Press Report Europe WSF 2009 - OpenFSM!

Taking place 27 January to 1 February 2009 in Belem, Brazil, the ninth World Social
Forum (WSF) will gather some 80,000 participants from civil society organizations
from all over the world, according to its organizers. Under the emblematic motto
Press Report Europe WSF 2009
"Another World is Possible," the WSF is the main manifestation of the "alterglobalization"
movement, which seeks to promote alternative, value-based forms of
international integration.
Out of a long-standing tradition of monitoring with a critical eye the evolution and
consequences of economic globalization, and in view of the recent global financial
meltdown, the WCC and its ecumenical partners participating at the WSF seek to
think outside the box and propose viable ways to reform the global financial
architecture.
"From a Christian perspective there is no system so sacred that it could not be
changed," says Dr Rogate Mshana, WCC executive for Poverty, Wealth and Ecology.
How could today's global finances be changed will be the subject of a number of
ecumenically-sponsored workshops and seminaries within the WSF programme (for
details see media contact below).
As in previous occasions, the WSF includes a strong participation of church and
ecumenical organizations. An Ecumenical Tent and an Interreligious Chapel, as well
as a series of workshops are amongst the contributions of the churches to the WSF. A
WCC to explore economic alternatives at World Social Forum | Ekklesia file:///C:/Documents%20and
%20Settings/User/Desktop/WSF%202009/...
3 di 4 20/04/2009 10:14
World Forum on Theology and Liberation focused on developing a theology for the
"sustainability of life on earth" took place in Belem from 21 to 25 January, ahead of
the WSF.
Taking place in the city of Belem, the entry gate to the Amazon, this year's WSF calls
attention to environmental issues. A second focus of WCC's participation will be
centered on the concept of "ecological debt".
Ecological debt is a two-fold concept. On the one hand it refers to the fact that people's consumption of
natural resources exceeds the earth's ability to supply resources and absorb the demands placed upon it.
By living beyond its environmental means, humankind is "borrowing" from nature and therefore running
up ecological debts.
In a more restricted sense, the concept refers to the fact that if every individual is inherently entitled to an
equal share of the earth's resources, wealthy nations that use up far more than their fair share of these –
including the global atmosphere – are running up huge ecological debts to poor nations.
In workshops and seminaries, ecumenical participants at the WSF will explore issues of eco-justice and
ecological debt, with a particular emphasis on the role of churches in promoting eco-justice and
advocating for the recognition of ecological debt.
World Social Forum: Trade Unions Call for a New Growth Model (INTERNATIONAL TRADE
012/280109
UNION CONFEDERATION - ITUC)
Brussels, 28 January 2009 (ITUC Online): On the occasion of the World Social Forum in Belem, the ITUC has released a
16