Dear Mr. President,
We believe that the US-Africa Leaders Summit, which
will take place in Washington, DC from August 4–6, is an unprecedented
opportunity to fulfill your administration’s commitment to the promotion
of good governance and the respect for human rights. We understand that
priority at the summit will be given to strengthening trade and
investment, as well as to efforts to increase security and combat
extremism. Just as important, the summit offers the chance for you to
stand with those individuals who advance the cause of human rights
across Africa, often at great personal sacrifice.
Many African and international organizations have
expressed concern that the summit will neglect the foundational issues
of governance and human rights that prevent ordinary Africans from
living with dignity. Ignoring these issues often leads to the
proliferation of extremist groups, social instability, corruption, and
systemic underdevelopment. A crucial component to combating these
ongoing concerns and to achieving broad-based human development is to
ensure the meaningful participation and involvement of all stakeholders,
including government and civil society.
For leaders of the United States and Africa to
sustain and expand inclusive development as well as promote peace and
security, civil society must play a meaningful role. We respectfully
call on you to ensure that African civil society is afforded the
opportunity to officially participate in the summit proceedings and
use this opportunity to highlight the important contributions civil
society is making in Africa. In doing so, you will send a strong and
unequivocal message to the world that the United States considers these
independent voices to be a vital partner for development. We firmly
believe that civil society actors and human rights defenders are equal
stakeholders in shaping Africa’s future, and thus, should be treated as
such at the summit.
We thank you very much for your thoughtful
consideration of our concerns and our request for official civil society
participation in the US-Africa Leaders Summit. We wish you the best of
luck for what we hope is the first of many more productive gatherings
between the U.S. and African heads of state.
Sincerely,
http://www.change.org/petitions/president-barack-obama-we-respectfully-call-on-the-united-states-government-to-ensure-that-african-civil-society-is-afforded-the-opportunity-to-officially-participate-in-the-u-s-africa-leaders-summit