Africa – Canada Forum

 The Africa-Canada Forum (ACF) is a Working Group of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation.

It brings together NGOs, churches, unions, and solidarity groups from across Canada that have a specific interest in development cooperation and social justice in sub-Saharan Africa.

Its purpose is threefold:

• to improve the quality and impact of the work of participating groups through reflection and analysis of current programming relationships in Africa;

• to improve the coordination of policy development and strategies for joint action and advocacy;

• to engage in dialogue with African counterparts and colleagues.

Mandate

• Develop collaborative strategies for policy development, dialogue, and advocacy with the Canadian government and multilateral institutions.
• Enhance the capacity of members to undertake policy work concerning sub-Saharan Africa.
• Facilitate the sharing of lessons on programming issues to improve the quality and impact of members’ work, sharing the experiences of participating groups and their African partners.
• Participate collectively in relevant national and international bodies.
• Provide advice to the CCIC Policy Team and Board of Directors on Africa-related policy issues and actions.
• Monitor and share information and produce analysis on development and human rights issues in Africa, in dialogue with African counterparts and colleagues.
• Provide venues for joint reflection, debate, and for the building of common platforms.

Governance

A Coordinating Committee, elected once a year, is responsible for the implementation of the ACF mandate. The Coordinating Committee meets every eight weeks or as needed. Staff from the ACF and CCIC Policy Team are ex-officio members of the Coordinating Committee. The ACF meets as a whole two times a year.

Methodology of Work

Thematic task-groups of the ACF are formed on an ad hoc basis. The ACF will promote the fruitful participation of African colleagues.

Membership

Membership in the ACF is open to all CCIC members. Organisations that are not CCIC members and would like to join have to demonstrate the following characteristics:

A commitment to working for long-term development and social justice in Africa (as distinct from an exclusive focus on humanitarian assistance and emergency relief); An active presence in Africa, working with African civil society organizations, or more indirectly, through international networks and consortia who, in turn, work with African civil society organizations; An involvement in public education and awareness-raising activities in Canada; and An interest in policy formation and advocacy with the Canadian government. A member group that is not a CCIC member needs to reaffirm its wish to belong to the ACF on an annual basis.