Tunis – Minister Gilberto Carvalho, from the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, said on Wednesday (27) that the transition to democracy in the Arab countries may fail in case the population is not benefited by social improvement and direct gain. He spoke at the World Social Forum, which is taking place in Tunisia.
"Here, democracy is very young and weak. It is necessary for them to combine this base work with concrete economic change in people’s lives, so that it may be consolidated as a definite and stable process,” he said.
One of the main themes of debates at the forum today is the Arab Spring, a people’s revolution that started in Tunisia and spread throughout several Arab countries in their fight against non-democratic regimes. The minister pointed out that participation in social movements played a fundamental part in the Brazilian case.
"While we were resisting the dictatorship, we built a strong social movement, based on the work in the outskirts of cities. We combined resistance to the dictatorship with construction of powerful social movements that were later essential in the construction of this new kind of democracy.”
Established in Brazil in 2000, the World Social Forum is at its thirteenth edition. The tradition of Brazilian participation was maintained this year and it is possible to see union banners all around. Brazil established a tent within the forum, where they are showing initiatives like the Clean Slate Law (which bans politicians guilty of corruption from political life).
A defender of Indian rights, Plácido Costa came to the World Social Forum seeking development experiences respecting nature and cultures. "The forum is a multiplicity of voices telling the world that another world is possible. You have experiences worldwide that are being promoted and are not visible,” he said.
The World Social forum ends on March 30th. Over 70,000 people are expected by the organizers in around 1,500 activities throughout the event.
According to information disclosed by the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, late on Wednesday, minister Carvalho should meet, at the house of the ambassador of Brazil in Tunisia, with the International Council of the World Social Forum, which includes representatives of social organisations of each country participating in the event.
On Wednesday (28), Carvalho should participate in an activity organized by Perseu Abramo Foundation, Maurício Grabois Foundation and the São Paulo Forum, to discuss the challenges of the African, Latin America and Caribbean left. Also forecasted is a meeting with the Minister of Human Rights and Transitional Justice of Tunisia, Samir Dilou, who operates as a spokesperson for the government and is responsible for dialogue with the civil society.
*With information from the ANBA Newsroom. Translated by Mark Ament
