2009

Women in Action at the World Social Forum
From January 27 to February 1, The 2009 World Social Forum (WSF) was held in Belem do Pará, Brazil. This open space -- plural, diverse, non-governmental and non-partisan -- brings together people from all over the planet to stimulate decentralized debate, reflection, proposal building, experience exchange and alliances among movements and organizations engaged in concrete actions towards a more solidarity-based, democratic and just world...
Video: World Social Forum 2009 Parade Global March Of Women

2007

WLOE and the G-8, June 2007
As the official Group of 8 Summit began, there were successful, peaceful and strong blockades of various routes to the Heiligendamm meeting site. Some 13,000 people participated in a number of blockade actions from June 6-8, drawing the media’s attention to G-8 policies. The goal of the Call for action against the G-8 was to delegitimize it through actions and analysis. They called for a physical challenge through non-violent direct action, saying that those meeting behind the almost $17 million (€12,5 million) fence had no right to be discussing the fate of the world. An alternative summit was organized to talk about issues of trade, justice, war and peace, why we think they are important and what we can do about them. There was an African counter-summit as well. Parallel to the G-8 in Germany, Mali's African Coalition for Debt and Development, which groups about 60 non-governmental organisations, brought together 1,000 small farmers and activists from West African countries to discuss and protest western subsidies, unfair debt, insufficient development aid and World Bank and IMF policies.

At the opening demonstration on June 2nd, between 30-80,000 people highlighted various aspects of globalization and the problems it has created. At the end of a peaceful and diverse, multi-issue oriented march and rally there was an unfortunate clash between police and some groups in the demonstration. The media the next day focused on stone throwing youths and the number of police injured (later revealed as greatly exaggerated). What the world missed then was the passion and creativity of the people and groups working against a world economy run by corporations and directed by presidents sitting “behind the fence.”Happily, the following week showed the intensity of popular disagreement with the policies of the G-8, World Trade Organization, World Bank and International Monetary Fund – in all, the neo-liberal pantheon that has brought war, destruction, poverty and dependence.

At our Women and Life on Earth workshop on “Feminist Perspectives and Action on Migration and Global Trade,” the issues of women and migration and women and the global economy were addressed in a lively discussion. The issue of migration was one of the major focal points of the week, with a day of action on the issues and panels where African activists and others testified to various aspects of the problem: economic, legal, political. We will be documenting our workshop and others on this issue on our website.

2006

Arundhati Roy on India, Iraq, U.S. Empire and Dissent. The Indian writer-activist was interviewed for an hour on Amy Goodman's radio show Democracy Now! broadcast on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006. The link is to the written on-line transcript of the show, which is a wide-ranging discussion on the effect of neo-liberal globalization and politices in India; the visit of G.W. Bush and his encouragement of Indian nuclear development; dam-building; the war in Iraq; occupation there and in Kashmir; the role of the artist and dissent.

World Social Forum 2006: Bamako (Mali); Caracas (Venezuela); Karachi (Pakistan). The Forum movement began in 2001 when activists met to counter the annual gathering of heads of government and industry in Davos, Switzerland. In 2006 meetings are being held on each continent, for a 'polycentric' forum. Forums in Bamako and Caracas were held in late January, the Karachi meeting will be delayed until March because of the earthquake devastation.

See an interview with a key organizer of the Bamako forum, Dr Aminata Dramane Traoré, and a description of Bamako and workshops on women's concerns by Ana Agostino. An excellent listing of articles and reports on the forum in Mali is at Choike.org "a portal on Southern civil societies."

A report from Caracas on BBC shows US peace activist Cindy Sheehan participating. We have a report on the Caracas meeting on our WLOE/Spanish section.

See a recent analaysis in The Nation magazine: (March 6, 2006 issue) The World Social Forum: Protest or Celebration? by Michael Blanding.

Bolivia Cheers Its New President by Juliette Beck, Yes! Magazine
February 2006: Evo Morales promises changes in historic inaugural.

 2005

Women Say "No" to the WTO: A MADRE Statement on the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization, December 2005.

Landmark Victory in World’s First Case Against Biopiracy!
The Neem tree and its valuable products are protected as a traditional community resource.