UBUNTU FORUM ACTIVITIES AT THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2013, TUNIS
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UBUNTU FORUM ACTIVITIES AT
THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
2013, TUNIS
THE UBUNTU FORUM AT THE WORD SOCIAL FORUM 2013 1
From 26th to 29th March, Tunisia and la University of Tunis El Manar hosted the 12th edition
of the World Social Forum (WSF), gathering to share and discuss different alternatives to
the neoliberal capitalist model. Tunis, city that lived in 2011 one of the revolutions of the
“green spring”, overthrowing the president Ben Ali, added to the slogan “Another World
is Possible” the word “dignity” written in six languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish,
Greek and Russian.
The UBUNTU Forum, as usual, participated once
more at the WSF with the representation of one
of its policy executives, Hernán Cortés. In this
edition, the agenda of UBUNTU included the
organization and co organization of events, the
participation as speaker in others, the presence
in the WSF International Council and the
participation and lecture in the meeting of the
International Coalition for the Financial
Transaction Tax (FTT).
1Report of Hernán Cortés; photographs of Hernán Cortes, Teresa Marshall (PSI) and Saviano
Abreu (Intermón Oxfam)
1
25-26 MARCH: MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL COALITION FOR THE FTT
One of the goals of the organizations involved at a European level for the FTT is trying to
spread the campaign and the pressure all over the world. After the success at the USA
under the leadership of National Nurses United, the meeting held in the Grand Hotel
Tunis –with a previous diner the night before– gathered organizations, trade unions and
institutions’ representatives from all the continents.
Over 40 people from so different organizations as Oxfam International, Attac, Public
Services International, ITUC, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung NY (FES-NY), CNCD, IPS, UGTT Tunis,
Stamp Out Poverty or CUT Brasil among others. Thus it was possible to broaden the
organizations basis to work together on the FTT and to strengthen links. During the
meeting the UBUNTU Forum made the presentation “Getting the FTT revenues for
development and climate change in Europe”.
2
26 MARCH: DINER FES-NY “HOW NEW SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
MOVEMENTS CAN INFORM THE UN’S AGENDA OF THE POST-2015”
FES-NY organized an informal diner the
night of 26th March in the Hotel Golden
Tulip Mechtel to discuss on the role of the
new social movements and how to
influence on the process of the post 2015.
In the event different representatives of
Tunisian organizations and social movements, Global Policy Forum, EURODAD, Occupy
Wall Street and UBUNTU among others participated. La main speech was made by
François Houtart, a recognized Belgian thinker and member of the Stiglitz Commission.
27 MARCH
EVENT OF THE FORUM FOR A NEW WORLD GOVERNANCE (FnWG) AND
IBASE “SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE WORLD POWER”
Gustavo Marín, director if tge FnWG organized a debate in the morning considering the
document of Jean Rossiaud”. The open discussion, very participatory, counted with the
UBUNTU reflection on the current governance system and the different social
movements that try to articulate several alternatives to the established power.
3
WSF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
In the afternoon of 27th the first meeting of the WSF International Council took place,
with a massive attendance of members and observers because of the relevance of the
matters to discuss, mainly the WSF future and its Council’s role.
28 MARCH
“THE WORLD NEEDS FISCAL JUSTICE AND A FTT”
In the morning took place the event which was co-organized by more than 15
organizations, among which CIDSE, SOLIDAR, Jubilee South, Robin Hood Tax Campaign,
National Nurses United or UBUNTU. The contributions were moderated by Javier Moreno,
secretary general of the Global Progressive Forum, and took part in the event Lidy
Nacpil, Benedikte Pryneid, Anne Demelenne, Marta Kuhl, Alhassan Adam, the French
Parliament Member Philip Cordery and Hernán Cortés from the Secretariat of the
UBUNTU Forum.
4
The discussion, that had as main goal to connect the FTT and Fiscal Justice campaigns,
was a success as well regarding attendance and participation, especially of
representatives from Africa. The activity finished by a meeting behind closed doors
where it was decided to broaden and formalize somehow a campaign on the subject,
by preparing a final statement that UBUNTU supported.
“GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY: LINKING GLOBAL AND LOCAL
CHALLENGES IN AN INTERDEPENDENT WORLD”
The activity organized by the UBUNTU Forum and moderated
by Hernán Cortés, was held in room 212 of the Mathematics
faculty. The objective was relating a more global vision on the
international governance to different challenges in a more
local dimension in different regions, in order to see which is the
relation that is set.
Gustavo Marín of the FnWG opened the event by analyzing
the global context and challenges for the governance;
Rodolfo Bejarano from LATINDADD faced the problem of the growing financialization of
nature and the food subject within the frame of South America, one of the richest
regions in the world regarding natural resources; Sara Burke from the FES-NY talked
about the inequality at a global level and within the United States, where it has
increased from the deregulations of the end of the 80s; Matti Kohonen of Oxfam
International introduced the issue of the fiscal justice and the role of the tax havens in
Africa, and the way they have ruined the continent, mainly in reference to the
extractive industry; lastly Nelini Stamp, activist of Occupy Wall Street from the United
States commented how the new social movements “of adopted middle class” have
5
arisen the subjects that seemed not to concern the general society, as well as the
question of the inequality or the students debt in the USA.
The event counted with a good attendance and very enriching debate and
participation.
This new edition of the WSF has shown the good organization of the event in Tunisia and
the validity of this process which more than ever looks for building new alternatives to
the system. It is obvious that many of the movements and organizations that have
worked from its beginnings face now the challenge of trying that the process keeps
alive. This is why one looks for the involvement and participation of the new social
movements appeared either from the “arab spring” and the anti-austerity movements
in Europe, USA and Latin America. To keep extending the process it was stated that
India could be the next venue of the WSF in 2015.
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World Campaign for in-depth
Reform of the System of
International Institutions
WORLD FORUM OF CIVIL
SOCIETY NETWORKS
World Forum of Civil World Campaign for in-depth Reform of
Society Networks - UBUNTU the System of International Institutions
www.ubuntu.upc.edu www.reformcampaign.net
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