What’s the FAL?
The FAL Network (Forum of Local Authorities for Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy) is an international network of local authorities and governments open to participation of other networks of social movements which identify and support the development of the World Social Forum, because they are convinced that Another World is Possible, and it begins in our towns and cities.
Our goal is to promote local initiatives of social Inclusion and participative democracy, together with the participation of social movements, as well as expanding the capacity of political and social intervention of local governments and develop common initiatives.
The participation on the FAL Network is open enough and it is basically established through the incorporation to the mailing list of the Northern Antenna or through the national integrated networks.
PARTICIPATION AND INCORPORATION
Conditions for admission in the FAL Network:
- Ratification of the Declaration of Principles of the WSF and the Declaration of Porto Alegre (Forum of Local Authorities for Social Inclusion and Participative Democracy)
Conditions for admission in the Driving Group:
- Commitment to the active collaboration on the FAL Agenda development.
Conditions for admission in the Northern or Southern Antennas:
- Engagement to realise a permanent work on the Network and to contribute with materials.
The Forum of Local Authorities for Social Inclusion was created in 2001, in the framework of the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, whose nature is the strategic alliance of local authorities with social movements. The fundamental aim of the FAL to turn cities into important actors in the process of globalization. To do so, it has to build and develop, together with social civilities, democratic alternatives for public management. The FAL launched the challenge for the local governments to find their own place within foreign affairs by assuming democratic public policies to fight social exclusion, democratize wealth and power, promote peace culture and solidarity, find an environmentally sustainable development and respect human rights. The FAL has been working on the basis of a network of different cities adopting flexible and open forms which adapt to the common goals expressed in previous continental and worldwide editions which were celebrated in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 in Porto Alegre; and 2004 in Barcelona. In 2006 we carried out the 6th FAL in Caracas, in the framework of the Polycentric World Social Forum – America.
The FAL has also carried out three European editions in Florence (2002), Saint-Denis (2003) and London (2004), always beside the European Social Forum; in Quito, we carried out a FAL, together with the Americas Social Forum, in 2004. And we have also held other regional events: the 2003 FAL Andalusia in Seville and the 2005 FAL Andalusia in Malaga; as well as sectorial ones: International Meeting of Outskirts Cities and the 1st FALP (Metropolis in Solidarity) both celebrated in Nanterre.
This 7th Forum of Local Authorities (FAL) together with the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, has been carried out in an innovative form through the celebration of workshops and content debates, with self-run activities together with the social organizations of the WSF area during January, 21 and 22, and finally holding an assembly of the FAL NETWORK.
Finally, the 7th FAL was held in Belém do Pará, in January 2009. Over a thousand representatives participated to the Network’s 8th world meeting and to the 1st FAL Amazonia meeting.
