ALARM+National+Workshop+Jhb+24-26+April,+Invite,+Jara

c/o Trust for Community Outreach and Education Tel – 021 685 3033, Fax – 021 685 3087 Cell – 083 651 0271, Email – mazibuko@union.org.za**
 * Alliance of Land and Agrarian Reform Movements (ALARM)**
 * Interim Steering Committee

07 March 2006

labour tenants People and communities directly affected by evictions, landlessness and homelessness Associations of small farmers and co-operatives Land sector organisations Environmental justice organisations Women’s rights and gender equality organisations Human, legal and children’s rights organisations Trade unions Churches and other religious organisations Research and academic institutions Other progressive organisations
 * TO :** Organisations of the landless, farm workers, farm dwellers, homeless people and

Dear comrades


 * INVITATION TO A NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE MEETING AND PROCESS ON BUILDING PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE’S ORGANISATIONS FOR LAND AND AGRARIAN REFORM**

The Interim Steering Committee of the Alliance of Land and Agrarian Reform Movements (ALARM) invites all stakeholders concerned with the struggle for land and agrarian reform to a National Consultative Workshop to be held in Johannesburg in order to review progress since the National Land Summit and decide on a programme of action to take forward the struggle for land and agrarian reform. This meeting is convened in light of the resolutions of the National Land and Agrarian Reform Summit held in July 2005 and recent government announcements on land reform policy.

In addition, we also invite you to be part of a National Consultative Process on the building of progressive people’s organisations for pro-poor, people-driven and state-led land and agrarian reform.

The workshop will be held over two days as follows: 1.     DATE AND TIME -      starting at 10h30 on Monday, 24 April 2006 -      ending at 16h30 on Tuesday, 25 April 2006

2.     VENUE -      Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre -      49 Old Harrow Road (Alexander Street from Berea side), corner Saunders Street, Yeoville -      Tel – 011 484 3372

Other activities envisaged in the consultative process are: 1. Provincial Consultative Workshops (March-April 2006, 9 workshops); 2. A National Consultative Workshop (end April 2006); 3. Provincial Report Back Meetings (May-June 2006, 9 workshops); 4. District/Regional Consultative Workshops (July-September 2006, 53 regional workshops); 5. Provincial Consultative Conferences (October 2006, 9 workshops); and 6. A National People’s and Civil Society Conference on Land and Agrarian Reform (November 2006) 7. Bilateral meetings between ALARM, the National Land Committee, the Landless People’s Movement and other organisations

The National Consultative Process mentioned above is envisaged by ALARM to initiate wide-ranging discussions in order to, over time, build a coherent vision, programme, strategy, tactics and capacity in the struggle for land and agrarian reform. The process, its content, objectives and characters should be driven and led by involve the mobilisation of landless communities, land reform beneficiaries, homeless people, farm workers, farm dwellers, labour tenants and victims of evictions working together with small producers, land-based co-operatives, trade unions, land sector organisations, churches, environmental organisations and other progressive organisations committed to pro-poor land and agrarian reform. This requires co-operation, collaboration, debate, mutual support and experimentation. Such a process must reach out to grassroots structures in local areas throughout the length and breadth of our country. ALARM envisages this process as historic and important in laying a foundation for consolidating and strengthening the self-organisation and self-mobilisation of the motive forces for land and agrarian reform.

The initial national workshop is open to progressive organisations of, and organisations working for the landless, farm workers, farm dwellers, labour tenants, small farmers, homeless people, co-operatives, environmental justice, women’s rights and gender equality, human rights, children’s rights, education rights and legal rights. This includes local, regional, provincial and national landless people’s committees and organisations, trade unions, co-operative and small farmer associations, NGOs, churches and religious organisations, research and academic institutions, and other progressive organisations.

This workshop will be the first major national meeting in the land sector after the national land summit (held in July 2005) which will bring together landless communities and organisations working for land and agrarian reform to discuss common problems and programmes. Since the land summit, the ALARM Steering Committee has held meetings, organised land summit report-backs in various communities, started to build provincial forums of ALARM, engaged the Department of Land Affairs on the resolutions of the land summit, discussed a mass campaign to stop evictions and won support for ALARM demands from the COSATU-led Coalition Against Unemployment and Poverty.

We request your organisation to send at least three representatives to this workshop. Please confirm your attendance by contacting the ALARM office by Wednesday, 08 April 2006. The ALARM office may be contacted as follows: **Mazibuko K. Jara, Volunteer Interim Coordinator, 021 685 3033, Fax – 021 685 3087, Cell – 083 651 0271, Email – mazibuko@union.org.za**).


 * WORKSHOP AIMS AND OBJECTIVES**

The aims and objectives of the National Consultative Workshop are to: · review achievements at the national land summit and progress in the implementation of the land summit resolutions; · review activities and initiatives of landless communities and civil society post-the land summit; · discuss and consult on the idea of building progressive people’s organisations and networks for pro-poor, people-driven and state-led land and agrarian reform; · debate alternatives on land and agrarian reform; · discuss and share strategies, tactics, programmes and struggles to take forward the self-mobilisation and self-organisation of the motive forces for land and agrarian reform; · discuss and adopt a proposed mass campaign for a moratorium on, and to stop evictions; and · discuss the content, aims and activities of the proposed consultative process including putting in place an appropriate national coordinating structure for the process;

The ALARM Steering Committee will table a detailed report on its work to this workshop. The ALARM Steering Committee will also prepare extensive discussion notes on all the other issues to be discussed at the meeting. All these will be circulated well in advance of the workshop.


 * PROVINCIAL CONSULTATIONS**

As part of preparations for the National Consultative Workshop, the Interim Steering Committee invites partners in the various provinces to work with ALARM in convening provincial meetings to be held later in March and early April 2006. The Western Cape Province will have its meeting on 08 April 2006.


 * ATTENDANCE**

Funds have been raised by the Interim ALARM Steering Committee for the national consultative workshop to be attended by a minimum of 150 people drawn from the constituencies identified above. Funds have been raised to cover accommodation and catering for 150 people, and transport for up to 75 people. Beyond this 150, we also extend the invite to those delegates and organisations who can afford to pay for their own accommodation, catering and travel. We ask that confirmations in this regard be made with the ALARM office by 08 April 2006.

People who are unemployed or delegates from under-funded organisations are requested to submit motivations and applications for the subsidisation of part of their travel costs by 31 March 2006 to the ALARM office.

Further, attendance will be broken down to ensure that at least 75% of the workshop’s participants come from people and communities directly affected by landlessness, homelessness, evictions and failed land reform. In this regard, therefore


 * Make another countryside possible!**


 * __MAZIBUKO K. JARA__**
 * __VOLUNTEER INTERIM COORDINATOR__**
 * __ALLIANCE OF LAND AND AGRARIAN REFORM MOVEMENTS__**