Declaration of the NoVox network at the International Council of the Montreal World Social Forum 14 August, 2016

The No-Vox network challenges the International Council of the World Social Forum and denounces: • the refusal of visas by the Canadian government to guests and participants from outside Canada, in particular from Africa and South American, as well as the unacceptable inaction of the Forum’s organizing committee in staging any kind of protest (for example, we could have suspended the Forum’s activities during the demonstration planned during a lunch hour to denounce these refusals). l

• the treatment suffered by panellists and participants of the conference organized by “Boycott/ Disinvestment/Sanctions†(BDS) as well as that experienced by participants without a badge who, because of lack of financial means, were refused access at the gates of the Cegep in Old Montreal and the UQAM.

The No-Vox network demands: • a firm repositioning of the World Social Forum to provide easier financial accessibility in order to guarantee participation by movements of struggle with limited means from among the world’s poor populations;

• a commitment to a fundamental revision of the organisation of Forums:

Our proposals:

â—¦ space out World Social Forums to take place every 3-4 years and reduce the number of workshops in each one

â—¦ plan the organisation of Regional Forums between World Forums so as to facilitate the development of continental convergence and solidarity, among other things.

â—¦ abandon the imposition of quasi-academic frameworks and the so-called major axes which do not facilitate horizontal exchange and which marginalise the movements struggling for social, economic, democratic and cultural rights...

â—¦ review the relevance of thematic Forums which are increasingly an occasion for closed-shop participation of experts and professionals who would be better advised to contribute to the exchange of experience and analysis with grass-roots movements.

â—¦ review organisational strategy to facilitate horizontal exchange between the different fronts of struggle.