Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

New York –President Barack Obama yesterday announced a partnership among the United States government, the Swedish government, and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to foster a dynamic and sustainable civil society globally through initiatives of citizen groups, in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

AKDN is committed to global civil society development. His Highness the Aga Khan has called civil society “one of the most powerful forces in our time, one that will become an increasingly universal influence.” Nurturing a wide array of pluralistic, meritocratically-led indigenous civil society institutions is critical to improving quality of life, fostering democracy, and achieving sustainable development that reduces poverty, particularly amongst the most vulnerable communities.

Working with governments and other leading foundations, AKDN supports indigenous civil society through a bottom-up approach. The new partnership will seek to create Innovation Centers in AKDN priority regions of Central Asia and East Africa to strengthen civil society organizations for locally-driven, sustainable development. AKDN will mobilize up to $10 million over five years, matched by its partners, for establishing two of the six centers mentioned by President Obama: one in sub-Saharan Africa and one in Asia. The Network brings more than 60 years of development experience to this collaboration.

The President also announced a new, groundbreaking initiative to support and connect civil society across the globe through the launch of Regional Civil Society Innovation Centers, in partnership with the Government of Sweden and the Aga Khan Development Network. Over the next two years, up to six networked Regional Civil Society Innovation Centers will be created worldwide. These Centers will connect civil society organizations at the regional and global level to each other, new partners, and resources; encourage peer-to-peer learning; provide civil society organizations and their networks with virtual and physical platforms to access tools and technologies that will bolster their work; and amplify civil society voices around the world. Civil society organizations, academia, and technology partners will provide additional financial and in-kind resources, as well as technical expertise, to enhance the value of the Centers to civil society.