SOROS VISIT IN GUINEE

Dakar, 3 March 2011

Statement on the visit of Mr. George Soros, Chairman and Founder of the Open Society Foundations to the Republic of Guinea

The Chair and Founder of the Open Society Foundations George Soros, and a team of experts visited Guinea from 25 to 28 February 2011 to the democratic transition underway in Guinea following the 2010 elections and a return to civilian rule.

During the visit, Mr. Soros met with President Alpha Condé to discuss the current state of the political, economic and social landscape of Guinea. Mr. Soros welcomed Guinea’s decision to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the government’s commitment to the rule of law. Mr. Soros affirmed his commitment to help mobilize technical support for the new government’s development agenda.

Mr. Soros also met with representatives of the opposition political parties and key sectors of Guinean civil society, including the media, and exchanged views on a number of issues. He emphasized the absolute need for all Guineans, in particular the opposition political parties and civil society, to play an active and meaningful role in the construction of a ‘new’ Guinea and to hold the government accountable so that the people of Guinea can derive democratic dividends.

Guinea has had a long-term engagement with the Open Society Foundations through its sub-regional Foundation, the Open Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA). OSIWA, which has geographic mandate over Guinea, will continue to play a vital role in supporting catalytic actions for developing the strong civil society that is desperately needed to meet the challenges of Guinea’s new democracy.

The focus of OSIWA in Guinea will be to support strategic efforts to develop the monitoring, research, documentation and advocacy capacities of human rights organizations as a way to reduce impunity, promote social cohesion and transitional justice mechanisms, and advocate for the establishment of credible bodies to promote transparency and accountability in the management of resources. OSIWA will also support collaborations and form strategic alliances/partnerships with other like-minded agencies so as to complement funding, technical support and links to local civil society movements.

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EMAIL: osiwa-dakar@osiwa.org  www.osi