Hi folks, I thought you might be intereste in the following meeting that's being organized to discuss ways and means of moving Senegal forward. I would also like to add that I hope that Gambians are able to attend, and make positive contributions to the meeting. It is important that we help Senegal whenever we can, and in any way we can. I don't really need to say why. Have a great week, and best wishes. Katim > NEW YORK MEETING > OCTOBER 7th & 8th, 2000 > > The successful free and fair elections and the smooth transfer of political > leadership in Senegal this year sparked an intense on-line dialogue among a > group of Senegalese expatriates on how to improve their country's social and > economic conditions. Discussions focused on how to create an effective > mechanism that will coordinate direct efforts and participation of the > Senegalese Diaspora in developing their country. Innovative and exciting > ideas came out of this exchange, such as developing a citizen watchdog group > to monitor the new government's actions (SAM SA KADDU); creating a think-tank > to provide the government with advice and knowledge on political, economical, > social and cultural issues (COGIT); and the formation of several different > non-governmental (nonprofit) organizations focused on eradicating rural > poverty, ending illiteracy, as well as addressing the digital divide. The > needs identified were so great that the group agreed opportunities existed > for anyone willing to commit time and energy to work on these issues. > > The following three themes emerged from these discussions: > > 1. How to re-organize and strengthen the current Senegalese expatriate > movement. > > 2. The need to redefine the relationship between Senegalese expatriates and > their country so that actions and participation to modernize the country can > be more direct and coordinated. > > 3. How to mobilize the support of friends and partners of Senegal around > activities that can help rebuild the country, such as the creation of a > strong lobby for Senegal in the United States. > > In order to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of these issues > and create a forum for finding effective and long-term solutions, the on-line > group has decided to hold an International Meeting, called "The New York > Meeting" in which Senegalese expatriates and friends and partners of Senegal > will be invited. The purpose of this meeting is to: > > a) Allow more people to participate in the quest for achieving peace and > prosperity in Senegal, > > b) Hold workshops that will delve deeper into the issues and ideas that > emerged from the electronic forum, and > > c) Design a mutually agreed upon plan of action that will detail the next > steps on the main themes addressed above. > > The organizing committee of The New York Meeting, or CORISEN (French > acronym), has been created to organize this historical event. CORISEN is > comprised of a committed group of Senegalese men and women who have vowed to > work diligently to make this exceptional gathering a high quality and > productive experience for all. It has adopted the three main themes stated > above as its goals. CORISEN is a non-partisan effort and membership is only > open to individuals, not organizations. > > If you are interested in finding more about The New York Meeting or joining > CORISEN, > Please Call (212) 714-4971 > Send an Email to: [log in to unmask] > Visit our Web Site at: WWW.rencontredenewyork.com > > WE HOPE YOU WILL ATTEND THIS HISTORICAL EVENT! > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------