The urban way: the International Forum

It is possible to build new cities thanks to a new urban social pact centered on the citizens.

The failure of the neoliberal model of cities.

The second Russian Social Forum took place from Jul 13-16 2006 as part of a Counter-summit against G8 in Saint-Petersburg.

THE NITERÓI DECLARATION

We, delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, participants in the important Assembly that has taken place the 4th, 5th and 6th May 2006 in the town of Niterói, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosted by CONAM (the National Confederation of Housing Associations of Brazil), subscribe the declaration.

May 4-6 Niteròi City Hall – Rio de Janiero, Brazil

Following approval at Monterrey, Mexico in 2003, the 10th Meeting of the Continental Front of Community Organizations (CFCO) is to take place from May 4-6 in Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The executive meeting of the CFCO, held on January 26 in Caracas, was attended by 500 leaders from every country in the continent, including 200 from Brazil.

Athens, May 4-7 2006

With only a few months remaining before the ESF, various proposals have been put forth for seminars, working groups and conferences on the housing and urban issue by organizations and individuals in various countries, at times drawn from diverse backgrounds: tenants’ associations, housing cooperatives, lobby groups, urban planners, volunteer organizations, NGO’s, local authorities.

We therefore put forward the idea that a multi-disciplinary “right to housing/right to the city” themed approach be developed with the possible establishment of a physical space.

This could take the form of an “Urban Tent” or even a suitable ESF structure where such types of initiatives could evolve at close quarters and with continuity. In fact, this would be a follow-up to a similar experience during the 2005 WSF.

Unity, Development, Solidarity: the Urban Tent serves to contribute to building this new phase of anti-globalisation.

What is your opinion?

ONLINE FORUM FOR THE 2006 FSE

You are invited to contribute to the discussion by sending your ideas, suggestions and criticisms participating to ONLINE FORUM in order to improve definition of the joint proposal for the 2006 FSE. Or write to info@habitants.org in order to improve definition of the joint proposal for the 2006 FSE.

The International Alliance of Inhabitants in Caracas is promoting two activities:

• a seminar: Zero Evictions Campaign: towards global unity of social urban movements
• a seminar: Toward the Urban Popular University

Furthermore the IAI, together with the FNRU (Fórum Nacional de Reforma Urbana, Brasil) and numerous networks and organisations, is promoting a seminar: Urban Reforms and the right to a city: actual challenges for democracy and social integration.
The objective is to deepen the debate on the theme of democracy and the right to a city, defining directions and strategy for campaigns against evictions and the right to water and defining circulation strategies for the World Charter for the Right to a City.

Among the promoters of the Assembly of the Southern Peoples, many burdened with historical, social and ecological debts, there are those who declare foreign debts illegitimate and would like to set up campaigns and strategies to end this pillage and see the restoration of what has been unjustly taken.

The International Alliance of Inhabitants (IAI) will be present in Bamako through the presence of the International Alliance of Inhabitants of Africa, who together with DAL (France) proposes a seminar entitled ‘Poverty and the right to housing’. Movements from Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and other African nations will participate in the seminar.

IAI will also participate at ‘Le Togun’ (a term in Dogon-Mali meaning ‘space for expression’). The instruments usually used in the WSF (murals with proposals, internet, …) would factually exclude African grass root organisations, for whom the predominant form of expression is an oral one using African languages. IAI will promote in this space, together with the oral proposals that will be made, a discussion on the problems linked with the right to a city and to housing.

“Another world is possible” cannot limit itself to theory: it is necessary to find means to help grass roots to overcome marginalisation. IAI has its own space and the Urban Popular University (UPU) that provides alternative means of training social leaders.

The Americas social Forum

International Alliance of Inhabitants has participated to the 1st Foro Social de las Americas (Quito, Ecuador 25-30 July, 2004). IAI has discussed on several topics: participatory democracy, cancellation of the debt (Zero Eviction campaign) in exchange for public town-planning and housing policies with international participation and control.
These actions can only have a long-term impact if there are policies to convert external debt into Popular Funds to support the right to land tenancy and housing.More...

The other Barcelona forum: the International Forum against evictions
In Barcelona, in the historic site of the libertarian union CGT, has taken place the International Forum Against Evictions, organised by the IAI, externally to the institutional World Urban Forum. More than 120 delegates of inhabitants’ associations and networks, coming from all continents, have participated to the event, contributing their experience of fights for right to a house.More...

World Social Forum 2005
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