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1. Economic Inequality and Economic Justice
Broken economic system enabling tiny wealthy elite to accumulate vast wealth on the cost of hundreds of millions. Power and privilege are being used to skew the economic system to increase the gap between the richest and the rest through Illicit financial flows, piling up debt on developing countries, lower taxation on wealthy individuals and corporation. Economic inequality also driving inequalities in health, education, future opportunities, and life chances. The crises of climate breakdown and extreme inequality are closely linked.
Extreme inequality undermines poverty eradication, corrupts politics, weakens democracies, hinders economic growth, fuels crime, and fractures societies. WSF24 will be a great platform to talk on building an economy that is designed to put people above greed that is a just human economy. It fosters fairer and stronger societies, guaranteeing secure jobs with decent wages and equitable distribution of value. It would treat women and men equally. Our economy would thrive within the limits of our planet.
2. Labour, Migration, Modern Slavery and Trafficking
Migration and trafficking are distinct but connected. While migration is ‘lawful’, trafficking involves forcing or coercing individuals for exploitation. Trafficking often occurs during labour migration- when individuals leaving their communities for better employment opportunities are deceived into exploitative work. Many countries, especially those of the Global North, continue to see migrants as a potential threat to their national security, carefully constructed national identities, and territorial sovereignty. In times of economic, political, or health crisis like the recent COVID-19 pandemic, migrants are often the most affected but least protected. Given the benefits brought about by migration to both countries of origin and destination, it is important for governments to look at protection for the rights of migrant workers. As borders open and economies recover, countries of destination especially from Global North will continue to need workers to support its recovery from the pandemic.
3. Caste, Discrimination Based on Work and Descent (DWD), Race, Ethnicity, Untouchability, Indigenous People, Xenophobia, and all forms of Discrimination
Race, caste, and ethnicity have been historically used to exclude, discriminate against, persecute, and suppress vast numbers of people the world. For centuries, human society has articulated visions and thoughts and endured struggles, movements, and mobilisations against such xenophobia, racism, untouchability, and social exclusion. No continent or country is immune to such tendencies or struggles against them.
The World Social Forum's vision of "Another World Is Possible" will not be possible unless racism, untouchability, all forms of discrimination, and violence based on race, caste, ethnicity, xenophobia, and related intolerance end. This theme facilitates a space where all who believe in the total elimination of race, caste, untouchability, ethnicity, xenophobia, and all forms of discrimination join in solidarity for dialogue, debate, and discussions and strategize their struggles, actions, and communitarian efforts.
4. Gender, Sexuality, and Identities and Gender Based Violence
Patriarchal systems are built around male privilege and dominant masculinities that perpetuate sexist and hierarchical power relationships. They legitimise the discrimination and exclusion of women and gender non-conforming people through harmful social norms, policies, and institutions. Challenging patriarchal systems effectively means fighting poverty and injustice by dismantling intersecting systems of oppression and exploitation that further marginalise those who are already vulnerable. Although progress has been made in challenging the dominance of heterosexuality, individuals and communities with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions still face struggles for freedom, legal protection, and acceptance in most countries. They are more likely to encounter discrimination, abuse, and violence by societies, states, and markets, leading to adverse educational and social outcomes.
5. Land, Agriculture, Food Sovereignty,Agro-Ecology Energy and Natural Resources
The accumulation, dispossession, conversion, and annexation of land and other natural resources have been exacerbated by neoliberal policies and practices. This has not only put millions of people`s lives and livelihoods at risk but also contributed to environmental degradation and climate change. We are witnessing the growing extinction of traditional livelihoods based mostly on agriculture, fishing, gathering, and hunting, which are under threat from a variety of land grab-related consequences. These include land loss, diminishing access to resources, damaged ecosystems, deforestation, and a lack of alternative food security measures. Land and food politics are inextricably linked. Therefore, food sovereignty and democratic control over land and other resources are frequently intertwined. The food sovereignty movement is a process that seeks to resist political forces that seek to control all parts of food production systems and bring the entire food production cycle, from seeds to inputs to land and other essentials, under centralised and more privatised control.
6. Peace, Conflict, War, Occupations, Displacements, and Security
The war, which expresses an imbalance in the balance of justice and a contradiction of interests that have always been determined by force by governments, particularly colonial imperialism, And the issue is not only related to the direct use of arms in the context of this control at the expense of impoverishing hundreds of millions of people, but also to the fact that colonial imperialism created its economic and financial tools to preserve the manifestations of its control, with the World Bank-IMF being two of the most prominent. Wars and colonisation have led, and still lead, to not only destruction and killing but also cases of displacement and uprooting. Again, Palestine serves as a paradigm in this regard, as do many other nations, including Iraq, Syria, Myanmar, Sudan, Yemen, and Kosovo.
