RECORD OF THE PROMOTING GROUP MEETING

RECORD OF THE PROMOTING GROUP MEETINGFlorianópolis 24 – VII – 2007 ATENDEES:

Aniesa, Antonio Nanterre France

Aversa, Marcelo Várzea Paulista Brazil

Bellot, Pau Diputación de Barcelona Spain

Da Silva, Roque Osasco Brazil

Dias, Pedro AIH, CONAM Brazil

Dibreil, Odite Aubagne France

Dioli, Irma Provincia de Milan Italy

Falck, Andrés Provincia de Málaga Spain

Godás, Xavier Barcelona Spain

Gomá, Ricard Barcelona Spain

Giovannangeli, Magali Aubagne France

Llamas, Felipe FAMSI Spain

Luque Gálvez, José Manuel FAMSI, Spain

Mancuso, Eduardo Guarulhos Brazil

Marx, Vannesa CISDP CGLU Spain

Milani, Guido Provincia de Milán, Italy

Morello, Gian Paolo CICU Italy

Osan, Francesc Diputación de Barcelona Spain

Pereira, Eduardo Várzea Paulista Brazil

Pieta, Elói FNP, Gruarulhos Brazil

Torres, Sócrates Magno Camaçari Brazil

MEETING AGENDA:

I. North Antenna and South Antenna Reports: Working Groups and events, follow up to the FAL.

II. Planning around the WSF. Definition of aims and proposals. 1) World Conference of Mobilizations 26th of January 2008.2) ESF 2008. Malmö (Suecia) and Copenhagen (Denmark). Americas Social Forum. October 2008, Guatemala.3) WSF 2009, Belem do Para (Brazil). Process and event. Expansion and evaluation.III. Working proposal. Communication and agenda.IV. Co-organization with UCLG: Different commissions and working groups. I. NORTH ANTENEE AND SOUTH ANTENEE REPORTS: Felipe Llamas presented documentation and a report of the North Antenna He emphasised the fulfilment and compliance of the wide Nairobi Agenda.Andrés Falck highlighted the Conference on Participatory Budgeting held in Malaga as well as the constitution of the Working Group on Democracy and Participatory Budgeting. He gave particular importance to the new incorporation of European countries (Holland, Denmark, Norwich, Germany, Greece). He informed the meeting about the continuity of work by the Paysandu Group (Uruguay) during the seminar that will take place in October.Guido Milani reports on activity in Italy and development in relation to the next conference. Antonio Aniesa informed those present about the possibility of holding the next FAL Periferias (outskirts) in 2008. It is being considered whether to hold them in Getafe (Spain) the main problem is the French and Brazilian local elections. The next Group meeting is to be held on the 26th of July 2007 during the FLACMA Congress.Magali Giovannangeli insisted on the need to strengthening relationships between local institutions and social movements. She presented the relationship between local powers and URGENCI (World network of peasant organizations) working together around the alimentary control and the outskirts. A workshop with the local authorities will be carried out during the next World Congress of URGENCI.Elói Pieta proposed: a) A reflection upon the FAL of Nairobi and about the situation and aim of the network b) The inclusion of points in relation to the FLACMA Congress. Felipe Llamas, Vanesa Marx, Magali Giovannageli, Antonio Aniesa, José Manuel Luque y Eduardo Mancuso participated on the debate: Notes:- Central character of the relationship with the social movements.- Importance of progressive inclusion of decentralised cooperation in the network agenda.- Evolution towards greater work within the Network.- Importance of the ideological retro-alimentation and of the global/local practice. Mancuso considered that FAL has gone through two different periods: 2001/2004., with an extraordinary development of altermundialist movement. Where the strongest moment was the first global mobilization. This periods´ main feature is its event functioning format, with a very wide and increasing participation of local authorities. a) 2.003/currently. Quantitative reduction and stabilization, becoming a network format. He concludes by pointing out the widespread network to the South of Europe and Latin America as well as our role in UCLG. II. FAL AGENDA AROUND THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM a) Global Day of Action- The Council of Cordoba has confirmed its intention to call for a Local Authorities World Forum in order to defend and promote public services. The dates will be around the 26^th of January. - It has been agreed to accept the proposal by North Antenna of launching a digital platform that would record FAL experiences, local authorities interventions (previously recorded) as well as live connexions. This space will be linked to the space that WSF has projected. - To elaborate a relation/diagnostic of