Mumbai Declaration

WSF, January 2004

• We met as social and working class urban leaders of Africa, Asia, Europe, United States, Latin America and Caribbean, at the IV World Social Forum (Mumbai, India,16 - 22 January 2004).
• We consider to be of vital importance to emphasize that during the World Social Forum, the plurality and cultural diversity we aspire to clearly materialized, because all Asian ethnic groups showed up through songs and music until they “Indianised” all those who were present. The voiceless people who demand peace along with all their social, economic, political and cultural rights became actually visible.
• We consider that it is urgent to oppose the pervasive effects of exclusion, poverty, environmental degradation, exploitation, violence, problems of transportation, public services, housing and urban governance, which the neo-liberal globalisation has produced in our countries.
• After having revised all our experience in building society, we conclude that we have created inclusive, productive, sustainable and democratic processes.

For these reasons we declare

• In order to protect our right to be builders and users of cities, and to build and strengthen solidarity links, we confirm our will to act in coordination on a straight line and in mutual cooperation, from the local up to the global level.
• Thus, we take into account previous history, dynamics and initiatives that developed and are still developing in this area in various parts of the world, and which have produced declarations and have created principles we make our own.
• We also take into account principles contained in the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (art.11) and in the Human Rights Universal Declaration (art.25).
• On these bases we confirm our resolution to unite our experiences in building the International Alliance of Inhabitants, in order to strengthen the strategies of the social movement which enables the transition to another possible world.
• To do so, we pledge to promote the development of new kinds of associations of inhabitants-militants, our legs well standing in our own region, our head fully aware of the international challenge of the cities.

On this basis we commit ourselves to support three world campaigns:

1. Zero Eviction!
2. Social production of habitat.
3. Participatory Budget

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1. Zero Eviction Campaign!



· The real estate capital drives out and evicts peoples from their land to build shopping and administration centres, airports, golf fields, dams, motorways, while wars produce millions of refugees and racism increases the number of those excluded from the city rights.

· To avoid this destructive process we have decided to unite all national and international initiatives so that security to housing may be granted to all.

· We invite all associations and networks working in the housing right, institutions and the UN system to participate in solidarity in this campaign called “Zero Eviction!”.

· This will also be the participation ground of the members of the International Alliance of Inhabitants in the UN International Committee on evictions.



2. The Social Production of Habitat Campaign.



· The International Alliance of Inhabitants supports and consolidates the ability of people to create alternatives to solve the housing problem. Thus, we mind that tools for the social production of habitat may be provided, since they are the daily devices that build the city.

· Besides, we have the integral vision of the habitat as the place where men and women live and interact with one another, with society and nature.

· This campaign wants to promote the defeat of public and social housing shortage, prioritising the use of territorial, social, cultural, ecological and productive variables.

· Thus, we shall request the local governments to make concrete the city right, because if we do not propose the restoration of the built city, we shall not improve the life quality of the planet inhabitants.



3. Participatory Budget Campaign.



· In the third millennium, the majority of human beings of the planet will live in cities and villages, where we shall need to get used to dwell and cohabit.

· The society of the XXI century needs cities and villages which are democratic, governable, prosperous, efficient, just, solidary, environmental sustainable, safe and respectful of the citizen’s rights.

· Thus, it is necessary to rely on political and social willpowers able to cooperate in joining efforts to reach these results. Hence, we propose to use the methodology of social participation in order to demand the local government for the implementation of the participatory budget, so to prioritise the social spending which guarantees peace, sustainability and democracy in our countries.



· On this basis we declare our firm will to build together the Urban Social Forum, as the expression of the Urban Way of the Inhabitants and an integral part of the World Social Forum.



· On this very basis, the International Alliance of Inhabitants invites all networks and associations to convene all urban social movements of the planet at the V World Social Forum (Porto Alegre, Brazil, January 2005).