World Social Forum 2

World Social Forum 2
Porto Alegre, Brazil
31 January-5 February 2002

Introduction

On Wednesday 31 January 2002 over 50.000 social activists representing a variety of progressive movements worldwide marched through the streets of Porto Alegre, Brazil to kick off the second World Social Forum. The five day event was filled with over 700 seminars and workshops that dealt primarily with the negative effects of neo-liberal globalisation and the prospects for alternatives. The countires with the largest number of delegates to the forum were Brazil, Italy, Argentina, France, USA and Spain. Those who also attended the first WSF in January 2001 noticed an increase in the number of delegates coming from Africa and Asia.

Some of the key issues that were highlighted at the WSF this year were the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas - FTAA (which will be dealt with this year by state leaders in Quito, Ecuador), the Argentine financial crisis and the privatisation of energy and water. The issues of debt in Southern economies were tackled by the International People's Debt Tribunal hosted by the Jubilee South. The Forum ended with a city wide demonstration of over 40.000 participants who oppose the FTAA (ALCA). Additionally, forum participants talked about the need to build regional social forums, which would strengthen ties among civil society groups in order to push for alternatives forms of regionalisms. As a result, a European Social Forum will be held in November this year (location yet to be decided).

The next World Social Forum will be held in Porto Alegre once again, and the International Committee has agreed to hold the WSF 2004 in India.

• Report Back Meeting Amsterdam, 17 February 2003

Publications

Hilary Wainwright Notes Towards a New Politics. New Strategies for People Power TNI Briefing Series, No. 3, January 2002 (also available in Spanish)

Articles by TNI

• Hilary Wainwright Ante Upped The Guardian, 13 February 2002
• Boris Kagarlitsky Magic Realism for Real? The Moscow Times, 12 February 2002
• Boris Kagarlitsky Anti-Davos Gets Up Steam The Moscow Times, 5 February 2002
• Susan George Another World is Possible The Nation, January 2002
• Walden Bello Counteroffensive against Globalization Focus on the Global South, January 2002

Speeches and papers by TNI

• Dot Keet Tactical Means and Strategic Aims in our Campaigns on the World Trade Organisation February 2002
• Marcos Arruda Seminar on a Solidarity Economy 3 February 2002

TNI Activities

• Seminar Political Visions for the 21st Century 1-2 February 2002
• Workshop The EU-WTO Agenda after Doha - Social Movements, Emerging Resistances and Counter-strategies in the South and in the North 3 February 2002



• In preparation for TNI's participation in WSF2, Brid Brennan attends the WSF International Council meeting held in Dakar, Senegal

In the media

• Interview with Fiona Dove 8 February 2002
• Interview with Walden Bello 5 February 2002
• Interview with Susan George 4 February 2002 [Italian]
• Interview with Walden Bello 4 February 2002 [Italian]

Links

• Terra Viva a newspaper of WSF 2