• Date: 24/01/2024
• Time: 1pm GMT
• Duration: 2 hours

• Note: to be able to switch the audio interpretation channel:
  • In Chrome: go to chrome://flags/, in your URL bar, and enable “Experimental Web Platform features”
  • In Firefox: go to about:config, in your URL bar, and enable “media.track.enabled”

• Check-in and sharing
• Updates from GTA - activities & events after Kenya Assembly
  • Updates on the working groups that have emerged:

    1. Dictionary of Concepts (progress update)
    2. Common Declaration (request for facilitators)
    3. Toolkit for Weaving (progress update)
    4. Learning Exchanges (request for facilitators)
    5. Virtual Assembly Facilitation Planning
  • Updates on the thematic groups that have emerged:

    1. Democracy (request for facilitators)
    2. Learning (in connection with PeDAGoG; request for facilitators)
    3. Food and Agriculture (request for facilitators)
    4. Health and Healing (request for facilitators)
    5. Peace and Conflict Resolution (request for facilitators)
    6. Solidarity Economies (progress update)
  • Dedicated Womxn's Assembly (progress update)
• Updates from GTA - Upcoming activities and events
  • PeDAGoG and the Learning subgroup
  • World Social Forum 2024: GTA's planned sessions
• GTA Assembly members' updates and potential support/involvement from GTA
• Learnings, suggestions for improvements and appreciations
• General announcements

Facilitators: Raquel, Mugdha

Participants: Raquel, Mugdha, Shrishtee, Ashish, Vera, Priscilla, Itzel, Melanie, Steven, Mushuk, Lakshmi, Mauricio, Chris, Marco, Friedrike, Nourshan, Juan, Xochitl, Vasna, Andrea, Valentina, Deissy, Gijs, Hamrin, Sutej, Jenito, Belen

Note-takers: Mugdha, Priscilla

We did a quick round of introductions.

Introducing Raquel from MASSA

Raquel Castillo: I am from the steering committee of MASSA, a word that also means common people, but for us it is an acronym: Movement for Alternatives and Solidarity in South East Asia. We were and are involved in ASEAN processes, but we realised that this model of regional integraton is not sustainable; something that's difficult for us to accept. So we need to focus on the grassroots, and need to come together with all our alternatives. Exchanging alternative practices of communities and learning from each other. We aligned with the GTA because of this, and are centrally involved. We have about 30+ organisations across the 11 member countries of ASEAN. In the process of trying to find out how we can be more active in the GTA as well, by inviting some more of the steering committee from MASSA. How can our processes from South East Asia link with your movement processes? We also just had a meeting in which MASSA formally agreed I would be representing us in the GTA.

Crianza Mutua Mexico

• Mauricio: We are currently organizing a meeting in Mexico, and this is centrally important because we will be looking at how we can weave regionally between center and north better. We are in a complicated context, as is similar across other regions. Last year, we had a big drought, and over 50-60% of crops were lost. This is a time for harvest, so now we have a lot of scarcity. Insecurity about the public as well. This cost has affected many communities, especially the state of Chiapas. There are going to be presidential elections upcoming, and these problems are being ignore because of the elections. But we are very happy to keep weaving and not depend on public policy. So thanks so much to everyone here.
• Juan: We are in the north-east part of Chiapas, which is facing many problems. The administration has organized criminal groups, which has led to a lot of danger. In this area, we have the local administration and the Pluriversity. The former is offering a lot of money to stop our movements.
• Xochitl: It was very important for the Zapatista encounter, 30 year anniversary. In political terms, countered the destruction of the government and capitalist notions. There were 12,000 participants, to talk about their own re-organisations of the Zapatista. I would like to mention this as part of the contributing to the weaving.

Vikalp Sangam

Ashish: We also have national elections coming up this year, and if the same government comes in then we are in more trouble. But to provide an alternative we at VSVikalp Sangam (India) have released a Manifesto to prompt serious discussion. We're also planning a few things at the World Social Forum.

• media coverage about the VS manifesto: https://frontline.thehindu.com/news/over-85-movements-unite-under-vikalp-sangam-in-peoples-manifesto-for-a-just-equitable-and-sustainable-india/article67706526.ece
• For the Vikalp Sangam People’s Manifesto for India: https://vikalpsangam.org/article/vikalp-sangam-general-assembly-to-release-peoples-manifesto-2024/
• Melanie: Speaking from the US, the situation is at both poles. The gathering solidarity around Palestine, is building new relationships and understanding; these are very unique and desperately needed. We are facing an election, and resistance movements are also recognizing our role in the US and the ripple effects of our influence. That increased consciousness is extremely important.
• Friederike: The situation in Germany is very special, because we recently spoke about immigration. If they have a German passport, and German ancestors, they will be allowed. 500 years of theft of commons in Germany, trying to create a campaign around this.
• Nourshan: I'm from Rojava, we were together in Kenya and we got to know amazing friends. Some updates from North and East Syria: recently the social contract was approved, which is a major step forward. Opened more room for civil spaces to participate in this. There are civil institutions that have recently joined us, in creating new models. We are also experiencing danger and threats, from Turkey. These are places of autonomous administration.

We are now preparing to join physically at the WSF.

Ashish: GTA is comprised of 2-3 types of groups, Weavers, Endorsers, and Facilitation team. The Assembly as a process began in 2022. The Kenya Assembly was important to reflect on all that we had achieved before, and what we would like to do in the time coming in. What other networks we should be connecting to, as well.

• Melanie: What is the distinction between the working group and the thematic group? Because it's possible that Solidarity Economies has a core of Learning Exchanges.

