<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;margin-bottom: 9.95pt; line-height: normal; "><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Niger is ready to host
African Social Forum 2008</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:
0pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; "><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">@ </span><a href="http://www.fsaniamey2008.org/spip.php?article14">http://www.fsaniamey2008.org/spip.php?article14</a></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">In March 2005, at the meeting of the</span><span style="font-size:
9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"> <b>African Social Forum Counci</b></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">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:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black;mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> making the ASF 5th edition the most successful in popular
participation as well as in the content and methodology;</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"><br>
<span style="mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span> Organizing a gigantic
land caravan to ensure the participation of a big number of people in West
Africa;</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><br>
<span style="mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span> Giving an unprecedented
cultural seal to the ASF through the organization of several cultural
activities ;</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><br>
<span style="mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span> Gathering around the
ASF in Niger the biggest number of journalists from Niger, Africa, Europe and
Canada ;</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><br>
<span style="mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span> Giving a real popular
seal through an increased participation of people coming from popular
layers(farmers, herders, fishermen, inhabitants from poor quarters) ;</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"><br>
<span style="mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span> 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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">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:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">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:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black;mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> facilitating the delivery of visas to the participants who
will need them at the land and air borders;</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"><br>
<span style="mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span> guaranteeing to the
participants the enjoyment of some rights and public freedom(freedom of
demonstration, expression and opinion);</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black;mso-no-proof:yes"><img border="0" width="13" height="13" src="file:///C:/Users/SAHBIT~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" alt="-"></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black"> giving a logistic and financial support.</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;line-height:11.25pt"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>