MK Gandhi said, There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not
for man's greed. If 2010 could speak, it would say, too true.

As the world recovers painfully and fitfully from a near collapse prompted by
the unbridled greed of those in our smalling world who, ironically, have the
most materially, I am more thankful than ever for CIVICUS and the millions of
civil society organisations in every corner of the world that celebrate and
channel civic energy for the common good.

I am thankful because it is civil society that allows me and every other person
to express and amplify our most basic desire to belong and to contribute to the
common good. It is civil society organisations that best express the values of
democratic inclusion, mutual respect and tolerance. It is the civil society
imperative to champion the underdog in the venues of power.

We at CIVICUS don't always get it right; far from it. But our sterling staff
members are out there day in and day out working to move beyond noble inten-
tions to make a real difference at the frontlines of justice struggles. One of the
great pleasures of being a member of CIVICUS is to be able to note what our
staff members are too modest (and often too busy) to say: they elevate us all
through their daily diligence.

They really do. As a board member, I get a glimpse from time to time behind the scenes of the project
activities and accomplishments chronicled in this annual report. And what I see there inspires me.
The thousands of queries addressed, threats to civil society rights countered, resources catalogued and
published, relationships forged among citizen groups across the world, power holders informed
(and sometimes transformed) and analyses shared. The list is endless.

As the world becomes more of an open system, the importance of civil society - the ultimate broad tent -
increases. CIVICUS staff help us to make sense of a complex, fast-changing world. CIVICUS helps us to
harness our power to tackle and solve our most important problems, like climate justice, ending poverty and
protecting human rights for all.

I commend the CIVICUS 2010 annual report to you.

Even more, I invite you to take advantage of our resources at www.civicus.org.

Most of all, I extend a fervent invitation to join us at the CIVICUS World Assembly in Montreal from 10 - 12
September 2011.

Regards,

David Bonbright