  • Shrishtee: WGs come from very specific earthy activities. whereas thematic groups are broader, because people couldn't have the space to really understand what they could enact.
  • Ashish: the thematic groups emerged from thematic sessions in the Kenya assembly, understanding different perspectives. because there was a very short time span, these were to be continued. These are not output-oriented.
  • Melanie: So we could decide that we would like to transition into a working group? Because we would like to have a project along with our dialogue?
  • Vasna: I agree with both Shrishtee and Ashish. The Working Groups are more about the actions we take to weave together, and how do we have exchanges. We weave by connecting to each other across different territories around specific issues.

  These issues became rather urgent, and so people thought to talk more about, say for instance, how conflict presents itself more in Chiapas vs other locations. How do we look at learning being facilitated in different contexts. It's important for this dialogue to come through. But of course, there are actions as well: doing more in terms of Learning Exchanges. so then there would be a way for these two groups to interact, and see commonalities. there will be overlap. Looking at Pluralistic dimensions too.

If you indicate to us, there will be an email sent out to convene. And if the group meets, they can decide how they want to be in conversation with other groups. But the GTA will only work if it is owned by everyone. It can't be that the Facilitation team holds these. The energies of the Assembly should be driving this.

• Steve: I was a part of LFAF for quite a while, and would like to perhaps combine that with Learning as a thematic group. I won't be able to facilitate, but I am hoping that someone will.
• Ashish: We've actually been struggling to find someone to facilitate, and will be keeping the option open.

Please add your name & contact information to the spreadsheet to indicate your interest in joining the working groups below: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l6U6pKDTj6qT_mXQ1ANnvA3YA3Hlc4GkQvA2qn_N3Nw/edit#gid=0 Shrishtee: These Working groups emerged from discussions and activities. The ideas were multiple, and some are already being taken forward. Please step forward to facilitate/join!

Dictionary of Concepts

• Participating: Vikalp Sangam, GTA Facilitation circle, Post Growth Institute and One Project
• Our short project aim: To create a collection of concepts in an online platform where we foster intercultural knowledge of radical alternatives. We are interested in post-developmental, decolonial processes, and we hope to inspire young people, skeptics and academics, activists, and beyond. For inspiration and as a base, we are using the Post-Development Dictionary (co-edited by Ashish) and the Post Growth Encyclopedia project from PGI.
• Our values and working principles: Fostering cross-cultural understanding; recognizing cultural rootedness; to make alternatives accessible; collaboration and ownership.
• Where are we now: Currently writing a funding support proposal for One Project. Harvesting terms from across cultures.
• (Priscilla): Where we need support from the GTA Collective: We'd love your help to harvest and collect terms from your localities: how different alternatives, words, notions are expressed in your localities. For example buen vivir - ecological swaraj - sumak kawsay are iterations of a core notion of ecological and collective wellbeing. You can propose your concepts and terms here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11biYx5x4RD1ClTShzQENpt4Yk4gJUqhPls78pGDeczM/edit

Common Declaration - needing support

A common declaration to articulate our response to the crisis.

Toolkit for Weaving

• Bringing practices of weaving together.
• Shrishtee: A document that has ways of weaving that can be shared openly with assembly and then larger audiences. These documents will be for movement building. We have been putting together articulations of ploycrises together, but we need more conversations and better understandings of activities. If you have any suggestions, please let us know!

Exchanges

• Community to community interactions.
• Ashish: Proposing that we remove the word 'learning' from this. Will need to send out a specific mail to the assembly clarifying this.

Democracy

Radical Democracy gathering: those of us as facilitators have to be a very small gathering. As far as we know, there hasn't been a gathering like this, so then we can see what emerges out of this. Discussions around this in relation to the state. South Africa is apossible venue. We are still trying to generate all the funds.

Learning

Nariman Moustafa stepping up to facilitate this group, and a proposal to combine it with PeDAGoG and Learnings For Alternative Futures.

Solidarity Economies

Melanie: Ryan is joining us to co-facilitate, taking from this conversation and sorting through our first meeting. What we focus on, is it project oriented as well? An issue or challenge is in terms of interpretation. We need to really see how we can compensate for their time. There are AI solutions, which are not okay, but we need to build structures for facilitating this interpretations.

Suggestions for the 12th Periodical - Dedicated periodical to Weaving (Xochitl, Vasna, Shrishtee and Mugdha)

• Xochitl: We invite you to contribute to this project. The topic is about Weaving, in many different articulations, not just academic. The call of the GTA is to weave. We have to dedicate time to this, and please take our email seriously. This is a collective enterprise, and a part of our work.
• Vasna: For those people who are new, the periodical is sort of a magazine, but with substantial content. This is a space for people on our mailing list. Weaving is the heart of our GTA, this is something we want to put some weight to. Where people have done it, teach on it, draw, write poetry. Both reflection and theorising. That document is going to come out in a day or two, please give inputs. This is the heart and the hope.

WSF Nepal: planned activities

• Radical Democracy and Autonomy gathering

Session 1: https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization/activity/64

Session 2: https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization/activity/216

• Rojava presentation from Civil Society Diplomacy of Rojava / North and East Syria https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization/activity/democratic-autonomous-administration-in-north-east-syria-another-world-is-being-built

• Gijs: We want to propose a series of dialogues on More than Human Governance. A series of curated conversations. Eventually, may even culminate into a toolkit, we are also hoping to facilitate workshops. But in the short term, we are looking at sites and spaces in which people are practically bringing in voices of the more than human. We would also love your participation! A Working Group, as this is output-focussed.
• Lakshmi: The invitation is also to do some analysis, ask some questions, and see what is developing. Areas and activities around diplomacy and justice. How do we tease these possibilities out? That also relates to learning.