After the ninth World Social Forum (WSF) – Belem, Brazil – 2009, Morocco has hosted the organizing meetings of the International Council of the WSF. The meetings were held in Harhoura, Rabat and accommodated more than 200 activists representing civil society organizations and social movements from 30 countries from the Western and Eastern Arab region, Africa and Americas.
During the organizing meetings in Morocco, the following commitments were concluded:
– Agreeing the request of Senegal to host the WSF for the year 2010 with emphasis on the collaboration between Maghreb and African Social Fora.
– It now more important than ever to take practical steps for the establishment to establish the Eastern/Western Social Forum in the Arab region. The forum will contribute to building the solidarity among social movements in the region for more effective resistance to the dominating neoliberal current.
– The International Council of the WSF has adopted the approach of ‘thematic fora’. Accordingly, we have committed ourselves to organize/support a number of the thematic events/for a in our region including: the forum for trade unions in Algeria (November 2009); the forum of social movements in Morocco (March 2010); the 2nd forum for health and environmental development in Egypt (October 2010); the international educational forum in Palestine (October 2010), the human right forum in Mauritania (November 2010); the fora of women’s rights in Tunisia and Jordan; and the immigration forum in Belgium (December 2010).
We affirm that each thematic forum will be organized upon massive consultation among civil society organizations and social movements in the region and in line with the agenda of the WSF to address the determinates of the global economic crisis and develop alternatives for humanizing the global economic and financial cycle for better respect to the justice, the peace, the democracy and the human rights.
The outcomes of these thematic fora during the year 2010 will result in more dynamic contribution from the region in the WSF in Dakar (February 2011).
The present forum is called for an initiative from a number of the civil society organizations and network and social movements from the region. It also comes as a follow up of the first forum for health and environment in 2008 which was called for by the Association for Health and Environmental Development (AHED) in collaboration with the People’s Health Movement (PHM) and organized in coordination with Palestinian Relief Society (PRS), Palestine and Arab Resource Collective (ARC), Lebanon. It was attended by 182 participants from 18 countries.
In addition, it comes as a follow up of the ‘Land Forum’ which was organized by the Coalition of Habitat International Coalition Middle East and North Africa in May 2008.
Background
In spite of the overall improvement of health indicators in mostly all the countries of Arab region, the inequities remain high within and among countries.
Undemocratic political systems; neo-liberal policies and privatization waves; wars, conflicts and political instability are the major determinates for ill-health and health inequity in our region in addition to the classic disparities based on gender, ethnicity, religion and place of residence. The neo-liberal economic reforms have led to the withdrawal of the state from the service provision leaving the space for the unaccountable and profit-oriented private sector in most of cases. This led, in turn, to structural weakness of the social security and access to essential services even when the social security and the right to basic services are protected by the national constitutions and laws. Moreover, the consequences of the climate change will largely affect People’s lives and livelihood; however the poor will pay most of the bigger portion of bill.
In the Arab region, the civil society sector has massively grown (in size) since early 1990, however, its policy impact remains quite limited. The steady conflict status, the undemocratic political systems, the low human development indicators, and the legal system and governance structures are the main external reasons for civil society weaknesses. In addition, lack of accountability mechanism, the domination of the culture of charity, and fragmentation are some of the internal reasons.
Objectives
The main objectives for the 2nd edition of the forum are:
– To create channels through which people’s voices, especially those are most marginalized, can be heard and influence the social, economic and health policies that shape their lives and livelihood and health.
– To consolidate a policy dialogue among different stakeholder in the region.
– To enhance the networking and communication among different civil society across the regions and between them and other stakeholders.
– To assist a process of needs identification for further building the capacity of the non-state non-profit sector in the region.
– To create a platform for solidarity in the region in addition of joint action by the civil society actors and social movements especially for protecting people’s health, advocating people’s social, economic and political rights.
Themes
The forum will adopt the following themes:
– People-center Development (Alternative paradigm for development and role of non-state non-profit sector)
– Health and Environmental rights and current governance structure (campaign agenda for health and environmental governance reform)
– Our region and the danger of the global warming (collective action to mitigation / reduce the impact of the global warming)
– People-centered health care reform including Health System Policy (campaign agenda to re-vitalize the comprehensive Primary Health Care as articulated in Alma Ata declaration)
– Health Equity (collective action to address the structural determinants of people’s health and narrow the equity gap)
– The right to housing and land and the collective control on the natural resources
Partners
The second edition of the ‘Regional Forum for Health and Environmental Development’ seeks diversity and inclusiveness. Hence, all the Arab non-state, non-profit organizations/structures are invited to participate, share their activism and assist the organization of this forum.
Venue
The Forum will be held in Cairo in a public facility; namely Ain Shams University Conference Center located in the guest house (Dar Al-Diafa)) of Ain Shams University (it is neighboring Ain Shams University Hospital in Abbassiah Square, Cairo)
Program
The forum program will include:
– FIVE plenary sessions covering the major themes of the forum. Each plenary session will discuss one of the themes through testimonies and key-note speeches.
– NINE concurrent sessions/workshops (6 during the first day and 3 during the second day). The parallel session will provide free space for the partner organization to organize workshops to share and discuss certain initiatives related to the forum’s themes. The parallel session should also identify forms of joint actions among forum’s participants. We call upon the civil society organizations across the region to submit proposals for organizing concurrent sessions.
– Exhibition: The forum will provide a display space for all partner and participant organizations to present their publications in form of brochures, booklets, reports videos, etc. Representatives from the private for-profit secotor are welcome to participate in the debates, however; selling, displaying or advertising for commercial products is strictly prohibited during the form.
– Culture event: the host organization in Cairo, upon agreement of all organizers will arrange a culture event after the closing session of the forum. Most probably will be an Egyptian/Arabian folklore show.
Language
– Arabic is the main language of the forum; however,
– Simultaneous translation (to and from English and French) will be available during all plenary sessions; and
– Simultaneous translation may be arranged in some of the parallel session upon a request indicated in the proposal form.
Contacts
For more information, please contact us on (heforum@gmail.com) in Arabic, English or French
Please submit your proposal on the same e-mail
People’s Health Movement Global Secretariat (Cairo office) – The Egyptian Foundation for Health for All)
Telephone and Fax: +20 2 22682278
Association for Health and Environmental Development (AHED)
Telephone: +20 2 22565613
Fax: +20 2 22565612
Civil society Portal (West/East) E-joussour
Telephone and Fax: +212 537 770590 / 22682278
Development Support Center
Telephone and Fax +20 2 37622413