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CIVICUS
World Assembly delegates unite towards a vision for global justice
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
March 22, 2004
Over 700 citizens
from 100 countries worldwide gathered this morning in Gaborone, Botswana
for the start of a four-day CIVICUS World Assembly conference around the
theme of 'working together for a just world'. The participants included
civil society activists, practitioners, researchers, activists, concerned
business leaders, representatives from intergovernmental organisations
and government representatives, all united by a common concern to work
concertedly for greater social, economic, political and civic justice
worldwide.
Kumi Naidoo, Secretary
General of CIVICUS, in an empassioned opening address, highlighted the
common concern of the actors in this diverse group of participants: "We
are [all] committed to the ideal that every human being on this planet
has the right and capacity to shape the form of governance institutions
that make the policies that lead to the delivery of services and the maintenance
of the rule of law which we hope will one day be based genuinely on social,
economic, political and civic justice."
"The main idea in
the overall theme for the Assembly are 'acting together' and 'justice',
" he added. " At the heart of these ideas is the valuing of human life
and working together. The gross violations of human rights that stunned
the world community on 11 September 2001 […], the tragic situation in
Iraq, and the recent Madrid bombings must force us to think about the
value we place on human life and how much that shapes what we do, how
we think and how we relate to each other at the global level. The world
is consumed by 'terror' and the so-called 'war against terrorism' which
itself has become terrifying, violence against women is on the rise, millions
of people are displaced by war, and there is the quiet violence of poverty
and starvation."
Naidoo went on to
introduced the four core conference themes: social, economic, political
and civic justice, and the four cross-cutting themes of gender equality,
HIV/AIDS, youth-empowerment, capacity-building and marginalised communities.
In the next four days, the delegates at the Assembly will be attending
a wide range of events and workshops which will focus specifically on
these themes.
CIVICUS World Assemblies
provide unique opportunities for civil society organisation and other
stakeholders from around the globe to share their experiences, consider
new strategies and consolidate existing ones in advancing greater space
for citizen participation. It is foremost a forum for dialogue and debate,
creating an opportunity for civil society organisations which normally
do not have access to certain important actors nationally, regionally
and internationally to engage in dialogue and debate about the future
of the planet generally, and the role of civil society specifically. The
Assemblies are also aimed at generating a theme which encompasses the
broad interests of civil society.
The host, CIVICUS,
is an international alliance aimed at nurturing the foundation, growth
and protection of citizen action throughout the world, especially in areas
where participatory democracy and citizen’s freedom of association are
threatened. Through its worldwide membership base, it aims to have a positive
impact on civil society organisations’ ability to engage with governments,
corporations and international institutions in order to effect broad social,
economic and political change.
For further information
on CIVICUS, see http://www.civicus.org
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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