http://www.nigd.org/nan/nan-doc-store/07-08-2008/wsf-ic-copenhagen-september-2008

The next WSF International Council meeting takes place following the European Social Forum from 22-24 September 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark. This meeting is already facing a challenging situation even before it has begun. There is a serious lack of funds in the solidarity fund which was established to support the participation of representatives of Southern organisations to the meeting. As such the financing of the WSF process remains an urgent issue throughout the process.

Read the full agenda for the meeting.

An WSF IC working page was created on OpenFSM to aid the discussion on the issues upcoming.

One of the issues on the agenda is a draft concerning guiding principles for the holding of WSF events. In NIGDs recently established WSF working group in particular comments were made on the need to reinforce the issue of gender parity as a guiding principle in the organisation of the WSF, and concerns were expressed regarding this issue and the organisation of opening panels in the upcoming European Social Forum. Perhaps more than parity. Marko Ulvila suggested with regards to the opening events of any WSF that " "In the India Social Forum December 2006 all the opening speakers were women. I think it should be our reference point. Further, I think by having exclusively women we could reach some kind of historical/cumulative balance. Since so far most of the speakers of the WSF openings have been more or less exclusively men, let the next 5-10 years be exclusively women."

Another issue concerns the participation of heads of states in the WSF. This issue has come once again on the agenda of the WSF IC in connection to the next WSF in Belem, Brazil in January 2009. The working document allows space for this participation in specific events, subject to a variety of constraints. Communications found place between NIGD members Francine Mestrum, Ruth Reitan and Peter Waterman with also Chico Whitaker on various e-lists, and their contributions on the issue of the participation of heads of states in the WSF are also found on Open FSM. See also further comments on the participation of heads of states by Azril Bacal and Uddhab Pyakurel (not yet taken up on OpenFSM). Francine Mestrum summarised the discussions on the heads of state issue in the NIGD WSF working group as : "There is no consensus on this point. Some are very clear against the presence of heads of state, since there are no or very little 'pure' anti-neoliberal heads of state and WSF is an event of and for civil society. Others are not a priori against it but ask for very clear rules. It should not be left to self-management. An interesting suggestion was made to have heads of state invited by regional forums, since circumstances are different in Latin America, Asia, Europe. One consensus though: no one demands a change of the charter of principles and no one contested the idea that if heads of state are present, they should speak outside the normal WSF-time (not first or last day, only after 6.00 pm)."

Besides these issues also discussions on the strategy of the WSF will continue. For one an answer is to be found as to the when and where the next WSF will be held.