Iraqi Social Forum (ISF)
International Call for Participant
s – Deadline 15th of August
Iraqi Social Forum 20
13 – International Call for Participants
Another Iraq is P
ossible!
With Peace, Human Rights and Social Justice!
Dear Friends
We invite you to attend and seek your support for
the first Iraqi Social Forum [ISF] to be held on September 26-28, 2
013 in Baghdad, Iraq .
Active international sol
idarity is the need of this hour!
The Iraqi Social Foru
m is an extraordinary event that opposes decades of immens
e violence and destruction. It proposes a time and a space managed
by civil society and social movements to build another Iraq based
on peace, respect for human rights and social justice, in partnership with
all those who adhere to the principles and charter of the WSF, adop
ted in Porto Alegre in 2001.
The loss of the lives of o
ver one million people, the destruction of infrastructure, fatal and debili
tating effects of depleted uranium and chemical weaponry u
sed by the occupation forces cannot be forgotten, neither by the Iraqi peop
le nor by the international movements who have been mobilizing against the
war and the occupation.
The withdrawal of the US and occ
upation troops has opened the way to complete the struggle of Iraqi people
for democracy and social justice, but the current Iraqi leadership
has been built on sectarian lines, and does not guarantee the rights and s
afety of its citizens. Hundreds of thousands have protested in the
streets of Iraqi cities since 2011 against corruption, for social
services, for freedom of expression, and for an independent judiciary syste
m. More than 2600 Iraqis have been killed since April 2013 in terrorist att
acks, most of them in Baghdad. Still Iraqi civil society acts for change.
Now it is the time to all work together to build a way for hope t
o emerge, and to contribute to the desires of the Iraqi people for a civil,
democratic society and State, based on respect for different cultures. The
country is experiencing a political, economic and social crisis: this is t
he time to build partnerships, foster dialogue and cooperation, to find sol
utions to outstanding problems. Now is the time to end violence and terrori
sm for which the people of Iraq have paid, and continue to pay, a heavy pri
ce. These are the challenges of the Iraqi Social Forum, we believe that the
se are our shared challenges!
The WSF process is now well anchor
ed in the region. Since 2008 we have witnessed successful regional social f
ora in the Maghreb/Mashreq, a World Education Foru
m in Palestine and the World Social Forum in Tunis earlier this year. These collective experiences provide a fertile ground
for the Iraqi civil society to build the first Iraqi Social Forum as an open space for exchange of experiences and ideas, and to buil
d a movement against neo-liberalism, for social change.
Iraqi ci
vil society organizations will raise the following issues within th
e ISF: building a civic and democratic country; challenges faced b
y minorities; equitable distribution of wealth and social justice; trade un
ions, and peasant associations; rights of women, youth, children; economic,
social, and cultural issues; nonviolence as a way of social, cultural, and
economic change in Iraq; international solidarity campaigns with the Iraqi
civil society. Sports Against Violence and Artistic activities wil
l be associated to the forum.
The world witnessed huge
demonstrations, unparalleled in the history, against the US invasion of Ira
q. This international solidarity is now once again being convened in suppor
t of the Iraqi Social Forum. International participation in the Bag
had ISF forum event will be limited in numbers for security reasons, but the ISF preparatory committee is looking for a venue in Baghdad safe
enough for some internationals to attend. We strongly encourage yo
ur remote participation from your own country, via the “Exte
nded Iraqi Social Forum”.
Please consider the foll
owing ways of joining us:
1) Be with us in Bagh
dad. Be aware that this entails a certain degree of risk, and that
we will confirm international participation only in early September depend
ing on the situation. Meanwhile, you need to register before the 15th of Au
gust in order to receive a letter of invitation and apply for the visa at t
he Iraqi Embassy in your country.
You will be contacted individu
ally after submitting the application form here: http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/registration-form-iraqi-s
ocial-forum-2013
2) Extended ISF. Organize a solida
rity event in your own country,
before or during the IS
F, or a live exchange via Internet with a group in Baghdad
, or a tele-participation in an activity held in Baghdad . A group of Iraq
i volunteers is being trained to help connect with counterparts who want to
exchange via Internet. Define with the local organizers which ISF activiti
es will be enlarged for Internet participation, and build the corresponding
connections.
