4th World Social Forum

India 2004

Dear Friends:

We are happy to invite you to a two day meeting called Building Solidarity: Feminist Dialogues on 14th -15th of January 2004 in Mumbai, India. It is a collaborative effort of the networks mentioned below, to bring together feminists from across the world to discuss and strategise on some key issues challenging women’s movements globally. It takes the opportunity provided by the World Social Forum, to be held from 16th –21st January 2004 in the same city to make global feminist concerns and perspectives more visible. It is not part of the WSF but is a non-funded, autonomous meeting of transnational feminist networks. Please note, due to limited space, the event is by invitation only. This invitation is to you or an alternate from your organization and is non-transferrable. Please respond by Dec. 27, 2003.

The broad objectives of the Feminist Dialogues are:

1. To have a political discussion about feminist organizing: our agendas, our venues of action, our "constituencies," partners and alliances, our strategies, our theories of social change, our desired outcomes, and obstacles to effective collective action.

2. To build analysis and strategies that strengthen bridges between diverse issues and movements within transnational feminist organizing; to deepen our understanding of the relationships among neo-liberalism, militarism, neo-conservatism, religious fundamentalisms and inequities based on gender, race, ethnicity, class, caste, sexual orientation and different abilities.

3. To build and consolidate working relationships among feminist networks in the context of WSF organizing and explore how we relate to other social movements and the broader global justice movements.

The attached background note further elaborates on these objectives. It also states the perspectives that will inform the meeting. We hope that this meeting will serve as an important milestone in building sustainable transnational feminist solidarities across issues and movements.

The broad themes to be discussed at the meeting are:

  • Global and Local Resistances in Current Geopolitics.

  • International Women’s Human Rights and Cultural Transformations as Responses to  Fundamentalisms.

  • Sexualities: Borders, Transgressions and Frontiers.

  • Reproductive Rights: Resurgent Patriarchies in Multiple Forms and Women’s Bodies.

In early January we will be sending four theme notes that trace some of the key issues we have identified for discussions. They do not represent a consensus-rather they point to areas for discussion. We are establishing a list-serve for confirmed participants and other interested women who cannot be in Mumbai. We will begin the dialogue on-line between January 2 and 11, prior to our meeting.

Please confirm your participation to the organisation, which has contacted you, at your earliest by Dec. 27 so we can send you the logistical and other details. It will be necessary for you to immediately book your air tickets because of the tourist season.

In solidarity,


The National Network of Autonomous Women`s Groups (India)
Articulción Feminista Marcosur (Latin America)
DAWN-Sea (Philippines)
FEMNET (Africa)
INFORM (Sri Lanka)
ISIS Internacional (Philippines)
Women´s International Coalition for Economic Justice (based in New York).