Over 90 civic leaders gathered in an unprecedented forum in recent times, from 3 to 4 April, 2009; to share insights related to the issues affecting Civil Society in Liberia, the governance of the sector as well as Civil Society relationships with the National Government. The forum was supported by Humanity United and TrustAfrica through the Liberia Civil Society Initiative which aim is to strengthen the capacity of leading Liberian groups and also help in enhancing the professionalism and quality of the private media sector. Panel discussions and group activities were the main features of the forum that also served as an opportunity to disseminate the Defending Civil Society principles as they result from a report recently published by the World Movement for Democracy. Former Civic Leaders who now serve in various capacities in the Government contributed to the Panel discussions and provided insights from their experience in Government. A set of recommendations which came out of the group activities and the two day- exchanges, were reflected in a final resolution.

WE, the representatives of various Liberian civil society groups participating in the first Civil Society Forum sponsored by TrustAfrica and Humanity United, under the theme: “Strengthening NGOs Through Strategic Collaboration, Coordinated Policy Advocacy and Constructive Engagement with the National Government” convened at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex on the 3rd and 4th of April A.D 2009;

An important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa is to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of African leaders regarding HIV/AIDS. Gaining clarity on these issues can help create  opportunities for learning and exchange across Sub‐Saharan Africa. The need to step up this identification process emerged as one of the main conclusions at the 15th International Conference on AIDS  and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), held in Dakar, Senegal—a conference partly financed by TrustAfrica.

An important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa is to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of African leaders regarding HIV/AIDS. Gaining clarity on these issues can help create opportunities for learning and exchange across Sub‐Saharan Africa. The need to step up this identification process emerged as one of the main conclusions at the 15th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), held in Dakar, Senegal—a conference partly financed by TrustAfrica.

TrustAfrica commissioned this research through the Technical Support Facility for West and Central Africa as part of an initiative to increase the frequency and quality of African engagement with international institutions, initiatives, and funders that shape global responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. This study seeks to document gaps in Africa’s response to HIV/AIDS and identify specific strategies to fill them.

TrustAfrica commissioned this research through the Technical Support Facility for West and Central Africa as part of an initiative to increase the frequency and quality of African engagement with international institutions, initiatives, and funders that shape global responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. This study seeks to document gaps in Africa’s engagement of the Global HIV/AIDS establishment in responding to the pandemic, and to identify specific strategies to fill them.

ISTR’s 8th International Conference was unique as the Society joined with the EMES European Research Network to hold the 2nd European Conference at the same time. For the second time after the first joint European conference in Paris in 2005, a partnership was created to allow special emphasis on European debates and contributions related to social enterprises and the Third Sector while placing them in a worldwide context.

A starting point for the Global Fund for Community Foundation's recent philanthropy convening in Africa was the drawing of a distinction between African philanthropy as philanthropy of Africa, and as philanthropy for Africa. In the same way, an array of researchers and practitioners has argued that there is a critical distinction, particularly in Africa, between 'philanthropy of community' and 'philanthropy for community'.

A starting point for the Global Fund for Community Foundation’s recent philanthropy convening in Africa was thedrawing of a distinction between African philanthropy as philanthropy of Africa, and as philanthropy for Africa. In the same way, an array of researchers and practitioners has argued that there is a critical distinction, particularly in Africa, between ‘philanthropy of community’ and ‘philanthropy for community’.1 Characteristics of the former are seen to include variations on self-help or mutual aid mechanisms, where notions of reciprocity or even obligation arising out of belonging are far more deeply rooted than representing merely survival or coping strategies in times of hardship. Studies of philanthropy in East, Southern and North Africa2 highlight a wide range of social institutions and associations including home town associations, burial societies, savings clubs, tribal networks and so on all of which place ‘giving’ or ‘helping’ at the heart of their operations. Philanthropy for community might include not only the external charity organizations, but also family, corporate and personal foundations now expanding rapidly in Africa. A more contested example of philanthropy ‘for’ community is the community foundation.

The institutional landscape in Africa has evolved significantly over the past four decades. The founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1965 gave rise to the subsequent establishment of several other treaty-based inter-governmental organizations (TBOs/IGOs), notably the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) working at the sub-regional level. Initially the emphasis was on cooperation between states, and institutional mechanisms in place were overwhelmingly intergovernmental. Nevertheless, this state-led project recognized the need for African countries to overcome the constraints of their individual sizes and relative resource endowments, to aggregate their strengths and capacities, and to forge pan-African solidarity as a common strategy for development.