You can learn more about the Extended foru
m and announce each of your extended collective participations in
the ISF in a form accessible here: http://www
.iraqicivilsociety.org/extended-iraqi-social-forum-registration-form
Let us know if you are willing to participate!
The Ira
qi Social Forum Organizing Committee
The International Solidarit
y Committee for the Iraqi Social Forum
If you need suppo
rt contact: Questo indirizzo email è protett
o dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.
****
Member organizations of the Iraqi committee:
Organization City
; Women for Peace Baghdad
Tammuz Organization for Social Development Baghdad
Laonf Group Basra
&n
bsp; AL Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development &n
bsp; Erbil
Kurdistan Youth Empowerment Organi
zation Erbil
Information Center
for research and development Baghdad
&
nbsp;Iraqi council for peace and solidarity (ICPS) Baghd
ad
Al Amal Association Baghdad General Federation of Iraqi Workers &nb
sp;Baghdad
Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions &nb
sp; Basra
Press Freedom Advocacy Association
In Iraq Baghdad
Madarik for Stud
ying Mechanisms of Conceptual Promotion Baghdad
&nb
sp; Yazidi Solidarity and Fraternity League
Ninawa
Engineering Professions Union &
nbsp;Baghdad
Iraqi Democratic Future Network
Baghdad
Ufoq Organization
Baghdad
Iraqi Network for Social Media
; Baghdad
Institute for War and Peace R
eporting Baghdad
Members of the inter
national committee:
Name
Organization
Country
Ismaeel Dawood Iraqi Civil Society Solidari
ty Initiative international
Martina Pignatti Morano
Un ponte per… Italy
Judi
th Hitchman and Sergio Cordeiro Support to “Iraqi
Social Forum interpreters’ team” internation
al
Sabiha Ben Ammar Confédération G&e
acute;nérale Tunisienne du Travail (CGTT) Tunisia
Feroz Mehdi Alternatives International
; international
Mireille Fanon-Mendes Frantz
Fanon Foundation international
Elena Laurenti and N
icola Visconti A.D. Sport Against Violence
Italy
Pierre George Support to “Extende
d Iraqi Social Forum team” France
Mboirick Mo
hamed Gathering of Young Mauritania for Development &nbs
p; Mauritania
Olfa Mohamed Tunisian Lea
gue of Women Voters Tunisia
Ahmad Jaradat &nb
sp; Alternative Information Center Palestine/Israe
l
Gershom Kabaso Zambia Social Forum &
nbsp;Zambia
Terry Kay Rockefeller September 11 Fami
lies for Peaceful Tomorrows USA
Felipe Daza &
nbsp; NOVACT Spain
Raffaella Bolini &nb
sp; ARCI Italy
Hamouda Soubhi &n
bsp;Alternatives Forum in Morocco (FMAS) Morocco
Mu
hanna Al-Shamary Friendship and Peace International Orga
nization Denmark/Iraq
Alessandra Mecozzi &nbs
p; Italian Network for the World Social Forum Ital
y
Gustave Massiah Initiatives Pour un Autre Monde (
IPAM) France
------------------------------------- -
Baghdad hosts the first Iraqi Social Forum and does not su
rrender to violence
When they started preparations, loc
al organizers of the Iraqi Social forum were hoping to gather more than fiv
e thousand activists, between Iraqis and internationals, in the center of B
aghdad. Their vision was to bring back, through this event, the image of ci
vic peace and activism in a city that once upon a time was known as Dar Al-
Salam (City of Peace). Many challenges have faced this group of activists b
ut they are building a great event and preserving hope. They encourage inte
rnationals to come to Baghdad for this forum.
LEGGI L'ARTICOLO AL
SEGUENTE LINK :
http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/archives/2251
Articolo di Stefano
Nanni su Osservatorio Iraq:
http://www.osservatorioiraq.it/voci-dal-campo/iraq-baghdad-riparte-dal-
social-forum