25
World Social Forum (possible better world)
The idea to hold the International Social Forum in Porto Allegro was emerged since February 2000 by Odeed Greisho “the head of the Brazilian Oozes Institute” calling for the social role of the works sector in Brazil. This forum appeared disagreeing the Economical Forum held yearly in Davos, Switzerland that comprised the world rich people aiming to improve the conditions of investments and trade for the profits of the capitalists. The Economic Forum gained bad reputation especially after the demonstrations organized against the policies of globalization and the new liberalism.
The perpetrations of the International Social Forum began on February 28,2000 in Saw-Pawek, when the representatives of the organizations agreed to hold the Social Forum in Porto Allegro for the first time from 25-30 January 2001. The International Social Forum held in Porto Allegro was considered as a part of the international anti-globalization movement that became more powerful after the demonstrations organized in Seattle in the USA against the conference of the World Trade Organization in 1999. Such demonstrations are normally organized against the symbols of the globalization as the G8 Summit, the Summit of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and the International Economical Forum in addition to other conferences and summits that support the policies of liberalism and globalization. The anti-globalization movement plays an effective role towards organizing the anti-war movement in Afghanistan and Iraq in addition to the movements that condemn the Israeli crimes in Palestine. The International Social Forums doesn’t protest against the mentioned policies only but it tries to impose alternatives that are concerned with the social dimensions as poverty, unemployment, environment, human rights and freedoms and other cases violated by the policies of the international capital organizations. The International Social Forum isn’t important because of the participation of tens thousands of the protestants against the policies of globalization and the new liberalism from the civil organizations but also because it is considered as a serious initiative of the organizations and groups that are more connected with the poor and marginalized group in the whole world to struggle against the international capital associations. The slogan lifted by the International Social Forum is “possible better world” that concentrates on organizing the social categories affected by the new liberal policies to resist the social and economical procedures that violate their rights and suggest humanistic and social alternatives that are concerned with the human lives more than the capitalists’ profits. Although the Economical Forum in Davos had more power and authority but the Social Forum in Porto Allegro succeed throughout the three conferences to gather tens thousands of activists from the whole world that pushed the administration of the Davos forum to achieve its meetings through condensed security forces fearing from the anti-globalization demonstrations. On the other hand, the Social Forum is organized as a festival through which the different nationalities and languages are unified under one logo. The third Social Forum was organized with a small budget (not more than US$ 2.000.000) accompanied with activities of a thousand volunteer that work for the forum success. Davos is the past but Porto Allegro is the future.Our task is hard but not impossible. We have to join the anti-globalization movement through our support for the poor categories affected by the implementation of the globalization policies. We have to organize local programs to struggle against these policies that violate our rights. We have to pay more concern for promoting our rights in suitable work, adequate housing, healthcare, organization and free-expression. We ought to organize the campaigns, held symposiums and group discussions and establish associations and organizations to support the joint work in order to protect these rights for achieving alternative humanistic world.