China-Africa People’s Forum passes Nairobi Declaration

People-to-people exchanges between China and Africa face great opportunities and also challenges, said Peter Nkuraiyia, the executive director of Kenya Non-Governmental Organizations Coordination Board (Board), during the closing ceremony of the China-Africa People’s forum Aug 30 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The forum, which was co-hosted by the Board and the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE), was the first non-government exchange between China and Africa ever held in Africa.

The forum passed the Nairobi Declaration, which outlines the guiding principles of non-government exchanges between China and Africa. It calls upon the governments of both China and African countries to recognize the importance of and encourage people-to-people exchanges. It also asks for support from the United Nations and international communities.

The Declaration stresses “enhancing people-to-people friendship, facilitating pragmatic cooperation and promoting world peace” as the core values of China-Africa non-governmental exchanges.

Li Jinjun, the executive vice-president of CNIE, said the forum was a milestone in the history of China-African relations, but that it also presented challenges. The NGOs that attended this forum were mainly from Anglo-African countries, and exchanges need to be expanded to include more French and Arabic speaking countries in the future, Li said.

More than 200 representatives from Chinese and African non-government organizations attended the forum. They discussed issues such as climate change and food security, NGOs’ credibility and transparency, the relationship among governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses and communities. They also explored cooperation methods to fight AIDS in China and Africa.

See full text of the Nairobi Declaration