Europe & the Africa Charter
On 6th and 7th November 2024, we ran a workshop in Brussels, convened jointly by the University of Bristol and the Coimbra Group Global Partnerships Working Group, with the support of the University of Bergen, to present and discuss the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations.
You can get a flavour of the event and its outcomes below, and we hope have the full write-up available soon.
Looking ahead
The two-day event generated a great deal of interesting discussion, from which some key points and ways forward can be synthesized. The below are just some initial reflections, and potential next steps for this important work.
- A clear and shared sense that the deeper transformation that the Africa Charter calls for is relevant and we need to take it further and take its principles seriously.
- A decision to reflect critically on our existing collaborative practice, identifying promising approaches and models – but also challenges and gaps. There is an appetite for pursuing such reflective processes and our small group discussions showed the promise of such an approach: engendering deeper awareness of the various layers of power imbalances in collaborations, and yielding rich ideas on positive approaches to overcome layers of power imbalance.
- The critical importance of policy and funding architectures in shaping what collaborations (can) unfold, and the need to review them critically against the Africa Charter, but doing so with care; again identifying promising approaches as well as gaps where adjustments are needed
- The need for continued critical intellectual engagement with all that underpins the Africa Charter – it is a living document
Moving towards action
We agreed we need a mosaic of action in different spaces, reflection, review of policy and stimulation of further debate. We need to form bonds and foster exchange and joint learning. The aim is to move from being a community of interest to a community of action.
Plans
During 2025 we will launch a dedicated web portal for the Africa Charter. We will provide roadmaps and tools/resources for action, designed for signatories and other interested parties. We will also create a platform for exchange, debate and joint learning.
What people said about the Africa Charter
Our gallery from the day
Did you miss the event?
Catch up by watching the recordings of each day here.