We, 200 representatives of non-government organizations from China and 19 African countries, gathered in Nairobi between 29th and 30th of August 2011 for the First China-Africa People’s Forum.

Concerned about the severe drought and famine situation in the Horn of Africa region, we call upon governments and NGOs around the world, and the international community to render more support to people of the region in their disaster relief efforts to avert further suffering and loss of lives.

We express appreciation to both the governments of China and Kenya for their support, to China NGO Network for International Exchanges and the Kenyan NGO Coordination Board for their efforts and excellent job, and further extend congratulations on the success of this Forum.

The Forum has been held at an important time, when China-Africa relations are entering a new stage.

Recognizing the various development challenges in China and in Africa, the Forum under the theme of “Partnership and Friendship”, focused on the UN MDGs and in particular Goal No. 8 of Global Partnership for Development. We held serious discussions and exchanged views in 7 areas: people’s dialogue and cooperation; climate change and food security; credibility and transparency of NGOs; NGOs’ relationships with government; corporate and community; preserving cultural tradition and facilitating education development; the role of women and youth in development, and sharing experience in fighting HIV/AIDS. The discussions have achieved positive results.

Recognizing that China is the largest developing country in the world and Africa has the largest number of developing countries, and that China and Africa are closely linked by similar destiny as a result of similar historical encounters, common mission for development and pursuit of interests, we therefore, resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder to face challenges en route to development.

We believe, in the new era, the traditional friendship between China and Africa has reached a new level. A fresh and necessary part of our cooperation is the relationship between our peoples, and such engagement has served to strengthen our friendship. Each participating organization takes the pledge and responsibility to cherish and further cultivate such a friendship.

We believe that NGOs, as an indispensable force in the world today, have joined the government in providing public services, in community development and harmonizing social relations by providing varieties of volunteer jobs. The role of NGOs is unique in international affairs as they make their voices heard on different international platforms. We realize that meaningful development can only be achieved through meaningful partnership between NGOs and their respective governments, and by various NGOs around the world.

We call upon the Government of China and Governments of African nations to see the importance of people-to-people exchanges between the two sides and support such interactions, facilitate cooperation in varied areas, recognize and encourage NGOs who are committed to China-Africa friendship, and provide necessary advice for them. We call upon the United Nations to continue to support and help NGOs in taking part in a wider scope of international affairs and in playing a bigger role.

We call upon the international community to encourage and support the the people of Africa in seeking peace and development, relevant international organizations to offer more resources and technological assistance so that African countries are better poised for poverty and disaster reduction and can attain the UN MDGs sooner.

We propose that Chinese and African NGOs should exchange and cooperate with one another according to the principle of “enhancing people-to-people friendship, facilitating pragmatic cooperation and promoting world peace”. We shall make concrete efforts to ensure that our people become “all-weather” friends, sincere partners and true brothers.

We now declare that the partnership between Chinese and African NGOs has been formally established. The partnership shall be built on mutual respect, mutual learning, equal dialogue and experience-sharing among all partners, and that we should further strengthen coordination and cooperation in the international arena for NGOs to protect the common interests of both China and Africa. We should intensify practical collaboration in agriculture, health, environment, education, culture, entrepreneurship, women, and youth empowerment so as to drive social progress as well as economic growth.

As the initiators of the Forum, we hold that with joint efforts, this Peoples’ Forum has provided an important platform for multi-lateral engagements between NGOs from both sides and has established tangible cooperation.

We hereby agree to the institutionalization of the China-Africa People’s Forum. Towards that end, we agree that the Second Forum be held in Beijing in 2012. China and African nations shall take turns to host forthcoming Fora in support of the Ministerial Meetings of FOCAC. This Forum shall be coordinated by China NGO Network for International Exchanges on behalf of China while African partners shall establish fora in their respective countries. Each of these fora shall select a liaison organization. That membership to the Forum and participation in dialogue shall be voluntary and shall be guided by agreements signed by individual partners. According to requirements of both sides and upcoming changes in the situation, the institution of the Forum will be improved, the content enriched and the role fully realized as a guide for friendly relations between the Chinese and the African people. The Forum will be built into an effective and constant venue for non-governmental relations between China and Africa and will inject new dynamism into the friendly cooperation between China and Africa.

We hereby affirm our motto as ‘Solidarity is Power’.