In May 2008, TrustAfrica and the Global Fund for Community Foundations convened a meeting in Naivasha, Kenya, on how philanthropy can become a more effective instrument for development. The gathering drew 20 grantmakers from across the continent—including Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Together they sought to develop a programmatic framework and philosophy for supporting the development of community foundations and local philanthropic infrastructure in Africa.

In April 2008, TrustAfrica organized a conference in Dakar, Senegal, on “Strengthening the Effectiveness and Sustainability of African Regional Organizations.” The idea was to bring together a small group of representatives from various African intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, and other concerned parties to discuss the findings of TrustAfrica’s recently completed Survey of African Regional Organizations (AROs).

In May 2008, TrustAfrica and the Global Fund for Community Foundations convened a meeting in Naivasha, Kenya, on how philanthropy can become a more effective instrument for development. The gathering drew 20 grantmakers from across the continent—including Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Together they sought to develop a programmatic framework and philosophy for supporting the development of community foundations and local philanthropic infrastructure in Africa. The meeting was also designed to advance debate about the nature of African philanthropy, to identify emerging trends in different regions, and to clarify some of the key issues that need to be addressed with regard to linking traditional forms giving with “new” forms of organized philanthropy.

The overall objective of this workshop is to support African countries in the formulation of their national migration policies and in particular to integrate migration into their national development strategies.

Du 10 au 12 juillet 2007, TrustAfrica a organisé son troisième atelier à Dakar sur le thème « Faire Face au Défi de la Religion et du Pluralisme en Afrique ». Ayant réuni 26 personnes parmi lesquelles des chefs religieux, des chercheurs et autres experts en provenance de 12 pays africains et de la diaspora, l’atelier s’est fixé pour objectif d’étudier le rôle de la religion en Afrique, par rapport au pluralisme et à la tolérance. Les participants étaient issus des communautés religieuses chrétienne, musulmane, Baha’i, hindouiste et africaine.

This study was jointly commissioned by the Southern Africa Trust and an advisory group of organisations that include TrustAfrica, ActionAid, Oxfam GB, Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN), the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA), the African Monitor and the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development(AFRODAD)

Moins de deux semaines avant le soi-disant « Grand Débat » (le Sommet des Chefs d’Etat et de Gouvernement de l’Union Africaine (UA) tenu à Accra, Ghana), TrustAfrica a tenu ses propres assises à Marrakech, au Maroc, en présence de diverses organisations et personnalités, parmi lesquelles des intellectuels de premier plan, des chefs de file de la société civile, et des acteurs du développement. Etant donné la multiplicité des autres urgences régionales, l’atelier a donné lieu à de vives discussions sur la pertinence ou non, de discuter du coût de la non-intégration de l’Afrique.

Less than two weeks before the so-called Grand Debate—the Accra Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Ghana—TrustAfrica organized a historic gathering of its own in Marrakech, Morocco, bringing together a diverse set of organizations and individuals, including scholars, civil society leaders, and development practitioners. The workshop sparked a lively debate over whether it was appropriate, in the face of many other pressing regional issues, to be discussing the cost of non-integration in Africa. In line with other recent meetings organized by civil society organizations (CSOs) across the continent2, the TrustAfrica workshop concluded that continental processes intended to achieve regional integration and Union Government should be consultative and people-driven; and that free movement and African citizenship are essential in attaining a united Africa.

African integration has mainly been pursued under the political banner of Pan-Africanism, the root of African unity. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) Charter, the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), and the proposed Union Government define integration as one element in African unity. Thus, the political dimension has always taken priority over other aspects of integration at the continental level. However, the small size of most African countries and their economies demands economic collaboration in order to enable African nations to contend with larger economies in the global arena.

Le premier atelier de TrustAfrica s’est tenu à Dakar du 7 au 10 Novembre 2006, sur le thème « Consolidation de la paix en Afrique ». Un forum électronique, dont Pambazuka News a été le modérateur, a été a été organisé en amont de cet atelier, donnant lieu à des discussions et des échanges très approfondies entre les participants, parmi lesquels d’ardents défenseurs de la paix, des universitaires, des décideurs politiques, des experts en communication originaires de 23 pays d’Afrique et de la diaspora.