The second East African Civil Society workshop was convened by AMREF in collaboration with the Commission for Africa and the British High Commission in Kenya at AMREF headquarter, on June 6-7, 2005. About sixty to seventy participants from diverse backgrounds and representing eight countries from the East and Horn of Africa attended the two-day conference. The conference was commenced by key-note addresses by Commissioner William Kalema and Prof. Anyang N’yongo. The conference’s primary objectives were to discuss the Commission for Africa report’s conclusions and recommendation and the challenges facing Africa and to enable various people to critically discuss future options for regional and personal engagement.

Civil society representatives concluded the conference with a declaration to African governments and the G8. They called on African governments to show their "clear and unambiguous support" for the recommendations contained in the CFA's report and urged them to commit themselves to introduce measures to improve governance and promote democracy, accountability and transparency.

The meeting also urged governments in the world's developed nations to endorse and implement the recommendations of the CFA's report - asking specifically for debt cancellation, the removal of agricultural subsidies, greater control of the arms trade and the elimination of trade barriers. A call was also made for donor nations to fulfil immediately their promise to commit 0.7% of GDP towards overseas development assistance.

Representatives reiterated their interest in and commitment to upholding this regional forum and sensitising their fellow citizens to the report’s conclusions and the potential role and responsibility of Africans.

AMREF is in the process of compiling a detailed account of the proceedings of the workshop including working group discussions and official speeches.

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