Olivio Dutra

A Positive Balance from the II Forum

The governor of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul, Olivio Dutra, summed up the proceeds of the II World Social Forum in a very positive note as the host and person responsible for the meeting's infrastructure and accommodations.

"All is going well, there's a receptive atmosphere of hospitality from the people of Porto Alegre and from Rio Grande do Sul, and the conferences and workshops are gathering a great deal of people", said the governor.

To Dutra, the structuring of the II Forum made by the international committee and the national executive committee allowed for the detailing and the deepening of general issues raised in the I World Social Forum, and had the active participation of everyone.

He considers the international committee's decision to work towards giving the event a worldwide perspective while preserving its core in Porto Alegre for the third edition is proof of the cultural, social, and political projection achieved by Rio Grande do Sul.

In addition, this would allow a more proactive participation also in other continents, he said.

The governor reminded that the Forum is not a place for government officials to reach resolutions, but it is an opportunity for reflection, debate, denouncement and propositions that may offer guidance to governmental actions and influence the decisions of international organisations. A place where it is possible to establish an agenda for the mobilisation of civil society, he stressed.

Comparing the numbers of the 2001 Forum, where 20,000 people participated in it, this year's event surpassed the expectations. The number of participants, including delegates, listeners and journalists, reached 50,000. There are delegations from at least 119 countries. The preliminary assessment of the organisers, which includes the data up to Feb 1, 2002, indicates the registering of 4,909 organisations totalling 15,230 delegates. The largest delegation was the Brazilian, with 8,503 delegates divided into 2,368 organisations, followed by Italy with 993 delegates, Argentina with 924 delegates, and France, with 718 delegates. The United States account for 420 delegates, and 296 came from Spain. A total of 2,800 journalists are officially covering the event.