First Regional Civil Society Networks Consultation
Representatives of Regional Civil Society Networks from West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa represented by West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), East Africa Civil Society Organizations Forum (EACSOF), and Southern African Development Community Council of NGOs (SADC-CNGOs) met from 30th of May to 1st of June, 2012 in Abuja, Nigeria, under the auspices of the Center for Citizens’ Participation on the African Union (CCP-AU), in collaboration with the Open Society Foundation. Representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) attended. The Honorable Commissioner Dr. Adrienne Diop of the Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS) in charge of Human Development and Gender gave the Key Note Address.
The main objective of the meeting was to lay the foundation for strengthening civil society collaboration and coordination at the regional and continental levels, particularly regarding civil society engagement with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and with the African Union (AU). The meeting was an opportunity to share our respective organizations’ experiences and assess civil society’s engagement strategies with Africa’s integration agenda regionally and continentally.