Dear Partner
Perhaps because this past year, 2006, was the last full year of my three-year tenure as Chairperson of the CIVICUS Board of Directors, I find myself in a particularly reflective mood as I write this "final" installment for the CIVICUS Annual Report.
The year 2006 began with some trepidation because CIVICUS' role as host to the global secretariat for the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) the previous year, 2005, had seen exceptional demands being placed on many CIVICUS staff members - and especially on our Secretary General, Kumi Naidoo. As anticipated, as the campaign continued throughout 2006 however, it brought many additional challenges as well as opportunities, and culminated in huge excitement as the record-setting "Stand Up" event in September came to be.
2006 was exciting too because right when it started, CIVICUS convened a meeting of its Financial Sustainability Task Force, bringing a diverse group of experts together to take a fresh look at CIVICUS' financial model and resourcing opportunities. Even though less progress than originally anticipated was achieved towards the implementation of some of the ideas developed because of staff turnover and other changes at CIVICUS, I can say with confidence that these ideas will play a pivotal role in the continued improvement of CIVICUS as an organisation.
At the beginning of 2006, we were also aware that we were heading into the first of three CIVICUS World Assemblies to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, under a promising but untested approach to this major recurring event. Thankfully, through the hard work and dedication of all involved, the 2006 World Assembly event proved highly successful, and gave us increased confidence that the new approach will help us take the World Assembly to the next level as a key convening event for civil society globally.
Among the most notable achievements of this past year, CIVICUS worked with other international advocacy NGOs in developing a new Accountability Charter for international advocacy NGOs. Signed in Glasgow, Scotland, in June 2006, the charter outlines our common commitment to excellence, transparency and accountability, and spells out principles to be applied in strengthening our working and reporting practices. The Charter also articulates our shared commitment to applying its terms progressively to all our policies, activities and operations.
By signing on to the Charter, CIVICUS committed to ensuring that we hold ourselves to the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and also to cultivating a culture of constant improvement on these critical issues. Throughout this report, you will find details on how various aspects of the Charter are being applied in and through specific CIVICUS programmes and operational areas.
Also during 2006, CIVICUS launched its next round of strategic planning sessions, with a view towards finalising a new set of "Strategic Directions" for the next 5 years. CIVICUS also initiated elections of the new CIVICUS Board of Directors, which will take office at the 2007 CIVICUS World Assembly in Glasgow.
Given this range of "big picture" items that are currently "live," there can be no doubt that there are considerable challenges ahead. One of the main challenges CIVICUS faces perennially is the very considerable discrepancy between the huge demands on our time - and, it must be said again, particularly on Kumi's time - and our abilities to meet these demands. Increasing accountability for CIVICUS will therefore also mean taking on only those tasks and roles that CIVICUS can effectively add value to in the continuing creation of a better world.
For me, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as Chairperson of the CIVICUS Board of Directors. I will greatly miss my active engagement with this dynamic organisation and its extraordinary leadership. Please join me in extending wishes for continued success to the new CIVICUS Board. My own organisation, Gender at Work, plans to continue its active membership of CIVICUS, and to contribute to the important work of CIVICUS -- making meaningful citizen participation in public life a reality for women and men in every community around the world.
Aruna Rao
Chair of the Board of Directors of CIVICUS
2004 - 2007