Dakar 2012
Global Greens Congress
The 3rd Global Greens Congress kicks off today in Dakar with members of the Greens group leading the way with workshops, plenaries and meetings throughout the event. It is particularly exciting that Global Greens 2012 will be held in Africa, a continent that exemplifies both the hope and the challenge of the many pressing issues facing the world. Coming just days after the Senegalese people celebrated the peaceful outcome of presidential elections, the focus of the Congress couldn't be more appropriate. With 5 main themes of Democracy, the Global Greens, the Green Economy, Biodiversity and Climate Change, Greens from every corner of the world will share their experiences and learn from each others' expertise at this, the first Congress to be held in Africa.
The Congress website can be found in English and French and has a full list of workshops and events. There will also be live webstreaming of the main meetings of the event starting on Friday, available to view at the Congress website. The European Green Party will also be bringing further details of the event through their newsletter and on their twitter and facebook pages.
Green MEPs Ska Keller and Judith Sargentini will be in Dakar for the Congress, leading workshops and lending their expertise to discussions. Catherine Greze will join other international speakers for a panel on women in politics. Jean-Paul Besset will focus on marine issues in a discussion on biodiversity and Jean Lambert will speak at a panel on reinforcing democracy.
With Senegal celebrating a successful and clear presidential election in the only country in West Africa never to have suffered a military coup, there will also be a dedicated panel to discuss controversial topics such as weak or fake democracies based on fraud moderated by Isabelle Durant.
The Greens are committed to tackling the social and ecological crises facing humanity and the planet. This Congress will focus on planning for action -- it will help shape Green politics and so world politics for the coming decades. Global Greens 2012 will be hosted by the Fédération Démocratique des Ecologistes du Sénégal (FEDES) in partnership with the African Green Federation and the Global Greens Coordination. This is the third Global Greens Congress and the first in Africa. The first Congress was in Canberra, Australia, in 2001 and the second in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 2008.
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