The Fourth Americas Social Forum kicks off Wednesday in the Paraguayan capital with a colourful march through the streets, as some 12,000 people prepare to take part in the activities organised by 50 local groups and 550 organisations from Argentina to Canada.

Underneath the corporate marketing of the Fifa World Cup being hosted in South Africa is a worrying picture of poverty and exclusion, corporate domination and simmering xenophobic nationalism.

As at previous meetings, the Toronto summit of the exclusive G20 club to which the world’s richest countries invited the heads of state of the major emerging countries once again raised great expectations only to conclude with an empty bubble. As in previous meetings since 2008 discussions focused on a way out of the crisis that favours creditors and great powers.

Israel had been openly threatening a violent attack on the Flotilla for days, but complacency, complicity and inaction, specifically from Western and Arab governments once more sent the message that Israel could act with total impunity.

The global economic crisis highlighted the necessity of transforming global economic governance. But least developed countries (LDCs) have little voice in this process. It is time they are allowed a seat at the meetings of the Group of 20 industrialised and emerging economies.

A countless number of activities and initiatives for 2010 has been presented so far, among them thematic, regional and national world forums.

Will discussions and decisions on global issues like the economic crisis and climate change be made in a democratic way or through small groups of countries, which traditionally have been dominated by rich nations? This question on "global governance" has been debated for years. But 2010 will be a crucial year in defining the answers. By Martin Khor.

United Nations agencies are working around the clock to provide urgently needed assistance to the victims of the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti, which is estimated to have affected one third of the Caribbean nation's nine million people.

Civil society interaction with the United Nations (UN) system has increased significantly over the past 15 years. So far, the majority of these relations have been with non-governmental organizations of various kinds, including humanitarian and development NGOs, advocacy groups and faith-based organizations.

Capitalism is in crisis, Samir Amin writes in Pambazuka News, creating new opportunities to challenge its imperialist dimensions.