The world continues to favour colonial and imperialist tyranny at the expense of other countries, especially, in the Global South.
7. Education, Art and Culture
Future generations will look to the past for guidance and inspiration, and the greatest knowledge they can obtain will come from the fields of education, art, and culture. The former because it will empower them and inform them, and the latter two because it will remind them of tradition and give them the freedom to imagine and create works that will transcend the test of time. The forces of corruption that seek to destroy human life will always target art, culture, and education and look to stifle their flow because these three elements can act as symbols of defiance against tyranny and serve as canvasses for the greatest expressions of human emotions. The WSF2024 will have several programs dedicated to celebrating these three pillars of society, and also programs that will as reminders of their importance and intrinsic value to the past, present, and future of mankind.
8. Communication, Digital Social Networks, and Media (Digital Equity)
This WSF2024 umbrella theme welcomes activities and initiatives of action by those movements and organizations struggling technically, socially, and politically for: free access to emancipatory information; the development of knowledge and software as commons; democratic debate spaces; media regulation; communication rights; and a democratic Internet.
In 2024, a large majority of the world's population will have a smartphone and be connected several hours a day to corporate digital social networks and the digital flow of media. What individuals, especially young people access online is based on algorithms which are driven by profit. This has deep implications on how they get information to competing narratives about the state of the world and imagine and concretize collective possibilities to take their lives into their own hands.
The Internet is in dispute between being a powerful tool for individual and collective emancipation endeavors, supported by progressive public policies where they may exist, and being a means in the hands of neoliberal-compatible power groups for permanent surveillance on individuals and for influence, through basic or negative emotions, on their attention, narratives, and imaginaries.
9. Democracy, Human Rights, Authoritarianism, Law, and Justice
In democratic societies, the rule of law and justice are essential elements that safeguard individual rights and provide a framework for resolving conflicts. Democratic governance and human rights are critical components of sustainable development and lasting peace. Ineffective government institutions, rampant corruption, and a weak rule of law have a much higher risk of civil war and extreme criminal violence than other developing countries. In contrast, authoritarian systems often prioritizes the consolidation of power and may disregard human rights and the principles of justice, leading to the suppression of dissent and the infringement of freedoms.
Even in countries with long-established democracies, internal forces have exploited the shortcomings in their systems, distorting national politics to promote hatred, violence, and unbridled power. The global order is nearing a tipping point, and if democracy`s defenders do not work together to help guarantee freedom for all people, the authoritarian model will prevail.
10. Health, Social Protection, and Equity
As the world economy produces more, grows at a rapid pace, and generates more and more wealth and profits, the disparity between those at the top of the pyramid and those at the bottom is increasing exponentially. Instead of having more--- since they produce more, work longer hours, and sacrifice more--- ordinary people have less access to healthcare, quality education, civic services, and housing. In a world where work and income are far from secure, the lack of guarantees for access to necessities for workers and their families is a serious and often tragic issue. In these circumstances, all working people must be assured of access to comprehensive social protection, including housing and civic services, healthcare, education, unemployment allowance, and pensions for the elderly. In the broad frame of social protection for all, there must be a special focus on the needs of people with disabilities and all attempts to help organise space and systems to help them lead secure and productive lives.
11. Climate Justice, Ecology, Just Transitions, Habitat, and Sustainable Development
The climate crisis which poses a threat to human existence has been the result of excess use of fossil fuels, extractive-based model, and unsustainable models of development. The climate crisis is and will be destructing the ecology, habitat, and civilization as many of the countries in global south are victims of multiple crises arising from the climate emergencies. Addressing this requires energy transformation, an adopted model of development that is more sustainable and is for people and the planet. Climate change is an issue of our generation that needs collective planning and approaches to address it. Thus, World Social Forum 2024 will provide organizers a platform where they could contribute to the vital discussions and collective action required to tackle these pressing issues and build a resilient and harmonious world for future generations.
12. Women, Children, Youth, Adolescents, Aging people and Persons with Disabilities
The WSF has always stood for equality and inclusivity, and this edition will look to further strengthen the legacy of involving all sections of society and giving a platform to the marginalized, the downtrodden, and the exploited. Women who are suffering from inequality around the world, children who have been deprived of their childhoods, used in labor factories by large corporations, or being bombarded in a war zone, the youth of today who are disillusioned and can only visualize a bleak future, adolescents mired in misery by a cruel world and the scrutiny of a social media driven society, aging people who have been robbed of their hopes and dreams and watch the world on a deadly precipice, and people with disabilities who are treated as an afterthought in a world devoid of compassion and kindness, the WSF will serve as a platform for these groups to all voice their views and experiences and create solutions for a better tomorrow. The WSF will allow them to stand together in solidarity and fight against the corrosive forces of the world.
