Charter for the organization of the intercultural publishing and circulating the proposals dossiers

Barcelona, nov.16th, 2000

This text is the result of the joint work of the representatives of the following organizations :
•	Instituto Polis, Brazil (José Carlos Vaz and Hamilton Faria)
•	Imagens edução/Instituto Agora, Brazil (Isis de Palma)
•	CENCA, Peru (Paul Maquet Makedonski)
•	South Lebanon Cultural Council, Lebanon (Hassan Krayem)
•	NoVASC, Zimbabwe (John Stewart)
•	Pipal Tree, India (Pradeep Sebastian)
•	Yanjing group, China (Wang Yi and Ge Haibin)
•	Nova, Centre per a la Innovació Social (Martí Olivella, accompanied by Laia Botey and Joan Ramon Gordo)
•	Caravan (Philippe Guirlet)
•	Fondation and éditions Charles Léopold Mayer, Switzerland/France (Julien Boni, Isabelle Decout, Olivier Petitjean and Michel Sauquet, accompanied by Keith Hodson and Rim Natour, translators).

1. Objectives and target audiences of the proposals dossiers

The proposals dossiers constitute a series of documents comprising, for each of the domains that determine our future, proposals that are highly relevant for the implementation, in our societies, of the breaks and changes needed to build a more equitable and sustainable twenty-first century. Their objective is to stimulate a debate on these issues, both at local and global scale.

Their target audiences, at least in a first stage, shall be :
-	People engaged in action, with any kind of responsibility in changing public and social practices : in public administration, trade unions, NGOs, farming communities, enterprises, etc.
-	the “ opinion makers ” : media, scholars, etc.
-	people with future responsibilities and their trainers (students, teachers).

2. Commitments

The publishers present in Barcelona commit themselves, in 2001, to :

•	Take in charge in their own cultural area the task of publishing and diffusing, the series of “ proposal dossiers ”, within the limits of financial possibilities and local relevance of the titles of the series.
•	Share their viewpoint with the other publishers concerning the relevance of the themes and proposals in relation with their culture. They will share also the questions of linguistic and stylistic adaptation ;
•	Contribute if possible to the redaction process through communicating to the authors any relevant document or resource person likely to enrich their work.

If a publisher thinks that a proposals dossier is impossible to publish and to circulate because of its irrelevance to the cultural reality of his audience, he may decide, after the discussion between the publishers, not to include it in his own series.

The Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer commits itself to :

•	Organize the dialogue and information exchange between the publishers, and between publishers and authors of the proposals dossiers, in order to secure an intercultural enrichment of the whole series in its different versions ;

•	Provide financial support to the proposals dossiers’ translation and publication work.

3. Procedures

3.1.	Respective responsibilities in the editorial process

The authors make the final decision as far as the body of the text of the proposals dossiers is concerned.

The publishers make the final decision concerning the editing of the text (boxes, introduction, post-face, etc.), provided that such additions be agreed on between the publisher and the author. 

Authors and publishers are welcomed to exchange comments, reactions and recommendations on their respective work. The Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer will facilitate this exchange, e.g. by sending as soon as possible first drafts of the texts in progress (in the original language and in English), or by informing the authors of the publishers’ comments.

3.2.	Publishers’ collective work

As soon as the authors judge their text ready for being published, it is sent to all the publishers by the Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer (Olivier Petitjean).

The publishers read this text, possibly have them read by relevant reviewers, and propose additions, making clear their procedures (boxes, post-faces, etc.). Those additions are concerned with :
-	the clarification of the meaning of a word, or an expression, or a reference ;
-	situating interculturally such or such proposal ;
-	the gaps noticed in the dossier as far as the cultural and social reality of the publisher and his audience is concerned.

These suggestions are shared between all the publishers. The Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer on its part will make a synthesis of all these reactions and will propose it to the publishers. The latter then will decide for themselves (in agreement with the authors) their own additions, either from the synthesis made by the Fondation, or from the various suggestions collected during the exchange.

There could be, for each dossier, a preface written by a well known personality, conversant with the subject. It could be common to all publishers, or specific to local versions.

3.3.	Recommendations to the proposals dossiers’ authors

Taking into account the preliminary indications contained in the 2000 summer texts, the publishers wish to make it clear for the authors the necessity to:
-	Strive to respect the model of structure given in the August 2000 paper (“ The elaboration and circulation of proposals files for the 21st century ” (list of proposals, context, perspectives, actors, experiences) ;
-	Be explicit as far as possible on the proposals’ “ how to ” instead of mere theoretical principles ;
-	Stay within a range from 20 to 30 pages (equivalent in English language) ;
-	Secure the best possible intercultural and collective writing process, especially as far as the implication of concerned social movements is concerned. 
-	Draft their text in a way that is accessible, and not coded or allusive.

