Near a half hundred of HIC members from different countries have spent a week in Nairobi to participate in the activities organized by our Coalition at the VII WSF.
These activities included workshops, seminars and debates about:
- The challenges and strategies from different regions to fight the privatization of goods and public services including housing and land. Social movements: exchange of reports and experiences about their recent struggles against real estate violence. The problem of exclusion and “homelessness”. Identification of the forces emerging from macro-polices and the global financial markets.
- Local, regional and global struggles for inclusive cities where every inhabitant is considered as citizen. Debate about the World Charter for the Right to the City: the processes and its future.
- Human Rights in the struggles for land, habitat and environment (with FIAN and Via Campesina).
- Projection of a video about “La Parota case” (peasant’s opposition against the construction of a Hydroelectric Dam Project in Guerrero, Mexico)
In the meantime, many of our members and other organizations and allies networks developed activities about:
- Housing and HIV in Africa: experience exchange among popular housing organizations involved in action plans for their communities (organized by Rooftops Canada, HIC member).
- The privatization and “mercantilisation” of water and its effects on poor inhabitants. The water as public good: the perspective of North and South. The analysis of resistance strategies and the challenges towards a communitarian, democratic and sustainable management (organized by Foundation Rosa Luxemburg).
The fourth day was dedicated to the analysis of global proposals, strategies and campaigns, as well as to a debate around the actions for the World Habitat Day 2007 (with IAI, COHRE, SDI and others).
Simultaneously, the HIC annual institutional meetings took place in Nairobi.
Board Meetings (and work in commissions during all week) and the General Assembly on Tuesday 23. The agenda included: HIC presence at WSF; membership; elections of regional representatives and thematic networks (2006-2010); plan for the election of HIC president (2007-2011); report”s comments from General Secretariat, President, regions and networks; preparation of global projects; revision of partial results of the evaluation processes (debate about HIC internal aspects, products, services and its external impact) among other relevant issues.
An Evaluation Workshop was held on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 with Board and Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) members to advance in the proposals for the future of our Coalition.
