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++++TCSF English Newsletter Extra++++ May 27, 2008

Viva! Africa: People's Network across Continents
Published by TICAD Civil Society Forum (TCSF)
http://ticad-csf.net/eng/

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Following is a press release of TNnet on TICAD IV.
* TICAD Civil Society Forum acts as a secretariat of TNnet.

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TICAD IV: Development by Exclusion?
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27 May 2008, Yokohama, Japan: A group of 55 African, Japanese and
international civil society organisations today expressed disappointment
at the process which led to the exclusion of significant voices of civil
society from the main TICAD IV dialogue spaces. This goes against the
stated spirit of TICAD to build ownership of African people and their
organisations in the process of shaping the future of their development.

"The exclusion of large segments of African and Japanese civil society
casts huge doubts on the legitimacy and accountability of this 'People's'
conference. We demand that civil society participation be an integral
part of the entire TICAD process, and that all outcome documents
explicitly mention this" noted Gustave Assah of Civic Commission for
Africa, on behalf of the NGOs who are gathered at Yokohama this week.

The group also expressed concerns about the potential outcomes of the
current agenda. There is a need to go beyond seeking technical solutions
to the political challenges of development. Also, the focus on economic
growth without a proportionate investment in social development and
redistribution is not sufficient to tackle the poverty in Africa. This
undermines the little progress made so far, and says very little for
millions of African women and girls trapped in its vicious grip.

The NGOs pointed to the looming food catastrophe facing the continent in
the face of poverty, HIV/AIDS, the lack of education, and growing energy
costs. There are already signs that the high food prices could push
Africa back into conflicts and political instability, unless urgent and
sustainable solutions are implemented to tackle the core symptoms of the
failing economic model for the poor.

The group also called on African governments to act urgently with one
voice through the African Union to assert their right to development for
their people, taking the lead on policy choices. Pursuing narrow
interests in a spaghetti bowl of bilateral processes could accelerate
the systematic expropriation of African people's resources.

ENDS

Please contact the following people for more details:
TICAD IV NGO Network Takumo Yamada +81 (0)80-3155-7017
Minori Tanimura +81 (0)90-6537-8098

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*This newsletter was edited by the TCSF network working group
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TICAD Civil Society Forum (TCSF)
http://ticad-csf.net/eng/
news@ticad-csf.net
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