13. Social Movements, Civic Space and Future of World Social Forum
People's movements are created when vivid parts of civil society collectivise citizens to sway their social reality by creative organising and a shared narrative. Social forum processes are meant as permanent intercommunication processes between movements/CSOs sharing a reference set of generic values and goals. They are taking place in an "open space of encounters", for dialogues and interlinking for action at a national, regional, and thematic scale. Diverse and inclusive groups of movements/CSOs can facilitate the development of such a social forum process and invite a much broader circle of movements/CSOs to participate proactively in it.
WSF2024 is an occasion for a great diversity of people’s movements and CSOs to promote and practise again the social forum idea in a context of multiple crises and looming chaos in climate, biodiversity, economy, socio-political fabrics, and processes, and with a challenge in intergenerational communication.
Decentralised dialogues about the relevance of formats and dynamics practised proactively in those processes are the way for the future of WSF as a common good owned by movements, where they combine autonomy and collective effectivities.
Activities
16th feb, 2024
1. "Justice climatique et justice sociale : Deux concepts, une seule lutte."
2. #KeepItReal
3. About Facilitation of WSF as intercommunication process held in an open space
4. Book Discussion: UNEQUAL
5. Civil Liberties in South Asia
6. Common Security Alternatives to War and Confrontation
7. Global Feminist Forum : “Resisting systemic Biases” Opening Assembly
8. Harnessing the Strength of a Social Movement and Local Stakeholders to Amplify Landscape Restoration on a Grand Scale
9. LIVE ART, OPEN FILM SCREENINGS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
10. Making a reality: Transformative feminist politics
11. Rising Freedom Festival
12. Social Movement and role of citizens
13. Stengthening Student`s Movement : Learning from the Past; Moving into Action and Getting Ready for Future
14. Tax the Rich
15. World Assembly on Democracy and Civic Space
17th feb, 2024
1. "Building a Movement Mindset" - Panel Discussion
2. Assembly Towards the World Social Forum of Intersections 2025
3. Capitalism, Authoritarianism, resistance and alternatives
4. Catholic Social Forum (CSF) - Youth Dialogue
5. Challenges facing CSOs in the Arab Countries.
6. Conference Title: "South-South Co-development: Socio-economic Transformations for a New Global Model"
7. Convivialist Manifesto & Manifestation
8. Dialogue on Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities in Civic Engagement, Politics and Civil Society Organizations.
9. ECSA2024 - 🇩🇪 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 EUROPEAN COMMON SPACE FOR ALTERNATIVES - Our Way to Unity
10. Encounter between APSF participants about perspectives and next steps
11. Enhancing Youth Engagement in Ecological Restoration
12. Feminism and Human Rights
13. Futur of the WSF with mobilizations of social movement: an Analysis based on experience of CGLTE AO caravan
14. International Discourse on "Whose Participation Matters in Global Governance?"
15. Jiwanta Hadigaun: Carfree Saturday
16. Montée des autoritarismes et résitances des peuples en Amérique Latine, Europe et Asie
17. Natural resource based Communities alliance
18. People-Led Development: Perspectives And Practices
19. People-Led Development: Perspectives And Practices
20. Social Protection
21. South Asia Vikalp Sangam
22. The place of Nepal
22. The Queer Community and Arts in Social Movements and Resistance.
23. World Conference on Civil Society and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
24. Young Women's Forum
18th feb, 2024
1. "Building Solidarity Network"- Strategies For Alliance Building & Creating Collaborative Spaces.
2. "Victories and Challenges" Testimonials From Social Movements Across The World
3. Challenges of Right to Information regime in South Asia
4. Critique of Neoliberalism in Governance and Production: Ideological Perspectives
5. Démocratie et Droits Humains, Racisme, Fascisme, Liberté d'Expression à l'Ère Numérique
6. Feminist's Vision For Peace
7. FROM GLOBAL TO LOCAL
8. FUTURE of social forum and Radical Democracy
9. Future of socialism
10. Global Assembly On Child Rights, Just World For Children
11. Global Conference On Future Of The Socialism
12. Kathmandu Forum on the Global Summits (G20, G7 and BRICS)
13. Kathmandu Futures Forum on the UN Summit of the Future (SOTF)
14. Natural resource based Communities alliance
15. Panel Feminismos, Movimientos de Mujeres en la Construcción de Otros Mundos Posibles
16. Questions and answers about Square of statements Feb 19th
17. Revitalizing Rural Reconstruction Movements: Addressing Multiple Crises
18. Right To Protest
19. Strategic discussion to upgrade World Social Forum as the interinm government of the Earth
20. Thematic session WSF2024 : Social Movments, Civic Space and Future of WSF
21. World Social Assembly of Struggles and Resistance of the WSF
22. WSF debate within Sociological Fraternity
23. लोकविद्या : एक दूसरी, नई और बेहतर दुवनया का ज्ञान आधार