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The Urban Way

Shared memories for the future of the housing right with no boundaries

The WSF’s Day of Global Mobilisation which took place on January 26th 2008 was a success.

In fact, some fifty marches, squatts, debates and assemblies simultaneously brought together, for the first time in history, tens of thousands of people in demanding the housing right with no boundaries, in rich countries as well as poor ones, north and south, east and west.The topic at hand was the suitable conclusion to the global campaign “Act together - housing for all!” launched by the IAI, HIC and FAL, which began with the World Day for the Right to Housing and the World Zero Evictions Days in October 2007. It was a mobilization that lasted four months, which saw the emergence of struggles, proposals and international solidarity, showing the commitment of the assembly of convergencyat the end of the WSF in Nairobi, as well as the signing of the Call for unity of urban social movements.

Our compliments as well as our recognition go out to the inhabitants organizations, the protagonists of the indispensable role played in developing the links between territorial initiatives and global mobilisation, demonstrating the growth of conscience in a solid commitment, even on an international level, to tackle the global conflict which has seen a billion people made homeless, evicted or poorly housed.

It was about the success of simultaneous exchanges and shared journeys, which nevertheless show how drastically inadequate the front for the campaign for housing rights is when faced with economic, political and institutional decisions and the bulldozers that destroypeople’s lives.

That’s why we’re stressing the importance of supporting the struggles and territorial initiatives, of organising meetings on the topic during social fora, particularly the next World Social Forum (Belem, January 2009), of co-ordinating the World Zero Evictions Days in October 2008, of critically following the World Urban Forum (Nanjing, 13th-17th October 2008) and of beginning to put together the World Inhabitants’ Assembly (2009-2010).

However, to decisively re-affirm our commitment, one of our priorities – one which we see as indispensable – is to begin with shared analysis and debate of our own and each other’s strengths and weaknesses to make this movement truly effective.

For this reason, you are asked to read the datacards about the initiatives organised over the course of the WSF’s Day of Global Mobilisation; these will form our shared memory and are necessary in order for us to discuss and understand how to go about implementing the next stages together.