Washington, D.C.-Last month, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights -- along with our partners Amnesty International USA, Freedom House, Front Line Defenders, and Open Society Foundations -- organized the U.S.-Africa Civil Society Forum. We collectively convened leading human rights defenders from across Africa with the purpose of advocating for the inclusion of civil society voices at the August 4-6 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, and to formulate a Plan of Action (attached below) to both highlight key concerns that should be integrated into the Summit and offer policy recommendations that recognize the inherent links between respect for human rights and broader development goals. 

"The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit offers an unprecedented opportunity for the United States to ensure that our policies match our belief that everyone deserves justice and freedom," said Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center. "The recommendations in this Plan of Action would significantly strengthen basic human rights protections and the rule of law across the African continent. I urge the Obama administration to take these recommendations seriously and to treat African civil society as an equal partner in shaping the future of U.S.-Africa relations by allowing them to officially participate in the Summit."

The Plan of Action focuses on three broad themes - rule of law, transparency and accountability, and discrimination against marginalized groups - and consists of policy recommendations to the United States Government, African heads of state, and civil society.

"Across Africa, the space for civil society to operate freely is dramatically shrinking" said Santiago A. Canton, Executive Director of Partners for Human Rights at the Robert F. Kennedy Center. "The U.S. government should use the upcoming Leaders Summit to send a clear message that sustainable development in Africa can only be achieved with the full participation of civil society and respect for democracy and human rights."

For additional information on the Plan of Action and the recently concluded U.S.-Africa Civil Society Forum, please visit our #WeAreAfrica website and sign our petition, which advocates for official civil society participation at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.