KENYA: 80,000 social activists are expected to converge on World Social Forum in Nairobi to campaign over trade, poverty, war and the environment

Record ID: 361301

  • Title: KENYA: 80,000 social activists are expected to converge on World Social Forum in Nairobi to campaign over trade, poverty, war and the environment
  • Date: 20th January 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) RETIRED ARCH BISHOP, DESMOND TUTU SAYING: "Maybe there are no tangible achievements, but surely the most important is to be able to have placed certain items on the agenda and say to the world, you are not going to get away and pretend that there is no poverty, pretend that the economic order is a just one, pretend the debts that so many countries ar
  • Embargoed: 4th February 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA2ZXBV4VBD2FUIUP6S2BFGI399
  • Story Text: 80,000 social activists are expected to converge on World Social Forum to campaign over trade, poverty, war and the environment.
    Social activists from across the world are flocking to Nairobi to attend the the 7th annual World Social Forum (WSF) scheduled to start Saturday (January 20).
    About 60,000 delegates, made up of activists, social movement and networks representatives, coalitions and other from Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America are expected.
    The World Social Forum ,created as a challenge to the coinciding World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, brings together a conglomerate of activists and non-governmental organisations to discuss issues like poverty, disease and trade among others.
    "Well my whole take is that they ought to be here and to be hearing what people are saying, what peoples' desires are, where people want to go in terms of their economies in terms of their development. To use that, to then go and discuss in the World Economic Forum," said Kenyan delegate, Apondi Nyang'aya.
    Participants are expected to hold various sessions in panels and workshops. There will also be a procession targeting the Economic Forum bringing out the disparity between the rich and the poor nations.
    "I would say these are the economic powers, the G-8 are behind multinational companies again, and sorting out whatever nice kind of strategies again. Here are we in another part of the world trying to find out new strategies how we can jointly combat new liberal policy. I guess this is really important that the North and South unite because, lets face it and be honest - we are all sitting on the same boat," said German delegate Annete Groth.
    Rallying around the clarion call of Another World Is Possible, the World Social Forum has placed social justice, international solidarity, gender equality, peace and defence of the environment on the agenda of the world's peoples.
    "Maybe there are no tangible achievements, but surely the most important is to be able to have placed certain items on the agenda and say to the world, you are not going to get away and pretend that there is no poverty, pretend that the economic order is a just one, pretend the debts that so many countries are carrying are equitable debts," said retired archbishop Despond Tutu.
    SF Nairobi 2007 will be an opportunity to showcase Africa and her social movements; Africa and her unbroken history of struggle against foreign domination, colonialism and neo-colonialism; Africa and her rich heritage.
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