MALAGA DECLARATION. Conclusions of the meeting for the constitution on Participatory Democracy and Participatory Budgeting

31st of March 2007

As a result of the works carried out during the 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st of March 2007 in Malaga, and taking as reference the conclusions of the table on Participatory Budgeting held in FAL of Nairobi, we are constituted as Participatory Democracy and Participatory Budgeting Working Group of the FAL Network.

1. We sponsor Participatory Democracy as an alternative to the current institutional and civic deterioration, resulting from neo-liberal globalization. The fierce intervention of the market on the collective sphere makes it necessary to take measures in order to strengthen citizenship and public institutions.

2. As we understand it, the development of the Participatory Democracy is a building process of an active civil society. Participatory Budgeting must be an articulating tool to other mechanisms of participatory planning.

3. Therefore, we understand that Participatory Budgeting must include the following conditions:
 Self-regulated.
 Binding.
 Counting on elected delegates with an imperative mandate/ruling of the assembly.
 Relying on deliberation spaces (forums) previous to the meeting processes.
 Direct Democracy (one man, one woman, one vote).
 With monitoring systems of the approved proposals and social comptrolling.
 Accountability.
 Directed to social inclusion and overcoming inequalities.
 Generating training in order to enable the citizens to appropriate the process.
 Putting the institution and its administrative machinery at the service of the process.

4. Given the widespread of the experiences of participatory budgeting, we are concerned about the development of this methodology not being framed on a citizenship mobilization and social transformation basis.

5. In this first meeting, where we have started a network working aimed at having continuity on time, the following objectives have been proposed:
 The exchange of knowledge about the processes between the FAL municipalities.
 Developing a political definition of the Participatory Democracy processes, as well as identifying the indicators of social and institutional transformation that stems from them.
 Producing and promoting those models that link the decentralized cooperation between municipalities with the processes of Participatory Democracy.
 To transfer these proposals to wider environments, mainly to the Commission on Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy (CSIP) and to the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), as well as to the FAL Agenda.

Andrés Falck, Diputación de Málaga (Andalucía – España)
Alfredo Ramos, Fed. Regional Asociaciones de Vecinos (Madrid Región – España)
Ann carola Hauser, South Denmark European Office –SDEO (Denmark)
Antonio Carrillo, Ayuntamiento de Petrer (País Valenciá - España)
Brian Wampler, RSU (USA)
Carlos López Casas, Ayuntamiento de Getafe (Madrid Región – España)
Cesare Ottolini (Internacional Aliance of Inhabitantas)
Claudio Sule, Asociación de Municipios “Ciudad Sur” de Chile
Daniel Chavez, Transnacional Institute
Elena Cortés, Ayuntamiento de Córdoba (Andalucía - España)
Eulalia Tubau, OIDP – Barcelona (Catalunya – España)
Fani Cholevat, Municipio de Kaissarini (Grecia)
Felipe Llamas, FAMSI (Andalucía- España)
Giovanni Allegretti, CES – Univerdidade Coimbra (Portugal)
Guido Milani (Provinzia Milano - Italia)
Helena Heinzen, Paysandú (Uruguay)
Javier Fito, Ayuntamiento de Sevilla (Andalucía – España)
Josh Lerner, New School for Social Research (USA)
Luz Marina Vega, Municipio de Cotacachi (Ecuador)
Luziane Leins, Prefeita do Fortaleza (Brazil)
María Bastante (Presupuestos Participativos de Sevilla (Andalucía – España)
María Victoria González, Ayuntamiento de Aviles (Asturias – Andalucía)
Marina Izquierdo de la Flor, IU (España)
Nàgela Raposo Alves. Prefeitura do Fortaleza (Brazil)
Neipora de Morais (Orçcamento Participativo do Fortaleza (Brazil)
Papayota Maniou, Instituto Poulantzas (Grecia)
Paula Garvín, Ayuntamiento de Sevilla (Andalucía – España)
Paulo Magnani, Universidad Santiago de Compostela Galicia – España)
Rosma Fernández Menéndez, Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias (FEMP)
Víctor Suárez Rojas, IU-LV-CA (Andalucía – España)
Virgina Barbarrusa, Presupuestos Participativos de Sevilla (Andalucía – España)
Zina Razi, Municipio de Kaissariani (Grecia)