Minutes 3rd Open Space dialogue

national | public consultation / irish social forum | news report Sunday February 23, 2003 13:43 by Barry Finnegan - interim convenor of Open Space dialogue for Irish civil society to build Irish Social Forum john.finnegan3 at mail dot dcu dot ie 01-8741223

...for Irish civil society to build an Irish Social Forum

The following are the minutes of the 3rd Open Space dialogue meeting for Irish civil society to build an Irish Social Forum which took place on the morning of Saturday the 15th of February 2003 at The Cultivate Sustainable Living Centre, Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

But first some brief notes:
The next meeting (the 4th so far) will be from 7.00 to 9.00pm on Thursday the 6th of March 2003 at the Cultivate: Sustainable Living Centre, (the former “Viking Adventure Centre”), 15-19 Essex St. West, Old City, Temple Bar, Dublin 8. [ After crossing the Capel Street bridge from north to south, Essex St. West is the first right off Parliament St., walk along there and its on your right hand side, with big plate glass windows opposite a bakery and the shop Does Not Compute.

I still don’t have exact dates or meeting location for the World Economic Forum meeting next October in Dublin - but am endeavouring to find out. I am also endeavouring to find out if the Paris Social Forum next October is being billed as a European event and exactly when it is - again any info drop a line.

As stated below the initial DRAFT invite to the process and aims and objectives etc are with the minutes of the second meeting (see: http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=28604 ). So having read all the minutes, if anyone feels like inputting to the process please drop me an email and I will integrate your ideas to the DRAFT document for presentation at the 4th meeting. Finally, there are weblinks at the end of this page to the World and European Social Fora websites and I would encourage people to have a look.

all the best,
Barry Finnegan,
interim convenor of the Open Space dialogue meetings for Irish civil society to build an Irish Social Forum.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01-8741223
============================================
Minutes of the 3rd Open Space dialogue meeting for Irish Civil Society to build an Irish Social Forum:

In attendance:
Davie Philips - Sustainable Ireland & The Village
Laurence Cox - Grassroots Gathering
Éanna Dowling - community development project worker, Cork
Barry Finnegan - Attac (Association for the Taxation of financial Transactions to Aid Citizens)
Christian Volkmann - Friends of the Earth Ireland
Déirde deBúrca - Green Party
Graham Caswell - Green Party & Indymedia
Ciaran Moore - Indymedia
Brian Cahill - Socialist Party
Rachel Burke - Dublin South FM
Ian McDonald - Comhlamh
Anwen Tormey - Comhlamh
Michael Lemass - Feasta
Emer O’Siochru - Feasta

Unable to attend, apologies sent:
Willy Cumming - Socialist Workers Party
David Joyce - ICTU Development Education Officer
Jean Somers - Debt and Development Coalition
Colin Roche - Oxfam
Padraig Stack - Gluaiseacht

Minutes:
IN GENERAL:
It was agreed that we should get going and accept that we all agree we want an Irish Social Forum to exist. Again the consensus since the first meeting was reiterated that we are building not just an organisational process, but a movement.

It was accepted that whoever presents the information about, and who invites new groups to, the Open Space dialogue meetings for Irish Civil Society to build an Irish Social Forum and the Social Forum itself, will influence the perception that those groups have of what the Social Forum is about. It was agreed more effort should be made to involve rural and Northern groups. To this end it was suggested that the Community Councils and the Community Forum should be contacted. It was highlighted that self-organised community groups do not go to this type of meeting/gathering and it was agreed that people already involved in building the Irish Social Forum should use the contacts they already have to spread the word.

It was suggested that using themes like “equality” or “social inclusion” etc for a meeting could bring in people from the community and trade union sectors without creating preconceived ideas that the Social Forum is an initiative of any one sector or ideology. It was also suggested that this may also be a useful way to involve groups from Northern Ireland without the threat of preconceived ideas forcing people to exclude themselves before they got involved.

THE PURPOSE OF AN IRISH SOCIAL FORUM?:
There was agreement on the general purpose of the Irish Social Forum as discussed at the previous meeting (see previous minutes at: http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=28604 ) Again a main talking point was that the Social Forum is a “process” and that it will exist after the Irish EU Presidency.