3.4.	Contents common to all the publications

The proposals dossiers will contain :

-	A short text presenting the series’ and the Alliances objectives. This text will be adapted by each publisher. 
-	The list of the dossiers (available or in preparation) and of the other publishers of the dossiers.
-	The history of the text’s elaboration, and an invitation to participate to debate around those proposals (contact, bibliography, internet site, electronic forum, etc.) 

3.5.	Common presentation elements for all the publications.

On the proposal dossiers, there will be logotypes of the Alliance, of the publishers, and possibly of the organization that has coordinated the text’s drafting process.

The physical size of the dossiers should vary as little as possible from country to the country. Each publisher will inquire about the cheapest format and the decision will be taken in accordance with this collective inquiry. The front page will contain some common layout characteristics, but will respect cultural specificity. 

3.6.	Iconography

The author might ask for illustrations for his dossiers. In this case he has the responsibility for it.

The publishers will decide the illustration of the cover, with a possible specific iconography. The publishers and Caravan will keep available to all other publishers their own iconography for possible use in the dossiers. 

3.7. Translation rules

The choice of the translator is up to the publishers. But they commit themselves to be sensitive to the demands of the authors. 

Whenever possible, the translations will be done from the original language, and failing that, from English version. In all cases, the Foundation commits itself to secure the existence of an English version for all the texts (a version likely to be modified afterwards by the English speaking publishers). In some cases, their will be a necessity to be in direct relation with the authors. The authors commit themselves to be available to answer the questions of the translators.

The list of the languages in which the publications will be done is not limited to the languages used by the participants of this meeting. In further stages, and if there are means for that, additional languages may be used.

3.8.	Financing

The publishers wish to point out that the way the overall budget was designed only takes into account the translation and printing costs for all the texts to be written, and therefore neglects the costs generated by iconography, editorial work, distribution, communication systems and tools, etc. Thus at present it is not entirely adequate for the project as described here. 

It is therefore suggested that the Fondation support, for the proposal dossiers, in addition to translation and publication costs, such other costs as may be indicated by the quotations submitted by the publishers. 

In principle, the Foundation has not yet committed itself to go beyond translation and printing costs. But the publishers here are preoccupied by the question of extra-work of publishing, linked to the intercultural characteristic of the series, the importance of the iconography as an integral dimension of the series, as well as by the question of diffusing and promoting the dossiers : the publication is intended to stimulate the process of meetings of 2001 (a good place to disseminate the books), and intended also to have an output in terms of concrete action, which means a significant effort of diffusion. The FPH will then explore the means to meet those additional needs. On their part, the publishers will also try to secure means on their own. There is no guarantee of success, but at least we all shall try. 

Before the end of the year 2000, all the publishers will indicate to the Foundation their intentions (number of booklets to be published, number of copies to be printed in 2001) with the corresponding costs. The Foundation commits itself to inform them about all the requirements, with real transparency.

We shall then collectively decide the composition (items to be financed) of the financial support, depending on :

•	the total of the publishers requirements
•	either possible Foundation’s new commitments, or modification of the sectors for which current funding is allocated
•	sales expectations from the publishers
•	the requirements in terms of copies by the meeting organizers

This last element is linked to the fact that some distribution costs might also be integrated within the meetings budgets (it will depend then on the negotiations with the meeting organizers).

Moreover, the Foundation and the group of publishers here might try to get resources for an overall “publishers fund” for such material. In such a case, the Foundation might support a part of the work necessary to look for new funding.

3.9.	Communication between publishers

An electronic forum will be created for the collective work of the publishers, with semi-automatic translation of the messages, and that will permit the sending of attached files.

In the next few months, the publishers will seek new communication tools to facilitate remote dialogue for a better working relationship.

3.10.	Distribution

There is a need for a sharing of experiences and coordination among the publishers on the subject of distribution both to the Assembly 2001 process and to the other identified target audiences. The publishers wish to point out that a significant part of the distribution process will need to be financed.

4. Calendar

The publishers propose the following model for the publication calendar of the proposals booklets during the year 2001 :

First wave (continental meetings)

February : delivery of the texts by the workshops
March : remote discussion among publishers
End of May : Publication of the booklets
End of June : circulation and discussion within the continental meetings

Second wave (world meeting)

Summer : delivery of the texts by the workshops
September : remote discussion among publishers
Beginning of November : Publication of the booklets
Beginning of December : circulation and discussion within the world assembly