Marcela Rebelo
Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – The Brazilian government will send no less than 5 ministers of state to the World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, which takes place between January 24 and 29. The ministers of Agrarian Development, Miguel Rossetto; Environment, Marina Silva; the Presidential Secretary General (Secretaria-Geral da Presidência da República), Luiz Dulci; the head of the Special Secretariat for Human Rights, Paulo Vannuchi; and the head of the Special Secretariat for Women Policies, Nilcéa Freire, will participate in the 6th WSF. Brazil will also send various second and third echelon authorities to the event.

The presence of so many high-ranking authorities will give added weight to the discussion of Brazilian governmental programs in the areas of land reform and rural development, worker health and management of healthcare in general for and by the population, family farming, low-cost housing, social inclusion in the areas of science and technology, protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development through democratic participation of society, and energy policies.

There will be a "Brazil Space" at the forum where the government will present panels on the following: Zero Hunger and Light for All, Family Farming and Land Reform, Making Education Democratic, Mercosur Citizen, and Social Participation in Healthcare and Environment Protection, and Combating Sexual Tourism. Petrobras will present three panels on water, social technology networks and children and adolescent rights.

NGOs will also make presentations in the Brazil Space.

Translation: Allen Bennett