Partnership around NEPAD

 Multilateral Organizations

The civil society

The promoters of NEPAD are conscious that the success in the implementation of the NEPAD agenda will largely depend on the participation of all stakeholders at all levels including the civil society groups. In this regard, a NEPAD Gender and Civil Society Organizations Unit has been established at the Secretariat of NEPAD. And since that, NEPAD's interaction with the Civil Society Organization (CSOs) has been stepped up. At sectoral level, all programmes are being implemented in consultation with relevant civil society groups. The unit is mobilizing CSOs by thematic and group interest to participate in NEPAD programmes. Among other things, it seeks to ensure that all NEPAD priority programmes are designed and implemented in a manner that integrates gender considerations and gender perspectives in conceptualization of new initiatives to address existing gender imbalances and close existing gender gaps. The NEPAD CSO Think Tank was launched in December 2005 to constitute a platform which would provide a one-stop focal point for CSOs at the NEPAD Secretariat and also serve as an intellectual bridge between CSOs, RECs and ECOSSOC on the one side and the wider African CSOs on the other side.

The participation of civil society on the NEPAD Agenda is presently effective. For instance, CSOs have already become an integral part of the in-country APRM Assessment in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process. Hence the need to build their capacity on the overall NEPAD Agenda remains a priority.