GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org
Monday, January 23, 2006
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@greens.org
Ben Manski (on site in Caracas), 608-239-6915, Manski@LibertyTreeFDR.org
U.S. Greens to attend the 2006 World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 24-29
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Members of the Green Party of the United States will be among the 100,000 social activists from
nations throughout the Americas attending the World Social Forum (WSF) in Caracas, Venezuela, January 24 to 29.
Greens heading to Caracas for the WSF include Patrick Barrett, Peter Camejo, James M Leas, Ben Manski, and George
Martin.
Mr. Camejo, former Green candidate for Governor of California and independent candidate Ralph Nader's 2004 running mate
for the White House, will speak at a January 27 meeting of U.S. participants during the WSF. Mr. Martin will represent United
For Peace and Justice <http://www.unitedforpeace.org>, a coalition of U.S. organizations that oppose the U.S. invasion andoccupation of Iraq.
"The World Social Forum convenes as a popular response to the annual meeting of heads of state and corporate leaders at
the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland," said Julia Willebrand, co-chair of the Green Party's International
Committee. "The WSF's dedication to social and economic justice, democracy, and environmental concerns stands in
opposition to the Davos agenda based on corporate profit, 'free market' ideology, and use of military and police forces,
government subsidies, and international treaties to advance the power of wealthy ruling elites. The Green Party's mission
and platform are consistent with the WSF's -- Greens in the U.S. and other nations are the political arm of the movement that
unites every year at the WSF."
Greens attending the WSF will not officially represent the U.S. Green Party, because the WSF's Charter of Principles states
that it is a non-governmental and non-party entity. Mr. Manski is a fellow with the Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic
Revolution <http://www.LibertyTreeFDR.org>; Mr. Barrett is organizer for the Midwest Social Forum
<http://www.MWSocialForum>.
"Growing numbers of people in the U.S. are looking to the democratic developments in the rest of the Americas and asking
how similar changes might happen here. The growth of a democratic alternative to the so-called Washington Consensus is
a sign of hope for Americans across the hemisphere," said Mr. Manski, a former co-chair of the Green Party of the United
States.
Simultaneous WSFs are planned for Bamako, Mali, and Karachi, Pakistan. The three meetings in 2006 follow the single global
meeting that was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2005.
The meeting in Caracas is significant in 2006 because it recognizes the challenges that some governments in South America
(especially those led by Presidents Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil, Evo Morales of Bolivia,
and President-elect Michelle Bachelet of Chile) pose to the U.S., especially to the Bush Administration's pro-corporate
agenda and attempt to control fossil fuel industries in the Western Hemisphere; U.S. military incursions in Colombia and
threats against Venezuela and Cuba; and U.S.-backed international trade agreements that have damaged democracy,
worker and environmental protections, and economic conditions throughout the Americas.
Ben Manski will speak on two panels at the WSF: "Prospects for a Democracy Movement in the U.S.", and "An Internal Clash
of Civilizations: Corporatization of Public Services in the U.S." Patrick Barrett will speak on three panels: "New Forms of
Participatory Democracy in the Americas", "The Latin American Left", and "Social Forums Around the World."
MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1711 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
World Social Forum
Caracas, Venezuela, January 24-29, 2006
(Media credentialing and information at this site)
http://www.forosocialmundial.org.ve/Ingles/
On site coverage by Sari Gelzer of the WSF in Caracas, in truthout.org
http://truthout.org/worldsocialforum2006.shtml
U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, Georgia, January 2007
http://www.ussocialforum.org/
Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide
http://www.projectsouth.org/
"World Social Forum: The Great Debate in a Land of Change"
By Humberto Márquez, Inter Press Service, January 18, 2006
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0118-05.htm