One of the stimulants to this present "Alternative Regionalisms" project has been the World Social Forum. Amongst many other proactive alternatives to the current 'single globalised economy', regionalism began to be discussed as an alternative to the homogenizing steamroller effect of the exclusionary capitalist globalisation being imposed everywhere through neoliberal policies and institutions. The WSF processes also strengthened the awareness that, in order to develop alternatives to capitalist globalisation, it is fundamentally important to strengthen South-South dialogue among peoples, in addition to a similar North-South dialogue.

Behind these challenges lie the clear realisation that we need to pursue further our analyses, exchanges and alternative proposals, creating public debates and political lobbying and campaigning. At the same time, we are aware of the importance of our identities and cultures, our diversity as peoples and the diversity of the environments we inhabit and how important these are to creating models of development - from the bottom up - that are participatory, equitable, inclusive and sustainable.

Given that the dominant neo-liberal policies and institutions are in crisis, popular social movements and all civil society organizations need to equip themselves with the means to act autonomously and to bring decisive influence to bear on what alternatives will emerge. That is the larger aim of this project: to nourish a movement of ideas and actions on developmental regionalism centred on human rights and social justice, based on peoples' participation and sustainability. African-Latin American Peoples’ Dialogue.

The dialogue among movements and organisations within and between the regions will comprise various types of interlinked activities. Common to them all will be a commitment to abide by the following fundamental motivating principles:

• Citizens' democratic participation, respect for diversity, solidarity among peoples
• The centrality of people's rights and human rights, the right to gender equity and inclusion for all, human security
• Environmental and economic sustainability and social justice

The whole project, however, is conceived in the form of a networked dialogue in different sectors and in various forms spreading outwards as new actors join and participate in the dialogue.

The Peoples' Dialogue is fundamentally committed to action to produce change, to strengthening a peoples' perspective in the definition of alternative models of development with equity and sustainability. For that purpose, the whole process of dialogue entails a permanent concern to intervene in public debate with advocacy and lobbying directed to organisations and governments, particularly at intra- and inter-regional negotiation events and at those led by multilateral organisations. Ideas for the Construction of a Peoples' Dialogue.

The first Working Conference for the Peoples’ Dialogue took place in Johannesburg in September 2004. A second Working Conference to include Asian movements and networks is being prepared to be held in Asia in 2005.

Reference Group: African-Latin American Peoples’ Dialogue

Participants: African-Latin American Peoples’ Dialogue, Johannesburg September 2004

Partners facilitating the Peoples’ Dialogue: Alternative Information & Development Center -AIDC (South Africa), Focus on the Global South (India/Thailand), Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas -IBASE (Brasil) Transnational Institute-TNI (The Netherlands).

People’s Dialogue Website: This website is developed as a ‘Commons’ to facilitate the Peoples’ Dialogue and is maintained by IBASE (Brasil), REDES (Uruguay), Transnational Institute (Netherlands).