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WRM Statements
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WRM Statements
| Moving
forward: The Mumbai Forest Initiative |
| A number of organizations concerned about forests and forest peoples’ rights held a strategy meeting at the World Social Forum to discuss ways of moving forward on those issues. The result was a draft statement of principles aimed at creating a global movement based on a common approach to forest conservation and to the respect of forest peoples’ rights. All people concerned about this issue are invited to share their views on the draft statement to make comments and suggestions for improvement and to join this process. The Mumbai Forest Initiative We, a number of participants at the World Social Forum 2004 in Mumbai, who believe that forests issues are in essence social and political, and that forest communities are increasingly affected by globalisation, agree on the need to create a global movement to ensure forest conservation and peoples´ rights over forests, based on the following principles: 1- The people living in and using forests for their survival needs are the true managers and governors of these forests and enjoy inalienable rights over forests. 2- The protection and conservation of forests demand that these rights be ensured. 3- The institutional mechanism for the social control of forest people -including indigenous peoples and other forest dependent communities- over forests will evolve according to the socio-ecological and economic needs of the communities and will take separate shapes according to the varied cultural profiles of the communities in various parts of the world. 4- Governments must ensure an enabling environment for the community management of forests. 5- Governments must ensure that legislation and policies comply with the above principles. 6- Society at large benefiting for the broad range of products and services provided by forests must support forests communities in their efforts to manage and conserve forests. 7- NGOs and other civil society organizations at national and international level committed to the conservation of forests and to the protection of forest peoples´ rights should have a supportive role to peoples´ initiatives to protect and manage the forest. 8- So-called development and conservation projects which lead to deforestation and forest degradation and to the displacement of forest communities and livelihoods, cannot be allowed. 9- Given the past and present record of the World Bank and other International Financial Institutions in the socio-environmental degradation of forests areas, these institutions must have no role at all in forest policy formulation and forest-related projects. 10- The attempt of corporations, governments and international institutions to convert nature and forests into commodities is not acceptable. This draft statement of principles is intended to be a first contribution towards initiating a global process of solidarity building among movements, groups, and individuals working on forest issues, at local, national, and international levels. We appeal to all of you to share your views on this draft statement, to add to it and to join this process. Mumbai, 20 January 2004. World Rainforest Movement,
If you wish to send comments or to sign on, please click here Additional individual / organizational signatories: 1. Smitu Kothari - Lokayan,
Delhi, India |
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