Madrid Conference Eve

Greetings from Madrid, on the eve of the II World Social Forum on Migrations. Beautiful city, around 90 degrees, crowded, but pleasant. A couple of the others from the U.S. on the program are Oscar Chacon of Enlaces America (Chicago) and Karen Musalo of gender refugee program (San Francisco). The organizers informed me that initially the expected about 800 registrants. They now have over 3,000 registrants and have to turn people away. The panels and sessions are quite varied including programs on: The Hegemony of Transnationals: resistances and alternatives; Palestine´s Apartheid Wall: effects and right of return of refugees; Financial Tools for Building a Better World; Associationism, a tool for integration; and Economic Capacity Building in the South.

More tomorrow as the sessions begin.

bh