Dear friends from the Pan-Amazonian Countries,

Because the Pan-Amazonian regions is considered to be an strategic region to all humanity, the WSF International Council has decided to hold the 8th edition of the World Social Forum in our region, more specifically in Belém do Pará, capital city of the Para state, in Brazil.
 
WSF2009 in Amazon must be preceded by a process in which the main actors are the Pan-Amazonian peoples, social movements and organizations which will have the opportunity to globally reverberate their struggles, as well as building planetary and continental alliances. Having that aim in mind, during the WSF International Council (WSF IC) meeting that was carried out in October of 2007, in Belem, it was decided to dedicate WSF2009 first day exclusively to the Amazon issues, focusing themes, reports on experience and presentation of alternatives promoted by the Pan-Amazonian peoples. Apart from that first day, the universe of Pan-Amazonian dreams and struggles will be present all over the WSF2009, through debates, workshops, a Pan-Amazonian House, spaces for dialogue and socialization that will be built within the Forum’s territory.

The WSF2009 – Amazon will represent a big opportunity to the organizations and social movements from the Pan-Amazonian region to reattach and strengthen their bounds. It was not by chance that Pan-Amazonian peoples organizations which are part of the WSF IC have agreed on carrying out together the VIII WSF and the V Pan-Amazonic Social Forum, which had its previous editions carried out in the period between 2002 and 2005: twice in Belem, one in Ciudad Guayana (Venezuela) and one in Manaus (Brazil).

For the Pan-Amazonic entities and movements, the VIII WSF will be not only an opportunity but also a big responsibility. Without the intense participation of the social actors of the region, we will not achieve our goals. And such participation starts right now, in the following levels: 

Organization of the WSF First Day
Attached to this notice is a suggestion of guidelines for the first day of the WSF. These were prepared by the Belem Organizing Committee and are merely a proposal of themes that could be discussed in the first day of the WSF.
We ask you to contribute with critics and suggestions so we can create a program for the first day that will have a set of Pan-Amazon themes.
 
Delegations and Caravans
Another essential element for the success of the VII WSF is the massive participation of delegations from the Pan-Amazonic countries. For that we are proposing the organization of Fluvial and Terrestrial Caravans from the following points:

Fluvial Caravan – Letícia- Belem – Letícia
Terrestrian /Fluvial Caravan - Caiena- Belem – Caiena
Terestrian /Fluvial Caravan – Santa Elena / Pacaraima/ Manaus / Belem
Terrestrian / Fluvial Caravan – Xapuri/ Belem /Xapuri
Fluvial Caravan – Porto Velho/Belem/Porto Velho

It's extremely important that, from now on, the Pan-Amazonic social actors declare their will to participate on those caravans, to join its organization, as well as suggesting other routes to be made.

Borderless Meetings
According to Pan-Amazonian Forum tradition, preparatory meetings, named as “Encontros Sem Fronteiras” (Borderless Meetings), are being organized with the following objectives:
Discuss common problems between country borders communities, interlink and celebrate alliances, organize caravans towards Belem 2009.

Until now, the following meetings are foreseen:

Grand Savana Borderless Meeting – Brazil / Venezuela (Pacaraima / Santa Elena de Uairén)
High Solimões Borderless Meeting  - Brazil / Colombia / Peru (Benjamin Constant / Letícia / Ramón Castilla)
Madeira's Borderless Meeting – Brazil (Rondônia state) / Bolivia
Central Jungle Borderless Meeting – Brazil (Acre state) / Peru
Macapá Borderless Meeting – To be held in the state of Amapa (Brazil), joining delegations coming from Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname e Guyana.

The results of those meetings will be presented during the WSF 2009 in the “Casa Pan-Amazonica” (Pan-Amazonian House), a reference space for Pan-Amazonian struggles that will be opened during the seven days and inside the World Social Forum territory. Pan-Amazonian organizations are invited to declare their will to take responsibility to organise and participate on those meetings.

Pan-Amazonian Council Meeting
The meeting might happen until May 2008, probably in Caracas. In that opportunity we should set up the agenda for the first day of World Social Forum 2009, as well as other activities for V Pan-Amazonian Social Forum which will happen inside WSF in Belem. The meeting date is not set yet because of resources issues. Nevertheless, since the present time, Pan-Amazonian organisations and social movements must should declare its intention to participate on the meeting.

Dear comrades,
VIII World Social Forum success is in our hands. As Simon Bolívar said: “let us be united and we will be invincible”

Please answer this message to:

BELEM  LOCAL COMMITTEE - WSF 2009 - AMAZON
TELEPHONE: (91) 33447761