF has, especially in recent years, been strongly criticised for replacing popular movements of the poor with NGOs. Movements of the poor in poorer parts of the world, like Africa, have argued that they are almost completely excluded from the forum and in countries like Kenya and South Africa they have protested against donor funded NGOs that, they argue, determine and dominate African representation at the forum. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa It has also been argued that NGOs sometimes compete with popular grassroots movements for access to the forum and for influence there. [3]In South Africa the NGOs that have been vigorously opposed for substituting themselves for popular organisations at the forum [4] have a strongly Trotskyist orientation. Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. This tends to result in a top down politics that often contrasts directly with the bottom up democratic approach of grassroots movements.

The WSF has also been criticized, particularly by socialist and communist left parties, for producing few practical ideas, concentrating instead on general and vague criticisms of neoliberalism and imperialism. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Originally coined by its critics and opponents " neoliberalism " is a label referring to the recent reemergence of Economic liberalism or Classical liberalism Imperialism has two meanings one describing an action and the other describing an attitude On the other hand some, particularly anarchists, have criticised the WSF for attempting to act as a central decision making location for dissident groups, as the Communist Internationals once did. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow Most WSF participants would counter that the WSF is not a decision-making body, but rather a space for public deliberation. A far more prevalent criticism runs in the opposite direction: that the group has no established procedure for adopting consensus statements or advocacies.

The WSF is also subject to the same criticisms as the anti/alternative globalization movements, namely that the globalization and capitalism they oppose are inevitable, or that globalisation and capitalism are the most effective means of addressing global poverty. WSF participants have responded that the idea of the 'inevitability' of globalization is simply an ideological myth, hence their embrace of the slogan, 'Another World is Possible'.

Right-wing opponents of the current global order have criticized the supposed pluralism of the WSF, as it only includes movements on the left (from social democrats to anarchists). The political theory of pluralism holds that Political power in society does not lie with the Electorate, nor with a small concentrated Elite, but is distributed

Some activities by activists attending the WSF have also been criticised, such as in the WSF 2001, where activists invaded and destroyed a plantation of experimental transgenics of the Monsanto enterprise. The Monsanto Company ( is a multinational Agricultural biotechnology Corporation. [5]

Despite these criticisms, the United Nations presence at the WSF through UNESCO shows the institutional credibiliy achieved by the forum, seen as a "prime opportunity for dialogue and a laboratory of ideas for the renewal of public policies" through "critical reflection on the future of societies we want to create and for elaborating proposals in search of solidarity, justice, peace and human rights" UNESCO and the World Social Forum page.

Further reading

Notes

  1. ^ Frank Joyce. article on Alternet, accessed 2007-02-16
  2. ^ Jan. 26, 2008 - Act together for another world! | WSF2008
  3. ^ Article by David Ntseng on NGOs and grassroots movements at the forum
  4. ^ Letter from the Anti-Eviction Campaign to the SMI - an NGO project that has sought to usurp the leadership of popular movements
  5. ^ Folha Online - Brasil - José Bové, militante francês antiglobalização, chega a Porto Alegre - 28/01/2002

See also

External links

Past forums

Future forums

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