25 Oct 2019 WACC partner to provide communications support at Pan-Amazon Social Forum

Grupo Comunicarte, a longstanding member and partner of WACC will play a central role in organizing the 2020 Pan-Amazon Social Forum,  especially in relation to communications and communication rights.

The Pan-Amazon Social Forum, a gathering of Indigenous activists and civil society representatives from countries in the Amazonian basin, will be held March 22-25, in Mocoa, Colombia.

The Pan-Amazon Social Forum is held every two years, alternating with the World Social Forum.

Discussions at the forum often focus on issues such as climate change, human rights, food security and sovereignty, sustainable development, Indigenous issues and democratization of communication.
With support from WACC, Grupo Comunicarte will operate and enhance Radio Manguaré, the online radio station of the Pan-Amazon Social Forum. Radio  Manguaré is currently linked to about 140 community radio stations across the Amazon river basin.

Grupo Comunicarte also plans to establish a network of environmental Indigenous reporters to help raise awareness about issues in the Amazon region, including deforestation, attacks on Indigenous leaders, and gender inequality.  It will also host a training event on communication rights during the forum.

“Strengthening the voices of indigenous communities in matters that directly affect their lives, especially regarding environmental issues, is one of WACC’s current priorities,” said WACC General Secretary Philip Lee.

Around 28 million people live in Amazonia, which is shared by eight countries namely live Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, and Venezuela, as well as the overseas territory of French Guiana.

Photo above: The socio-environmental impacts of deforestation, mining and massive infrastructure projects on the Amazon’s peoples, forests and rivers will be among the issues to be discussed at the Pan-Amazon Social Forum, March 22-25. By  Sebastien Goldberg/Unsplash