AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION:
AFIC has collaborated with the African Union Commission especially the Department of Political Affairs as well as the Department of Civil Society and Diaspora. Our collaboration has centred on promoting the advancement of the right of access to information in Africa in the context of six African Union treaties that recognize the right to information. These treaties are the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance, African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, African Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service and Administration, African Union Youth Charter and the African Charter on Statistics.
Website: www.au.int
AFRICAN UNION- EUROPEAN UNION PARTNERSHIP SINCE DECEMBER 2011:
Under the auspices of Africa-EU Partnership established under the Lisbon Declaration, both the African Union Commission and EU facilitated the establishment of a Civil Society Joint Steering Committee (SC). The principal role of SC is to ensure that the Joint Europe-Africa Strategy (JAES) remains people-centred. In this regard, AFIC and other members of SC have been involved in contributing to the development of the strategy alongside action plans and roadmaps for the Africa-EU Partnership. This has been done through AU-EU CSO Forums, Joint SC meetings as well as expert contributions on draft documents and solicitation of inputs from wider CSO communities.
With the framework of JAES, AFIC was in 2015 assigned to the CSO Steering Committee of Africa-Europe partnership on human rights and democratic governance. Through this platform, the Steering Committee has actively engaged both AU and EU on the human rights situations in both Africa and Europe. SC has organized seminars and made recommendations to AU-EU Human Rights Dialogues. To ensure the independence of civil society, both AU and EU were successfully engaged to approve ToR for the Joint Steering Committee.
Website: www.africa-eu-partnership.org/en
AFRICA COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE’S RIGHTS SINCE APRIL 2012:
In 2012, AFIC obtained Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). Using this space, AFIC submits to and engages ACHPR on the situation of RTI and FOE in Africa. Through this space, AFIC has secured recommendations to countries as well as resolutions on advancing ATI in Africa. In addition, ACHPR has from time to time appointed AFIC on expert panels and groups on different topics the Commission champions. Examples include the development of the Model Law on Access to Information for Africa, expanding Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa to strengthen ATI and development of Guidelines on Elections and ATI in Africa.
Website: www.achpr.org/
INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION EXCHANGE (IFEX) SINCE JUNE 2013:
Through IFEX membership AFIC contributes to the promotion of the right of freedom expression and access to information in Africa and around the world. AFIC has been able to collaborate with other IFEX members to bring matters to the attention of respective United Nations’ Special Mandates. Beyond networking, IFEX has also been instrumental in strengthening the institutional and technical capacity of AFIC.
Website: www.ifex.org
AFRICA FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION EXCHANGE (AFEX):
To ensure freedom of expression campaigns under IFEX reflect the African context, AFIC and other African-based IFEX members established the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX). Through this network information exchange, capacity building and research programmes have been undertaken with AFIC’s active participation and engagement.
Website: www.africafex.org
INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN AFRICA (IANRA) SINCE FEBRUARY 2013:
Africa is endowed with vast natural resources and according to Article 21 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, “all peoples shall freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources. …. In no case shall a people be deprived of it”. However, the reality is that while extraction and exploitation have been going on for decades, ordinary Africans remain poor and adversely affected by the exploitation of these natural resources.
Through IANRA, AFIC and other members of the alliance seek to promote transparency and accountability with special focus on the protection of the rights of communities affected by mining.
Website: www.ianra.org/
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY (GPSA) SINCE SEPTEMBER 2013:
The Global Partnership for Social Accountability of the World Bank (GPSA) seeks to facilitate the engagement of citizens and governments to solve identified problems. Having learnt a great deal working with African governments on citizens’ access to information, AFIC applied and was admitted as a knowledge partner of the GPSA, joining over 160 other partners at the time. Through this role, AFIC successfully advocated for the Government of Uganda to join the membership of the GPSA.
Later at the end of 2014, following an open call for proposals AFIC was granted by the GPSA to implement a four-year project to promote value for money in public contracts in Uganda’s health, education and agricultural sectors.
Website: www.thegpsa.org
OPEN CONTRACTING PARTNERSHIP (OCP) SINCE 2014:
Many partners and stakeholders in Africa and around the world know AFIC for its work on open contracting. Indeed AFIC has succeeded on a number of fronts including knowledge production on open-contracting, successful advocacy for African Governments to make open contracting commitments as well as capacity strengthening and knowledge sharing among AFIC members and partners. In all this, the Open Contracting Partnership has been AFIC’s shoulder.
Website: www.open-contracting.org/
FESMEDIA AFRICA OF THE FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG:
AFIC has collaborated with fesmedia Africa since 2011. Our main areas of collaboration have been training of government and civil society organisations on ATI, development of training tool kit as well as knowledge production.
Website: www.fesmedia-africa.org/
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ADVOCATES NETWORK (FOIANET):
Established in 2002, FOIAnet brings together over 850 civil society organisations and individuals committed to the advancement of freedom of information around the world. Its website and listserve are important tools that are being used to share vital knowledge, tools and experiences on freedom of information. Since 2015 the network has been hosted by AFIC. Prior to this FOIAnet was hosted by Freedom Info Europe
Website: www.foiadvocates.net/
AFRICAN PLATFORM ON ACCESS TO INFORMATION (APAI):
Hosted by AFIC, the African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) brings together eight leading freedom of information organisations in Africa. The original aim of APAI was to cause the adoption of a declaration that would be used to rally all stakeholders for a better policy environment for the right of access to information in Africa. Some of the other achievements of APAI Working Group include the adoption of ACHPR Resolution 222 by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights as well as the declaration of September 28th as International Day for Universal Access to Information.
Website: www.africanplatform.org/
UGANDA CONTRACTS MONITORING COALITION:
Hosted by AFIC and chaired by Pro-biodiversity Conservation, the Uganda Contracts Monitoring Coalition (UCMC) brings together 24 civil society organisations promoting monitoring of contracts in Uganda. Main thematic areas are health, education, water and environment, energy and extractives as well as works and transport sectors.