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 [1] among peoples, in addition to a similar North-South dialogue [2].

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 organisations 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 centered on human rights and social justice, based on peoples' participation and sustainability.

The People’s Dialogues will comprise various types of interlinked activities and will be guided by a common commitment to 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
  

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