Joint African Development Bank And Civil Society Organisation Communique

We, representatives of selected African Civil Society Organisations met on Monday, 1st March 2010 together with Senior Managers and staff of the African Development Bank, at the Sheraton Hotel in Tunis as part of efforts to define a structured process of engagement between the two parties. The meeting was under the chairmanship of Dr Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank Group and under the patronage of eminent members of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CODA).

We welcome the instrumental role played by the African Development Bank in promoting economic development and poverty reduction in Africa. We particularly laud the role played by the African Development Bank during the global food, fuel and financial crises and we recognize the need for additional resources especially through the General Capital Increase (GCI) and ADF-12 Process. It is evident that an increase in the resources of the African Development Bank is imperative not only to avoid reversal of economic growth that is experienced by the continent but also to increase such growth, through public and private sector development to help attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).We encourage the African Development Bank to continue to use its resources to reduce inequality between the rich and poor in African Countries.

We commend the African Development Bank for its work on environmental and social safeguards as well as its policy on civil society and urge the Bank to maintain its communications with civil society particularly with regards to its policies, procedures, mechanisms and the project cycle and building capacity of Civil Society in that regard. We also welcome the African Development Bank's recognition of the contribution of Civil Society to poverty reduction in Africa.

We welcome the African Development Bank/Civil Society Committee as a useful mechanism for dialogue between the two parties. We endorse the revised Terms of Reference of the committee for further consultations and agree to have an ad hoc committee in place to guide the process within the next two months.

We wish to congratulate the African Development Bank for creating this important platform for dialogue with Civil Society and for hosting us in Tunis. The African Development Bank also appreciates the constructive dialogue with the civil society.

Joint African Development Bank And Civil Society Organisation Communique

Notices and Announcements

African Development Bank (AfDB)