Translated by Cheryl Coello Bellorín
The ten years of the World Social Forum are the expression of a decade of wide expansion, through meaningful world events, and continental and national forums with different significance and repercussions. One of the main achievements during this stage of strengthening alter-globalization is the consolidation of certain international networks and coordinating bodies, such as La Vía Campesina and World March of Women.
January, 2011. Porto Alegre, Brazil. First World Social Forum, with 4,700 delegates from 117 countries participating. Altogether 20,000 participants and 400 self-managed activities. After the event, the Organizing Committee drew up the World Social Forum Charter of Principles, containing 15 items. This document became the conceptual-functional framework of the WSF. Later on, the Charter was ratified by the International Council, a facilitating body created after the first WSF edition and composed of representatives of hundreds of important world wide networks, campaigns and platforms.
January, 2002. Porto Alegre. This event welcomed 50 thousand participants, including 12,274 delegates from 123 countries. In this edition it was proposed to expand the WSF, adding national, continental, and thematic processes or events. The first European Social Forum took place at the end of that same year, in Florence. Shortly after, we celebrated the Americas Social Forum.
January, 2003. Porto Alegre. Altogether 100,000 participants, including 20,000 delegates and 1,300 self-managed activities.
January, 2004. Mumbai, India. There were 74,126 participants from 1,653 organizations in 117 countries. Strong presence of the Dalit movement (the untouchable caste) and of representatives from the entire country.
January, 2005. Porto Alegre. Opening march: 200,000 people. 155,000 registered participants, including 35,000 Youth Camp members. For this edition, a new methodology of thematic consultation was implemented, through an Internet form that allowed identification of struggles, activities, problems and proposals.
2006. Polycentric WSF. This took place in three different cities in three different continents: Bamako (Mali-Africa), January 19th to 23th; Caracas (Venezuela), January 24th to 29th; and Karachi (Pakistan-Asia) at the end of March.
January, 2007. Nairobi, Kenya. This edition received around 50,000 participants. this was probably the most problematic edition to date and the one with the most internal contradictions.
January, 2008. A week of global mobilization and actions in hundreds of cities around the world.
January, 2009. Belém de Pará, Brazil. 133,000 participants from 142 countries. Around 2,300 activities promoted by 5,808 registered organizations, including 4,200 from Latin America, near 500 from Europe and a similar number from Africa. A significant number of participants coming from indigenous communities participated.
2010. Decentralized activities all around the world.
February 6th to 11th, 2011. Dakar, Senegal. Tens of thousands of participants are expected.