From 15 – 16 February 2016, ACCA Steering Committee (SC) Members convened in Nairobi, Kenya. This marked the first in‐person SC Meeting since the SC members were elected, and provided the Steering Committee members with the unique opportunity to collectively engage with the ACCA Coordinator.
The overarching purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues pertaining to Steering Committee and general membership governance, improve internal communication within the ACCA, elect a Chairperson within the Steering Committee, refine the ACCA Action Plan developed during the previous meeting in Addis Ababa, and plan for the 3rd ACCA General Assembly scheduled to take place in July 2016.
Ms Abiodun Baiyewu (Global Rights Nigeria) and Mr Michel Yoboue (Groupe de Recherche et de Plaidoyer sur les Industries Extractives) were elected as co‐Chairs of the SC through a unanimous decision. Under the leadership of the co‐Chairs, the SC then continued to develop an action plan for ACCA to start engaging with substantive issues around Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and access to remedy. The Action Plan was developed by laying out two different work streams, which will be presented to the ACCA general membership during the General Assembly.
Planning for the ACCA General Assembly is underway, and will most likely take place 7 – 8 July 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa. While the overarching theme for the General Assembly is ‘Community Rights’, ACCA members will be asked to vote on substantive issues that they would like to be discussed during the General Assembly. The General Assembly will dedicate one day to substantive discussions and one day to Coalition matters.
All ACCA members and external organisations interested in attending the ACCA General Assembly are encouraged to mark these dates on their calendars. All members are encouraged to start fund raising to attend the event. The ACCA secretariat will also assist as much as possible in this regard.
A more detailed article on the SC meeting and its outcomes will appear in the March 2016 edition of the ACCA newsletter.
For any further information, please contact Mr Damian Oakes at