A question was raised as to what is the difference between the Social Forum and the networks, platforms and fora which already exist to bring people together. There was a consensus answer that the Social Forum is a completely new space on the island of Ireland and that it exists outside and independent of any existing system, that it is of, by and for civil society. There was consensus on the differences and newness of the ISF in that: the ISF is aware of, and models itself on, the World and European Social Fora, that it sees itself as part of this global movement of civil society to address the ills of the world, that it is not government funded, that it does not issue definitive policy documents, that it is not a lobbying body, that it does have the objective of being cross-sectorial, that it does have the objective of bringing people and groups of civil society together to generate alternatives and build a better world, to learn from eachother, to enhance eachothers objectives, aims and hopes.

There was some discussion on the DRAFT aims and objectives of the ISF as suggested by Conall of Comhlamh (see last minutes). There was no major disagreement. Points raised were that the next DRAFT should be careful to strike a balance between the different sectors and perhaps keep it people centred. Anyone with suggestions should drop a mail to the interim convenor (contact phone and email address below).

Further issues raised as to the purpose of the ISF were that existing political frameworks are loosing legitimacy and that there is currently no room for democracy in some of the worlds largest economies which are international companies.

THE FOCUS OF AN IRISH SOCIAL FORUM?:
The debate moved on from the previous meeting to the consensus that the Irish Social Forum which will take place during the Irish Presidency of the EU from January to June 2004 will be by and for Irish civil society with an open invitation to, and an expectation of the participation of, European civil society.

THE PRACTICALITIES OF AN IRISH SOCIAL FORUM?:
Following on from the last meeting, the format of officially creating the Irish Social Forum in June this year was agreed. It was also agreed that the idea of a practicalities-oriented secretariat should also be established in June this year. This secretariat would be representative of the various sectors of civil society, would be “anchor-tenants” so to speak, it would not work on themes, agendas or policies but would be an assistance framework consisting of groups which have already got institutional capacity.

THE TIMING OF OPEN SPACE DIALOGUE / IRISH SOCIAL FORUM EVENTS?:
Following on from the last meeting, it was agreed that the period from now until June would consist of widening out to more civil society sectors throughout the island of Ireland to raise awareness of, and encourage participation in, the building of the Irish Social Forum. Existing events where information on the World Economic Forum (Porte Allege, Brazil) the European Social Forum (Florence, Italy) and the Open Space Dialogue for Irish Civil Society to Build and Irish Social Forum, will be presented include:
- The Conference on Resistance to Corporate Globalisation on the weekend of March 1st at the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork.
- The Another World Is Possible conference on March 6th at the Development Studies Centre, Kimmage Manor, Dublin.
- The Convergence Festival of Sustainability during the month of May at the Cultivate Sustainable Centre in Dublin (organised by the Sustainable Ireland Workers Co-operative).

The World Economic Forum will be having a European conference in Dublin on the theme of “Competitiveness” in October this year and it was agreed that the Irish Social Forum will be having a simultaneous event on the theme of “Co-operation.”

During the Irish EU Presidency it was agreed that the Irish Social Forum will be having a larger, perhaps a three day, event.

* Minutes prepared by Barry Finnegan (interim convenor of Open Space)
Ph: 01-8741223; Email: [email protected]
===================================================
And a last note to again encourage people to familiarise ourselves with how its done in Brazil and Italy!

More info WSF and ESF available at:

WHAT IS THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM (WSF) (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=19&cd_language=2

WHAT IS THE WSF CHARTER OF PRINCIPLES? (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=4&cd_language=2

ORIGINS AND AIMS OF THE WSF (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=2_1&cd_language=2

WHO ORGANIZES THE WSF (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=3&cd_language=2

PROGRAMME OF THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 23RD - 28TH FEB. 2003 (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=7&cd_language=2

ALL DOCUMENTS, PROPOSALS, SYNTHESIS AND FINAL DECLARATIONS OF THE 2003 WSF WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/noticias_01.asp?cd_news=471

WHAT ARE THE REGIONAL AND THEMATIC SOCIAL FORUMS (see this link):
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.asp?id_menu=11&cd_language=2

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM, WHICH WILL TOOK PLACE IN FLORENCE, ITALY FROM 6TH -10TH NOVEMBER 2002 (see this link):
http://www.fse-esf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=1
======================================