26.11.2004
Education and water are the priorities indicated by participants of the IV WSF in India

Education and access to water are themes that should be prioritized in the construction of “another world” (slogan of the WSF). This is what is indicated in a survey carried out by the Brazilian Institute for Social and Economic Analyses (IBASE), under the direction of the International Secretariat of the Forum. The survey was carried out during the fourth edition of the Forum, at Mumbai in India, at the beginning of this year.

The objective of this study was that of establishing the profile of the participants at the largest international gathering of organized citizenry but it also reveals that, although the event is worldwide, it still must achieve globalization and gain social representativeness. Of the 71 thousand delegates registered at Mumbai (the total number of participants, including observers and campers, is 115 thousand from 106 different countries), no less than 91% were from India and neighboring countries. From outside this region, Brazil was present with the largest delegation (854 persons) followed by the United States (772) and France (661). The survey also demonstrates a tendency that had already been detected during the third edition of the Forum in Porto Alegre, in 2003: an elitist turnabout. In India, 63% had completed undergraduate studies or were graduates as compared to 37% in Porto Alegre.

Another factor highlighted by the researchers is the low participation rate (1%) of representatives from Africa, a continent that will be hosting the seventh edition of the meeting in 2007.
The following data informs more results of the research:

· From a list of 43 themes it was asked which are the most important to be discussed for the construction of another world (the slogan of the Forum is “Another world is possible”). The scale ranged from: 1 – least important to 5 – most important

The five themes that received the highest averages in the replies were:
- Education (school, access to learning) – 4.52
- Water (access, right to, quality of, etc.) – 4.5
- HESCER (Human, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights) – 4.4
- Hunger eradication – 4.36
- Fight against poverty – 4.33

· An open question was also made asking which themes would be the most important for the construction of another world. The spontaneous answers indicated 1,400 new themes, systematized under the following key words: Rights (337 replies), Youth (226), Women and Gender (216), Peace and War (163), Globalization (139), Sexuality (138), Education (137), Employment (136), Environment (125), Local themes (113) and Violence (105).

· 84.5% of participants at the India forum were not affiliated to political parties (in Porto Alegre this rate was 63%).

· 60.4% belonged to social movements (a rate similar to that in Brazil in 2003, which was 64.9%).

· Youth Profile: in India, 63% were in the 14 to 34 age group (a rate similar to that of the Porto Alegre Forum, 62%).

· In India, men were the majority, 55% to 45% (at the Brazilian edition 51% were women and 49% men).

· There was a high level of schooling: 42.2% had a Master’s or Doctor’s Degree; 21% had finished undergraduate studies; 13.6% were still doing undergraduate work; 10.4% had from 9 to 12 years of studies; 9.5% had at least 8 years of schooling. (at Porto Alegre in 2003, those who had finished undergraduate work or more represented 37% of the total).

· Strengthening the mobilization of civil society is the main course of action indicated for the “construction of another world” (an average of 4.17 points in a scale that ranged from 1, least important, to 5, most important). Democratizing governments (3.38), democratizing the multilateral organisms (3.62) and direct action (3.7) were also highlighted.

See all the details of this research in an article of the Ibase review “Democracia Viva”. Click here to download the file (pdf file).


Text written by Rogério Jordão
Translated by Anne Marie Speyer