February, 2011
This is an open letter to President Dilma Rousseff signed by international organizations, academics and activists in support of the work of the Brazilian society and government for the cultural commons

We are hopeful that the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, MinC, will continue its leadership for inclusive public policies for culture for the 21st century. Because Brazil has been so pioneering in this regard, let us mention just a few elements that contributed to the worldwide attention paid to your country in terms of Cultural Policies:

Remarks by David Bollier
International Association for the Study of the Commons Conference
“Sustaining Commons: Sustaining our Future”
Hyderabad, India
January 12, 2011

Thank you, Jagdeesh Rao of the Foundation for Ecological Security and Ruth Meinzen-Dick, President of the International Association for the Study of the Commons, for inviting me to this remarkable conference. It is a great privilege for me to be among this vast assemblage of commons scholars and practitioners. My mind is exploding by what I am learning!

Monday, Nov 1., 2010

10 am – 12 pm
An Overview of the Commons as a Transformation-Paradigm

Keynotes & Debate
Ruth Meinzen-Dick, President, International Association for the Study of the Commons, USA

Michel Bauwens, Peer2Peer Foundation, Belgium/Thailand

Moderation: Silke Helfrich

2 – 3 pm
The Commons as a challenge for classical economic patterns & thinking
and a new narrative of the 21 century

Keynotes& Debate
Alberto Acosta, Economist, FLACSO, Ex-President of the Constituent Assembly of Ecuador:
Yasuní-ITT Initiative, an opportunity to rethink the world

International Commons Conference (ICC)

Berlin, (October 31), November 1/2 2010

Introduction

An epoch in modern history has ended. The growth imperative of market capitalism is evidently endangering the ecosystem. Confidence in governments as reliable steward of people's interests has been shaken. Therefore, a new path forward is coming into focus: The commons!