the actions to be carried out by the local authorities. Antonio Aniesa: The attitude of the French social movement is still unknown, and the acting possibilities of the French mayors are very limited due to the proximity of the local elections.Elói Pietá considered the appointment on the 26^th of January as a good opportunity to broaden in the concrete, the influence of the network. José M Luque thinks that defending the right to shelter could be a uniting issue for social movements and local authorities.Guido Milani informed that they are working on an Italian FAL call, as well as on the possibility of common action of the municipalities. Irma Dioli considered that a call of the Network would facilitate the call of more local authorities. Pedro Dias presented IAH initiatives and considered it necessary to launch a global coordination of actions and aims. Re-structuring the mobilization would further weaken social movements. Sócrates M Torres added that in his opinion there has not been such a loss of power from social movements, but an evolution with a new relationship and participation with the popular, local and state governments. It is concluded the necessity of elaborating a Letter/Calling of the Network and the search of a common slogan. Pau Bellot presented the proposal of the letter for Human Rights Agenda in the City and the importance of including the reiteration of human rights in the year 2008. b) Regional Forums (Europe and Americas) Eduardo Mancuso warned about the difficulty of the Brazilian municipalities to participate in the SF of the Americas since it will coincide with local elections. Magali Giovannangeli considered that the calling of the FAL should be made from the initiatives defending the public services. Concerning the FAL Europe, it is agreed to contact the Nordic municipalities to co-organize the calling. c) WSF 2009 Eduardo Mancuso Informed that the calling is aimed at having a strong Panamazonic character. In order to achieve this, he proposed to identify some cities from Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia and hold a meeting after the elections that are to take place in Brazil in October. He proposed to turn the Antenna into a preparatory group of the FAL VIII.Sócrates M Torres offered Camaçari as a location to hold the said meeting. Antonio Aniesa considered very important to include the calling for WSF – FAL from the Global Action Day. As a conclusion:- Panamazonic character of the calling FAL VII - To activate the South Antenna in order to prepare the calling.- To include the calling for the FAL and WSF VIII in all the actions to be carried out next year. - To hold a preparatory meeting on June 2008. III. WORKING PROPOSAL. COMMUNICATION AND AGENDA - 6^th -7^th of September (Barna): Ciudades por la paz (Cities for Peace) - 27^th-28^th of September 2007 (Barcelona): Conference on innovative politics on Social Inclusion. - October 2007 (Paysandú): International Seminar on participatory democracy. - October 2007 (Italy): National Assembly of Rete Nuovo Municipio and FAL Italy call. - 25^th of October 2007 (Milano): International Convention on Social Inclusion Policies for Immigrants. - 28^th-31^st of October 2007 (Jeju): UCLG General Assembly. - 29^th-30^th of October 2007 (Belem do Para): International Council WSF. - November 2007 (OIDP meeting in Nanterre): Promoting Group FAL Network. Main issues: preparation of the Global Action Day 2008 and Local Authorities Forum for the defence and promotion of public services (Cordoba). V. CO-ORGANISATION WITH UCLG. COMMISSIONS AND WORKING GROUPS

Participants: Vanesa Marx, Elói Pieta, Ricard Gomá, Magali Giovannangeli, Antonio Aniesa, Frances Osan, Eduardo Mancuso, Xavier Godás and Felipe Llamas.

Conclusions:- FAL – UCLG co-organisation strengthening.- Turning CISDP into an articulating axe of UCLG- Enlarge participation in different organisations.- Democratizing UCLG Barcelona and FAMSI addressed their interest in widen their responsibilities in the respective commissions of Social Inclusion and Decentralised Cooperation. VI. FLACMA Elói Pieta addressed issues in relation to the FLACMA Congress. Today it encounters resistance from the centre right towards the evolution to of the left in Latin American municipalities. Change seems difficult due to its democratic deficits. POST MEETING NOTEThe next FLACMA Congress will be held in May 2008, Mexico DF. Ecatepec (who were not able to participate in the promoting group meeting due to flight delays) made an offer to hold the celebration of a FAL seminar before the congress.