Theme for “World Social Forum-2011” “
Democracy for Social Transformation in South Asia: Participation, Equity, Justice and Peace".
In line with the spirit of World Social Forum process from Brazil since 2001, there were several events in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan organized by the activists opposing imperialist globalization. For instance, in India the Asian Social Forum in Hyderabad in January 2003, World Social Forum in Mumbai in January 2004 and Indian Social Forum in Delhi in November 2006, where activists from other countries have participated in numbers. The idea of holding first South Asia Social Forum in Nepal was discussed during Bali Climate Summit in 2007. Eventually, the WSF IC expansion meeting in Casablanca held in March, 2010 endorsed the proposal to organize South Asia Social Forum in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The January 2011, SASF preparatory meeting in Dhaka finally decided to organize the forum during November 18-22, 2011.
In line with the WSF, South Asian Social Forum is also characterized by plurality and diversity, is non-confessional, non-governmental and non-party. It proposes to facilitate decentralized coordination and networking among organizations engaged in concrete action towards building another South Asia, but it does not intend to be a body representing South Asian civil society.
The ultimate goal of the forum is to create a New South Asia free from poverty and hunger caused by exploitation, deprivation, discrimination and oppression, establish a common humanity based on equality, freedom and justice. The present context of South Asia is characterized by the crises manifested in the form of militarism, communal and ethnic conflicts, exclusion and ecological disasters caused by corporate domination and neo-liberal atrocities. Thus the role of the SASF is perceived as to counter the unjust and hegemonic neo-liberal development policies by mobilizing the South Asian social movements into a common platform against hegemonic globalization, political and social conflicts and to create an open space to exchange ideas of each other and build strategies for action.
This theme is to highlight and oppose the neo-liberal, hegemonic and authoritarian “poverty reduction” development policy and paradigm. The forum is intended to focus on this structural concern with a clear transformational agenda. However, there are various urgent and immediate economic, political and cultural concerns of the people, especially poor, women and marginalized communities, would be addressed in the forum. There are country specific issues and there are also regional and cross-country issues. All the issues are clustered in sub-theme.
The specific objective of the forum is to create an open space for South Asian civil society, social movements and peoples’ initiatives to exchange alternative ideas and practices, and expressing global solidarity for people’s struggle against injustice. It is imperative to say that the SASF 2011 at Dhaka is an event for sharing and expressing solidarity, nevertheless, this is also an open process and space for building further solidarity for way forward with shared vision. It is expected that the forum will be able to pave the way for further cooperation and solidarity among South Asian social activists, who subscribe the charter of WSF and oppose communalism, fundamentalism, sectarianism, casteism, and war crimes.
No comments:
Post a Comment