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THE SYSTEMIC ALTERNATIVE SYMPOSIUM

Symposium Systemic Alternatives.jpg

On April 7-9, the EDGE Conference and the Encontro was preceded by a Systemic Alternatives Symposium organized by a Facilitation Team lead by partners from different continents. Around 50 civil society participants participated - 8 participants for every continents plus Brazil, representing a balance of views and experiences along with regional, gender and generational representation. Report of the Systemic Alternatives Symposium can be found here. 

 

Civil society representatives met to discuss and build efforts towards transformational change on their terms, for their own ends. Their assembly focused on “systemic alternatives in action,” analyzing systemic crises and alternatives emerging from renewal struggles across various areas of work (food, energy, democracy, work, feminisms, etc.). The assembly focused as well on concrete medium- and long-term proposals, engagements and investments needed in support of such efforts around the world.

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The selection of the civil society representative was determined not by EDGE's Conference Planning Committee but by the facilitation team, working collectively to provide a balance that best meets the group's overall objectives. EDGE and the CPC look forward to this opportunity to experiment with a new approach, and greatly appreciate the Facilitation Team's leadership in accepting the responsibilities inherent in such a process.  

 

While the Facilitation Team has now selected the list of participants, we will not share it publicly, but only internally with registered participants. 
 

A.GOALS

To support activist-thinkers from civil society organizations and social/peoples’ movements around the world in our efforts to analyze new and persisting trends in the global situation, build and deepen relationships, strengthen alternatives for progressive systemic change, and advance resistance and hope.  We will achieve this by:

 

  • Analyzing  the new trends of the global situation.

  • Engaging in discussions on different systemic alternatives in action around issues like food, energy, labor, democracy and authoritarianism, feminisms, municipalism, climate change, reclaiming land and territory, and others to be decided.

  • Debating and discussing new strategies to strengthen resistance, mobilization and articulation.

  • Contributing ideas for resourcing alternatives and movements for systemic change  

 

The overall objective is not to have conclusions on which all agree but to highlight the different convergences, coincidences and divergences that exist among the participants on different issues and proposals.

 

The Symposium is a constructive space for reflection and does not aim to build a new network, launch a particular campaign, or adopt a manifesto. If there are enough agreements to issue a declaration, or to move forward certain strategies collectively, they will be decided at the Symposium.

 

B. WORKING AGENDA / MAIN TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

  • Our World Turned Upside Down: New Global Trends

  • What Happened to Progressive Governments? 

  • Past, Present & Future of Social and Popular Movements (women, indigenous peoples, progressive governments, anti-extractivist movements, Yellow vest, youth, etc. )

  • Eco-Feminism & Feminist Alternatives 

  • Rethinking Democracy, Power & Counter-power

  • The Energy Transition that the Earth Community Needs

  • Food Sovereignty & Defense of the Commons 

  • Convergences & Contrasts Among Emerging Systemic Alternatives

  • Building Strategies for Systemic Alternatives in the New Global Situation

  • Resourcing the Systemic Alternatives

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