The CIVICUS World Assembly (WA) has proved itself to be a primary event for civil society to share ideas and experiences on strengthening citizen participation. The central goal of the annual CIVICUS World Assembly is to convene a diversity of voices from civil society and civil society stakeholders such as government, business, donors and media players from different regions across the globe, exchanging experiences, challenges, successes and dreams and, most importantly, concrete ideas for a more equitable and just world.
The CIVICUS World Assembly, the oldest CIVICUS programme, was previously held in two year intervals. The first one was held in 1995 in Mexico City, Mexico. 1997 saw it hosted in Budapest, Hungary, attracting more than 500 people from 76 countries and 6 continents. The third World Assembly, hosted in Manila in the Philippines in 1999 under the theme: "Towards a New Civil Society: The Changing Roles of Civil Society Organisations, Business and Government" saw the introduction of youth participation and the learning exchange component which is now typical of every World Assembly. The fourth World Assembly was then held in Vancouver in 2001, following the "anti-globalisation" protests that had been staged by civil society in Seattle, Genoa and Quebec City. Over 730 people attended from 87 countries, with young people playing a prominent role through the Youth Engagement Project. Then in 2004, the Assembly moved to Gaborone, Botswana. The main theme settled upon for this assembly was: "Acting Together for a Just World", and it remained the overarching theme in 2006 when the World Assembly moved to Glasgow, Scotland. At both the Gaborone and Glasgow Assemblies, the main theme was explored through four justice sub-themes: economic, political, social and civic justice. Other cross-cutting themes, such as gender equality, youth empowerment, HIV/AIDS and capacity building were also discussed within the broader justice framework.
In 2004, the CIVICUS Board made a decision to hold the World Assembly annually, beginning in 2006, with a three-year cycle in one venue. In addition to reducing the logistical burden of organising this major international event, annualising the event allows CIVICUS to focus more intensively on programme content, promotions and ensuring widespread participation. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) successfully bid to host the CIVICUS World Assembly in Scotland for 2006-2008.
The 2006 CIVICUS World Assembly brought together over 900 delegates from 116 countries across the globe. There was an almost even gender balance with forty-five percent of the participants being female. The highest representation of delegates came from Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. The majority of delegates were representatives of civil society organisations from developing countries. Over 90 workshops were hosted by over 100 organisations, with at least 200 workshop presenters participating in the programme. Four plenary sessions and eight mini-plenaries were held which explored the justice sub-themes and other cross-cutting issues such as gender and development finance, non-violent strategy, the decent work, decent life agenda of the trade union movement and the politics of the new information society. CIVICUS also piloted the Intelligent Funding Track, the first of CIVICUS' multi-annual tracks, which was covered through a main plenary session and various workshops run by different organisations including DfID, Carnegie Trust UK, Charities Aid Foundation, Council on Foundations, Charity Bank Limited and many others.
A funders' dinner was hosted by the Big Lottery Fund UK, and there were side meetings for funders and civil society organisations and individuals to network and discuss key challenges. The issue that resonated most among present delegates was that of accountability. The discussions showed that there is a distinct set of technical issues around proving civil society’s accountability, that there are opportunities and dangers of self-regulation, but also that civil society’s accountability has a major impact on its work. Associated with this are key points around developing clear terminology, particularly in the global context. Actions included establishing empirical evidence for accountability mechanisms, more work to review the IANGO charter, developing a framework to evaluate the real value of partnerships, sharing in successful adaptations of initiatives which had made a mark elsewhere, development of clear and agreed definitions of civil society terms and changing the 'frames' within which people think through civil society issues. It was also clear that there is a gap for all stakeholders between principles or standards and the implementation of those standards. This is a gap that it was felt CIVICUS could assist in bridging, particularly by bringing key stakeholders together where they interface and encouraging better engagement across sectors to achieve accountability.
Based on the outcomes of these discussions, and given priorities expressed by many of CIVICUS' members and partners globally, the CIVICUS Board and World Assembly Programme Committee took a decision that the 2007 World Assembly will focus on the theme: "Accountability: Delivering Results". This new focus theme for the World Assembly promises a more streamlined programme with fewer workshops – some of which will be 5 hour training sessions, and Learning Exchanges that tie in with the programme topics. Planning for the 2007 programme has also included putting in place a strategic bursary process that would help to identify 'new faces' and key stakeholder representatives to attend the World Assembly, such as local and national government representatives, business and media practitioners, which will further enrich the discussions at the World Assembly.
Various co-located events were held by CIVICUS and its members and partners, including the annual AGNA meeting of members followed by a dinner. The Civil Society Index held an international conference of its partners to discuss the Index and its impact. The Hauser Centre hosted a Legitimacy & Transparency conference immediately following the Assembly. The 2007 World Assembly will see the launch of the Civil Society Index Volume 1, another AGNA annual meeting, a Participatory Governance pre-event and a GCAP Accountability pre-event seminar. For the first time, CIVICUS will introduce film screenings as an alternative tool for disseminating and sharing information.
2007 will see the CIVICUS World Assembly continuing to grow in terms of impact and reach.
Roseline Zigomo
World Assembly Manager 2005 - 2006