World Social Forum in Tunis: strengthening alliances with civil society

The World Social Forum is a space for democratic debate and the exchange of experiences, as well as to develop alternative proposals and connect social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organizations in order to build a fair, peaceful and sustainable world. From 24 to 28 March 2015, the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights will participate in the World Social Forum in Tunis, through several activities.

 Participation in the WSF will also strengthen alliances with civil society in relation to the Right to the City, as well as their inclusion in the next Global Urban Agenda (Habitat III Summit, Quito 2016). It is also an opportunity to promote the Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City and the political document For a World of Inclusive Cities, recently translated into Arabic and in Turkish, thanks to the collaboration of UCLG’s Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG MEWA).

The UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights will be present in the events organized by the Global Platform on the Right to the City, as a co‑founder of this platform.

The Committee is also a partner of events relating to citizen participation, in collaboration with Tunisian local governments, such as those of the city of Tunis and La Marsa (a suburb of Tunis), in particular. Indeed, the New Tunisian Constitution (January 2014) presents citizen participation and decentralization as major issues for the development of the country.