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From Africa Recovery, Vol.18 #1 (April 2004), Watch page WORLD SOCIAL FORUM Delegates to the fourth World Social Forum (WSF) held in Mumbai, India, in January agreed to meet next in Brazil, but there is widespread expectation that the 2006 forum will be held in Africa. Although no formal request has been made, the idea is gaining currency among African and other civil society organizations and is expected to come up for discussion at the next African Social Forum (ASF), the related continental forum. "The Americas have hosted it, Asia has hosted it," said Mr. Demba Diop, deputy secretary general of the Organization of African Trade Union Unity. "We think it's our time." The WSF is an annual meeting of civil society groups, initially held as an alternative to the World Economic Forum, a meeting of business and political leaders in the Swiss resort town of Davos. This was the first time that the gathering was held outside Brazil since its inception in the southern city of Porto Alegre, in 2001. This year, the WSF drew more than 80,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Africa recorded its highest number of delegates to the forum since it began, with more than 400 representatives. "This was really large enough to put the continent's problems out to the world," noted the anti-debt group Afrodad. Unfortunately the African presence was not adequately prepared and organized, notes Afrodad, because the ASF secretariat was unable to organize a continental consultation ahead of the Mumbai meeting. Delegates reiterated their frequent calls for debt cancellation,
an end to structural adjustment conditions and a reversal of
privatization, which they say has put social services out of
the reach of the poor. Some African civil society groups believe
that holding a WSF forum in Africa will bring attention to the
pressing development challenges, such as HIV/AIDS, confronting
the world's poorest region. But some are more cautious, questioning
whether the continent has the organizational means and the mass
movement base to provide the levels of participation achieved
in Brazil and India. This article may be freely reproduced, with attribution to
"Africa Recovery, United Nations". Africa Recovery Tel: (212) 963-6857
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