Urban Spot: Global Strategies

The WSF 2007 included one novelty: a 4th day to consolidate joint strategies and proposals. It was an opportunity to present and share with everyone proposals for action issues from the experience of the activities realized in the three previous days. The aim was to connect the different organizations, campaigns, struggles and alternatives.

In the Urban Spot Meeting realized on the 4^th Day, AITEC, FAL, FNRU, HIC and IAI joined their efforts to reflect on World Action Days for the right to housing 2007/08; The Right to the City and the alternatives to the privatization of habitat; and Women and Shelter. Despite some logistical limitations of WSF, the Urban Spot was a success: somewhere between 200-300 people participated in the activity. The meeting was prepared by Ana Sugranyes from HIC-General Secretary and Cesare Ottolini from IAI. Sidiki Abdoul Daff of IAI, Marcelo Nowersztern of FAL and Ana Sugranyes of HIC were in charge of the meeting.

There is a first draft report about the proposals and consensus of this meeting. FAL is in charge of the final report and we will continue to inform about how these proposals could be executed.

Three main subjects were treated in this meeting:

• African groups proposed a Global Day of Action on May 18 with decentralized local actions. The demands will include Stop Evictions, Debt Relief and actions against Privatization, Speculation and Globalization of Habitat. Also, HIC Europe proposed actions against the G8 meeting in Germany at the end of May and early June.
• HIC and the International Alliance for Inhabitants (IAI) have defined a Global Day of Action in October. For this year the slogan for the Housing and Land Rights Day will be “Stop Forced Evictions, Stop Speculation of Housing, Land and Water”. HIC wants to enforce the Right to Housing Now. On his behalf IAI campaign will focus under the slogan “Zero Evictions Day” and add to the common appeal the problem of “Forgive the Debt / Global Funds for Peoples Settlements”.

To implement the Global Campaign HIC proposed a Monitoring and Mapping Project including Housing and Land Rights Violations, Forced Evictions, Privatization and Victories; “Naming and Shaming” project with information about Banks and Corporations which actively participate in the privatization programs; and regional Campaigns denouncing Banks and Companies. IAI will contribute to this global effort with case studies and a Coordinating Committee from participating networks.

• Shivani Bhardwaj from HIC-HLRN proposed a Women’s Resource Rights Agenda. The aim is to provide training and resource mapping setting out physical community space to develop new commons for women. Also, she proposed Advocacy and Lobbing actions to get land and resources under women’s ownership.