CSOs have strongly expressed their willingness to become actively involved in the Action Plan implementation. An Interim Steering Group for the Joint Africa-EU Strategy has been established that brings together members from a broad array of nonstate sectors and networks. They have identified one contact person per partnership and submitted a detailed proposal on both a methodology for the mapping of existing CSO networks in Europe and Africa, and on their participation in the EU Implementation Teams and the future Joint Experts Groups. The issue of funding their active participation has also been raised and should be addressed. Meetings between Steering Group and the Africa Working Group are foreseen for the near future, as well as with the AU CSO Steering Committee, to discuss how CSOs can best contribute to the implementation and the monitoring of the Action Plan. Major European and African research institutes and think-tanks also created a Europe-Africa Policy Research Network (EARN), with the aim, inter alia, to strengthen cooperation and to provide independent policy analysis and advice on issues relevant to the Joint Strategy and Action Plan.
The CSO Steering Group is keen to work with the African CSO Group on the JAES implementation and monitoring. A CSO Forum is planned for October 2009 to consolidate their partnership.
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