Impressions from the
World Social Forum
A Palestinian Perspective
I was not sure what to expect at the World
Social Forum in Porto Alegre. People there
thought that everyone should have the right
to determine the shape of the global
economy in accordance with human and
environmental needs.
FoE Middle East promotes sustainable
development and environmental protection in
Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian
territories. My own focus is on how trade
will effect the environment in our region,
in particular the proposed Mediterranean
Free Trade Zone (MFTZ). Taking part in the
World Social Forum has made me realize the
similarities between the proposed Free
Trade Agreement of the Americas and the
MFTZ. Both of them are negotiated by a
select few, and do not take the concerns of
civil society seriously.
I am a Palestinian and I come from a
land where conflict and anger have become a
part of our daily lives. In Porto Alegre
there was a consensus that we need to
promote peace between peoples, countries,
and each other. This is a wonderful
atmosphere that I will remember.
Hanan Awwad,
FoE Middle East
Seeds Planted in Brazil
FoE Brazil was one of thousands of
organizations supporting the first World
Social Forum in 2001. Despite the fact that
the media discredited the conference, we
were able to strengthen the link between
environmental and social issues in a series
of workshops on trade and environment,
ecological debt and international financial
institutions.
The FoE people there – from Brazil,
Colombia, Ecuador, Great Britain, the
Middle East, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and
Uruguay – used the opportunity to build
cooperation with diverse social movements.
The only drawback was that it was
impossible to be everywhere at the same
time – there were so many interesting
speeches, workshops and cultural events in
this peaceful and inspiring forum!
Brazilian people were able to see
themselves as a key part of a global
movement, and were able to show our
alternatives for a more sustainable
society. The seed has been planted that we
can do more, as we are stronger than we had
suspected. We talk a lot about the
empowerment of local communities, but
sometimes we need to reinforce our own
beliefs that another world is possible and
that we can find concrete alternatives to
create this future.
Lucia Schild Ortiz,
FoE Brazil
