Go to the next WSF
The World Social Forum is a huge annual event, attended by people from NGOs, community groups and civil society movements from all over the world who are 'opposed to neo-liberalism and world domination by capital'. The WSF is an open meeting place for reflection and creative thinking, for democratic debate of ideas and issues, for free exchange of experiences, and for networking and linking up with other people and groups in order to plan effective action for a better world.
The WSF is a huge event, attracting hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe. There are also regional and thematic WSFs, which explore specific issues and issues of regional significance.
...another world is possible
Take Action
Change your plans for January. Take a trip to the next World Social Forum. It will open your eyes to what people are doing to create a better world. It could inspire you. And you should have a great time.
The World Social Forum is held in January each year rotating between Porto Alegre in Brazil and another location.
Find Out More
World Social Forum: www.forumsocialmundial.org.br
And these are the regional forums linked to the World Social Forum:
- European Social Forum www.fse-esf.org
- Americas Social Forum www.forosocialamericas.org
- Pan Amazonian Social Forum www.fspanamazonico.com.br
- Mediterranean Social Forum www.fsmed.info
...and watch out for the next Asia Social Forum
History of the Forum
The first WSF was held in January 1998 to coincide with the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, when 192 organisations from 54 countries launched a 'Declaration against the Globalisers of Misery'. The next year, in 1999, a Davos Forum aimed to show that the economic issues addressed by the World Economic Forum only served a small group of interests, and that other mechanisms were needed for addressing issues of social justice and world development.
This led to the first World Social Forum held in Porto Alegre, Brazil in January 2001. Some 20,000 participants came together around the slogan 'Another World is Possible'.
The number of people attending has continued to grow. Over 55,000 people from 131 countries came to the second WSF in 2002, and 100,000 attended in 2003. In 2004, the WSF was held in India, attracting around 250,000 participants.
The 2006 Forum was held in Bamako (Mali), Caracas (Venezuela) and Karachi (Pakistan). The 2007 Forum will be in Brazil.
What it's like at the forum
The programme includes lectures, presentations, workshops, film and video, cultural events, marches and demonstrations, the issuing of declarations and much else.
If you go, you will learn about the world and its problems, what people's movements are doing to address these, new ideas for development, and new skills for making change. You will meet old friends and make new friends - and you should come away believing that another world is possible.
Sign up to our Newsletter:
Email Friends
Go to the next World Social Forum. Learn how to change the world. Find out what others are doing. Be inspired.
World Social Forum: www.forumsocialmundial.org.br
