Claiming democracy: accountability for
social and economic justice.
The Assembly will bring together the diverse membership of the
Social Watch network, with representatives designated by national
coalitions from over 60 countries of all continents: women groups,
human rights activists, unionists and campaigners for social justice.
During three days we will be discussing the new challenges brought
about by the global crises and the civil society responses to it. A
strategy for the coming years will be approved and a new
Coordinating Committee will be elected. Several panels with invited
speakers from academia and international organizations will inform
the discussions.
About Social Watch
Social Watch was created in 1995 to hold governments and
international organizations accountable for the ambitious
commitments they made at the Social Summit and the Beijing
Conference on Women. Since then, more than one thousand
organizations have joined the network, comprehensive reports have
been published every year and indexes were developed by Social Watch
to monitor gender equity and basic social capabilities.
Based on the findings from the grassroots, Social Watch warned in
2006 that the financial architecture was impossible. After the crisis
erupted, Social Watch argued in 2009 that putting people first was
the best stimulus package, combining economic sense with the ethical
imperative. In 2010 we reported to the MDG Summit that social
progress was slowing down and poverty eradication could only happen
with gender justice, climate justice, financial justice and plain
old justice, with courts, accountability and functioning
institutions. Now-a-days these same points are courageously being
made by people crowding the streets in numerous countries. |
