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From the WSF: proposals for the unity of the urban social movements

Agreements and conclusions of the meeting of coordination between urban networks.

On 24 January 2007, a convergence meeting of urban social movements playing a role in the right housing and to the city was held in Nairobi under the framework of the WSF, jointly proposed by the HIC and IAI.
Participants: around 200 representatives of movements from 20 countries in Africa, Europe, Northern and Latin America and Asia, as well as local authorities that are members of the LAF.

The conclusions below implicate all participants, in particular the HIC networks, AITEC and the IAI who were the kingpins of this meeting, as well as the LAF which set them up. They are organizing common campaigns on an international and national scale (Zimbabwe).

COORDINATION

1. Implicate the WSF in local movements, giving a strategic perspective to the fight for the right to housing.
2. Coordinate local campaigns for adequate housing. Take successful experiences of coordination programmes as a reference, such as the urban social movements in Brazil.
3. Carry out common popular education initiatives concerning the right to housing.
4. Encourage dialogue and make provisions for instruments in order to encourage knowledge and experience between regions and continents.
5. Set up a contact group between international urban networks aimed at seeing through the different common initiatives.
6. Support the construction of a global common space between all coalitions.

EVICTIONS

7. Develop a joint active campaign against evictions.
8. Expose and condemn the most important cases of violation of the right to housing.
9. Set up specific reference centres in every country for preventing and condemning evictions.

PROPOSED POLICIES, INSTRUMENTS AND STUDIES

10. Devise plans for popular housing policies and implement concrete instruments such as housing funds based on the public budget of each country, decentred cooperation and the cancellation of debt, among others.
11. Focus efforts on postponing information on privatisation projects in housing and habitat in general, and water in particular.

CAMPAIGNS, MOBILISATIONS

12. Show solidarity with all the other campaigns for the right to housing in Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe.
13. See through the first Monday of October 2007 as a national day against evictions and for the international right to housing.
14. Support the campaign of the European social movements for the institution of the States General for housing and policies at European level in this field.
15. Join forces during G8 and represent the voice and actions of the inhabitants so that they consider issues relating to housing rights within this framework.
16. Join forces on a worldwide scale at the international day of the WSF in January 2008.
17. Incorporate the women’s social urban agenda in the mobilisation campaigns’ agenda in areas such as access to land, urban planning and management of resources.

ALLIANCES

18. Coordinate campaigns for the right to housing with local governments and the Local Authorities Forum.
19. Seek alliances to fight for the security of property with Via Campesina.