CIVICUS Annual Report 2006

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international movement with members and partners in more than 100 countries worldwide. Established in 1993, CIVICUS nurtures the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened. CIVICUS seeks to amplify the voices and opinions of ordinary people. For effective and sustainable civic participation to occur, citizens must enjoy rights of free association and be able to engage all sectors of society.

Mission

CIVICUS is dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world.

Vision

CIVICUS' vision is of a worldwide community of informed, inspired, committed citizens engaged in confronting the challenges facing humanity.

Values

The Board and staff of CIVICUS believe we serve the cause of citizen participation most effectively when we live up to the demands of:

	Justice and Equity: We believe in the equality and dignity of every person. We seek to assure each is free to exercise his or her rights as a citizen as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
	Reciprocity: We will treat others and one another with the respect we desire for ourselves. Unless we all do that, civil society cannot flourish.
	Knowledge: We will base and justify our actions on the most complete and relevant information we can assemble. We commit ourselves to work with our colleagues to expand and make more accessible civil society's knowledge base.
	Transparency: We are accountable to our stakeholders and to civil society at large. We voluntarily make our work and records open to the scrutiny of those affected by our actions and to the general public. We do this in a manner consistent with proper regard for the confidentiality of private information.
	Vision: We base our view of civil society's prospects on honest assessments of current realities, but with an enduring faith in the power of citizens, civil society organisations and our allies in the public and private sectors to greatly extend civil society's reach.
	Principled Courage: We act boldly in support of civil society, especially where and when it is threatened. We do so in a manner that honours civil society's principles.