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AGOA: The NGO Perspective on Implementation, Progress and Future Objectives

January 13-15, 2003 Port Louis, Mauritius

Presented in Cooperative with: The African Union

Convened by: The Foundation for Democracy in Africa

In Partnership with:The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa Bread for the World The Constituency for Africa

Day 1

Opening Speeches:            African Union

                                    Mauritius Government

                                    Foundation for Democracy in Africa

Briefing on AGOA: Foundation for Democracy in Africa/U.S. Government

This panel would outline what AGOA is supposed to achieve, how it can be assessed and provide a report card on AGOA’s performance over the past two years.

Briefing on AGOA-Related AU Policy and CSSDCA Programmatic Commitments

The AU, which is engaged in programs such as the Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa, will discuss efforts to promote the role of African civil society in trade.

Roundtable on AGOA

Civil Society and business will discuss what AGOA is today and what it could become.

African nations face many challenges to progress in health, education, governance, conflict, debt and other areas in which civil society has a prime role in monitoring conditions and providing effective recommendations for corrective action.

This panel will examine civil society’s watchdog role on government and business.

Day 2

Africans have been involved in international trade for more than a millennium, and this panel will examine how civil society can help Africa enhance its ability to compete in the 21^st century, especially labor rights and training of workers.

Workshop on Creating Linkages between AGOA and Efforts to Reduce Rural Hunger and Poverty in Africa

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have a long history of assisting African farmers to increase agricultural production.  They also lobby governments to remove trade barriers and make agricultural trade fair.  This panel will explore opportunities for linking AGOA with the NGO movement to cut hunger and poverty in Africa, as well as discussing opportunities for smallholder farming in African export agriculture.

Women all to often play a major role in African societies, and this panel will examine how the status of women can be enhanced for the benefit of African societies.

Workshop on the Crucial Role of Youth in Benefiting African Society

Youth are he basis for any society’s future, and this panel will discuss how youth can play a greater role in advancing societies in Africa. 

Day 3

Opening Statement: African Union

Workshop on Assessing the Impact of Trade on Human Development in Africa

The success of AGOA or other trade initiatives currently is judged solely on their economic impact, but this panel will begin the process of devising a measurement tool that will look at how trade impacts a society’s development in a broader sense.

 Closing Session:  Forum Report and AGOA Plan of Action for African Civil Society.

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