The following networks and articulations took part in the
“METAFORUM” meeting (about the feminist participation at the 2004
WSF) organized by the MARCOSUR Feminist Articulation on August 1st
and 2nd, 2003: “Articulación Feminista MARCOSUR” (MARCOSUR
Feminist Articulation) , “Católicas pelo Direito de Decidir” (Catholics
for the Right to Decide), “REPEM/DAWN”, “Mujeres Viviendo bajo
las Leyes Musulmanas” (Women Living Under Muslim Laws),
“Articulação de Mulheres Brasileiras” (Brazilian Women
Articulation), “Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos para
Gays y Lesbianas” (National Committee for Gays and Lesbians
Human Rights), Red Mujer y Salud de América Latina y el
Caribe” (Woman and Health Network of Latin America and the
Caribbean), Youth Coalition, “Comisión Nacional de Seguimiento
Cairo y Beijing (Uruguay)” (Cairo and Beijing Monitoring
National Committee), “La Coordinadora de Mujeres del Paraguay”
(Paraguay Women Organizing Committee), “Red Mujer y
Habitat” (Women and Habitat Network), “Campaña Regional 28
de Setiembre” (September 28 Regional Campaign).
1WSF
III: data, evaluations and participation in the International
Council
Gina
Vargas and Lilián Celiberti presented, in the first morning, some
of the outcomes of the “systematization seminar” regarding the
participants of the last WSF (gender, age, education, religions,
opinions about abortion legalization, “ALCA”, etc., etc.) and
informed about the last International Council meeting held in Miami.
There
was a report on the meeting performed in Mexico and the present
countries reported on both national and regional activities. The
Campaign’s importance was strengthened, not only within the WSF but
mostly beyond it, which increases the importance of developing the
“fundamentalisms” concept on a theoretical basis.
Several creative
proposals for the next WSF were discussed in the working parties. It
was decided to substitute the word “mouth” by “voice” in the slogan
(just for this next WSF) but maintaining, of course, the printed
mouths as they always were. Considering that, in India, the
partners are going to work on the issue of different wars (see item
3.2), we will also use: “Your voice against war”, etc., maintaining
the mouth mark on the images.
Nandita Shah, of the
National Network of Autonomous Women Organizations, also belonging
to the WSF International Council and Organizing Committee,
participated from India.
3.1-
Organizing Committee
Presentation on the WSF
organization, whose organizing committee has different
characteristics from the Brazilian Organizing Committee: 140
organizations from different sectors participate in the OC of India.
Some of the most active women organizations are:
AIDWA
NFIW
National “Alianza” (Alliance)
National Network of
Autonomous Women Organization
Sanga +
There is a Caucus of Women of the Organizing Committee ( see report
on Caucus of Women of the I.C., previously sent, which this caucus
holds dialogue with).
3.2-
Subjects:
The cross-subjects
planned for the WSF IV are:
1- Imperialist
globalization (not “neo-liberal”);
2- Communalism (that
deals with religious sectarianism, which appears when a community
struggles to prevail over the other, it’s not “fundamentalism” in
the sense that it doesn’t refer to any “religious fundament”).
3- Castes (racism based
on strata)
4- Patriarchy /
patriarchalism.
5- Militarism.
What will be
distributed in the axis:
I- Militarism, War and
Peace.
II- Media, Knowledge
and Culture.
III- Democracy,
Economic and Ecological Security.
IV- Exclusions,
Discrimination, Dignity, Rights and Equality.
(Our discussions,
contributions and suggestions about these subjects and contents are
being worked on, and they will be sent to you on a next report).
Nandita explained that
women organizations will be working on the war issue considering
various aspects: aggressive wars (the “typical ones” in which one
army fights against the other), continuous or daily ones (which are
related to economy, market, etc.) and invisible wars, like those
against women in the bosom of the families. This is a very important
aspect for us because we must plan the campaign against
fundamentalisms relating it to these subjects).
3.3- Why in Bombay
Because it is one of
the cities that suffers the most with the impacts of globalization
process with a very high level of unemployment. Bombay has a
symbolic meaning in the struggle against globalization. Holding the
WSF in Bombay is, consequently, a way of questioning the foundation
of this globalization process.
3.4- Women
Visibility
Nandita stated that,
for them, it was more important to visualize the agenda and not
necessarily the presence as women in the Forum. They propose:
- A women march that,
departing from diverse places, meets at the same point and then
joins the main one.
-
A space for women of all continents, a topic
about which we discussed quite a lot; the initial proposal was to
mount 35 stands, 5 of which would correspond to each continent, for
materials exhibition and for meeting and discussion premises. The
importance of not generating isolated spaces for women was
discussed, as well as the difficulty of taking large quantities of
materials to India, due to the high costs that this may involve
(translations, transportation, etc.). We finally agreed that the
better proposal was to have a large mural/exhibition panel on which
photographs, materials, banners, etc. can be mounted/exhibited. It
would be a kind of mosaic showing what women do throughout the
world.
Nandita’s presence was
very important in order to achieve a better comprehension of what
will be the essence of the WSF. Her explanations help us to outline
the political definitions and the content we intend the panel to
have, which, as MFA, we could organize in articulation with other
networks. Including, for example and for a better comprehension, the
way that reproductive health is considered in respect of population
control and sexuality issues; etc.
3-
articulation with feminist autonomous spaces of India and Asia
4-
alliance with non feminist democratic sectors
5-
campaign against fundamentalisms
Nandita, upon our
request, presented a detailed list of the issues that needed our
support and participation. She emphasized the importance of having
the networks coordinated also for the auto-organized activities
(this issue had been one of those noted down in the meeting at Porto
Alegre on February 28th in order to foster the work of
all of us and to enhance our visibility). We agreed to send, before
August 20th, some suggestions and proposals of names of
people, headings and contents of some activities. We expect you to
URGENTLY send us or Nandita directly proposals for names, headings,
subjects and seminars.
Partners from India
could organize all the logistics of the two-day meeting in Bombay,
prior to the WFS, but they would not be in charge of the meeting
itself, that shall have to be called for and organized by networks
and articulations of other countries and/or regions willing to
contribute to that task.
We need to start
coordinating this meeting collectively. In a future message we will
be sending you a proposal to be discussed among all of us, which
would be just a rough draft but would serve as a guide to prepare
the activity.
2003