Africa Japan Forum (AJF) functions as a bridge between civil societies in African and Japan, works to promote understanding and cooperation with Africa, advocate on policies and issues related to Africa, and establish networks and works together with people from Africa living in Japan. All activities of Project RING is carried out from the AJF office.

INDEX

:

» INDEX

PREFACE

: Civil Society and the G8 Process: Why We Advocate

» See the PREFACE Page

PART I

: Global Health Outcomes from the Toya-ko Summit

PART II

: G8 Pledges for Global Health

PART III

: HIV/AIDS and Global Health - G8 Guidebook

EPILOGUE

: Civil Society and the G8 Process: Creation of an Insitutuional Memory

» See the EPILOGUE Page

REF.

:

» See the REFERENCE Page

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PART III: HIV/AIDS and Global Health - G8 Guidebook

3.Creation of Civil Society Networks in Host G8 Country for the G8 Process

Overview
Experience from the 2008 G8 Process
Evaluation

1Overview

Carrying out effective advocacy and mass mobilization campaigns for the G8 process requires civil society to embody a common framework and create a well-coordinated coalition. Furthermore, the coalition must suit the history, culture and have an understanding of the conditions of the host county's civil society, and have enough flexibility to adjust to changes.

Traditionally, within a country, there are civil society networks on the basis of common issue (environment, MDGs, national issues), region (proximity to capital, region), type (advocacy, project), policies, ideologies etc. It is desirable when several of these networks come together and create a framework that will allow them to work as one. If it is difficult for the networks to come together to form one common framework, it is desirable for the different networks to create a mechanism for coordination.

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2Experience from the 2008 G8 Process

a) On the Making of the 2008 G8 Summit NGO Forum

Towards the end of 2006, under the call of JANIC (Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation), a Japanese networking NGO working on development and international cooperation, several preparatory meetings were held to create the foundations for this forum. On January 2007, the 2008 G8 Summit NGO Forum was officially launched with the involvement of many NGOs. From the early stages, the Forum had a framework that not only included NGOs involved in development and poverty in developing countries, but those involved in climate change and other environmental issues and peace and human rights.
・ The primary task of the Forum was to produce policy recommendations, irrelevant of if one is for or against the existence of the G8.
The Forum produced a 2008 G8 Summit NGO Forum Prospects
（See: http://www.g8ngoforum.org/forum/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/ngo_forum_prospectus.pdf )
and Rules of Operation
（See: http://www.g8ngoforum.org/forum/uploads/ngo-forum-rules-of-operation.pdf),
and NGOs in agreement with these two documents became part of the Forum. The Prospects emphasized adherence to the law and the Rules of Operation clearly stated the Forum's rejection to any activities that will be violent or unlawful. This ensured that the activities of the organizations within the Forum will abide to the law and will not use violent and unlawful tactics.

b) On Cooperation and coordination with other networks

Besides the Forum, the G8 Action Network was set up, consisting of NGOs or social movement organizations that questioned the existence of the G8 and/or opposed the G8. Although the Forum did not have any official relations with this network, on activities such as the peace walk that took place before the G8 Summit, they coordinated with each other and concieved a joint civil society statement in the case of a clamp down from security and police forces.
In Hokkaido, which was the venue of the 2008 G8 Summit, the G8 Summit Hokkaido Civil Society Forum was launched. The 2008 G8 Summit NGO Forum worked in cooperation with the Hokkaido Forum, and co-hosted the People's Summit 2008 in Hokkaido during the G8 Summit.

c) On the organizational structure of the Forum

The Forum was divided into three issue-based units ("Environment", "Poverty and Development" and "Peace and Human Rights") that worked together while simultaneously working on advocacy and the release of statements within each unit. Furthermore, decisions on issues that encompassed all units were led by the Board of Trustees which consisited of the leader and sub-leader of each unit, the chair, the vice chairs and the campaign leader.
The Poverty and Development Unit consisted of five issue-based working groups and a unit policy team called the Poverty and Development Policy Committee. The working groups that dealt with global health issues was called the Global Health Committee.

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3Evaluation

The Forum, which was conceived well over half a year before the 2008 G8 Summit hosted in Japan, has created the foundations for civil society engagement in the shaping of policies, and the smooth succession into advocacy that followed, left a positive impact of civil society.
Furthermore, we should take into account that NGOs working in poverty and development issues and NGOs working on environmental issues worked under a common framework of the 2008 G8 Summit Forum. Together, they created a structure in which they could hold both formal and non-formal discussions. NGOs working in poverty and development have taken part in building the foundations, and on an equivalent base, coordinated in the summit processes. Such examples incudes the Civil G8 Dialogues, a process which was originally led by NGOs working on environmental issues.

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