[WSF-Discuss] Niger is ready to host African Social Forum 2008

[CACIM]

*Niger is ready to host African Social Forum 2008*

@ http://www.fsaniamey2008.org/spip.php?article14

In March 2005, at the meeting of the *African Social Forum Counci*l, held in
Las Palmas in the Canary Island, the Nigerien social movement, through
Alternative Escapes Citoyens expressed its desire and willingness to host
the fourth edition of the African Social Forum (ASF). Guinea Conakry had
also submitted its candidacy. After a consultation between the two
delegations, Niger withdrew its candidacy to the profit of Guinea by
reasserting it for the organization of the fifth edition of ASF. This
notification was made to the Secretariat of the ASF in May 2007 in
Nairobi—Kenya during the assessment meeting of the World Social Forum 2007.

In August of the same year, the Nigerien Social Forum made an official
application by sending its dossier to the secretariat. In March 2008, during
the meeting of the International Council of the World Social Forum held in
Abuja in Nigeria, the ASF Council officially decided to entrust to the
Nigerien Social Movement the organization of the ASF 2008, which is
scheduled for November 2008.

Since the official announcement of this decision, the Nigerien organizing
committee has started working in order to make the ASF 2008 in Niger a
watershed for the construction and consolidation of the African Social
Movement. It is important to point out that the Nigerien Social Movement has
notably committed itself in its file of candidacy to:

[image: -] making the ASF 5th edition the most successful in popular
participation as well as in the content and methodology;
[image: -] Organizing a gigantic land caravan to ensure the participation of
a big number of people in West Africa;
[image: -] Giving an unprecedented cultural seal to the ASF through the
organization of several cultural activities ;
[image: -] Gathering around the ASF in Niger the biggest number of
journalists from Niger, Africa, Europe and Canada ;
[image: -] Giving a real popular seal through an increased participation of
people coming from popular layers(farmers, herders, fishermen, inhabitants
from poor quarters) ;
[image: -] Creating a space for the youth and another for women, which
should not be ghettos, but places where they can meet, discuss and put in
place some networks.

After informing the members of the civil society organizations of the
Nigerien Social Forum about the decision of the African Council to organize
the 5th edition of the African Social Forum in Niger, the Nigerien
organizing committee fulfilled its duty to officially inform the political
and administrative authorities of Niger. This procedure was guided by our
concern to avoid the pitfalls that marked the second edition of the Nigerien
Social Forum in 2006, which was first forbidden by the Government—because it
was not officially informed. Then it was authorized after mediation by the
Economic and Social Council. In this framework, the Nigerien organization
committee has met the following personalities:

1. the Minister in charge of African Integration 2. the Senior Minister in
charge of public security and decentralization 3. the Secretary General of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During these different encounters, the secretariat of the Nigerien Social
Forum officially informed the political authorities of the holding in
November 2008 of the 5th edition of the African Social Forum in Niamey
(Niger). He took this opportunity to present the ASF : its history, its
objectives and stakes as well as the process of candidacy of Niger. Finally
the secretariat of the NSF also took these opportunities to ask the Nigerien
political authorities to prop up and make successful the holding of this
event in Niger by:

[image: -] facilitating the delivery of visas to the participants who will
need them at the land and air borders;
[image: -] guaranteeing to the participants the enjoyment of some rights and
public freedom(freedom of demonstration, expression and opinion);

[image: -] giving a logistic and financial support.

All these authorities expressed their happiness about the decision of the
African Council to organize the 5th edition of the ASF in Niamey (Niger).
They have committed themselves to take all the administrative measures in
order to facilitate the good holding of the Forum on the one hand; to give
an account of the audiences with the Nigerien organizing committee to the
Prime Minister and the President of the Republic on the other hand.

During the visit of Taoufik Ben Abdallah in Niger in June 2008, a second
audience took place with the Senior Minister in charge of public security
and decentralization. The latter reasserted to the secretariat of ASF the
willingness of the Government to grant all the easiness asked for by the
Nigerien organizing committee.
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