Thoughts after the second day of the CIVICUS 2011 World Assembly by Patrick Johnston

Patrick Johnston,Posted September 12th,2011

It is late Sunday afternoon and the end of the second day of the 10^th CIVICUS World Assembly, being held in Montréal. There is one more day to come. I am a bit weary and almost ‘conferenced out’ but I’ll use this post to offer some initial observations. At the end of the conference, I’ll provide another post with some concluding comments.
This is the fifth World Assembly I have attended since my first – in Manila in 1999. I’ll touch on a few differences I have noted between this and the earlier World Assemblies. In the interests of full disclosure, it should be noted that I served as Board Chair of CIVICUS from 2001 to 2004, which may colour these comments .

Brian and others, including but not limited to Miguel Darcy D’Oliveira, Bill White, Rajesh Tandon, James Joseph and Miklós Marschall, were early believers in the need for a global association that would focus on the then relatively new concept of civil society. In spite of some sceptics who thought such a venture was doomed to fail, those early adopters persevered and informal meetings that began exactly 20 years ago this fall resulted in the formal establishment of CIVICUS two years later. Those civil society pioneers may not always have agreed with the directions taken by CIVICUS in subsequent years, but they should all feel a sense of deep satisfaction. Their vision means that there exists an organization with a strong global reach that continues to shine a light on the vital role played by an engaged citizenry. They deserve our thanks.

This World Assembly saw the impressive participation of over 860 delegates from more than 135 countries. Certain sessions were livestreamed so that many more were able to participate ‘virtually’.tent.