About Us

The decision to establish Africa Regional Mechanism for Major Groups and other Stakeholders (ARMMGoS) formerly known as Africa Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (ARCSEM) was reached by members of Major Groups and Other Stakeholders, and civil society organizations in Africa who attended the first Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-1) on 15^th June 2015 as a way of institutionalizing the engagement of Major Groups, Other Stakeholders and Civil Society Organizations in Africa in Sustainable Development Processes in the region.

An issue paper on Institutionalization of Major Groups, Civil Society and Other Stakeholders was prepared by the Interim Technical Committee in June 2015 and consulted on widely by Major Groups, Other Stakeholders, and Civil Society organizations in the region for four years.

The issue paper considered a number of best practices on institutionalization of major groups, civil society and other stakeholders at both regional and global levels, and recommended institutionalization options for consideration by the membership with the aim of defining an optimal structure and specific functions of the proposed Pan-Africa Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism to facilitate a stronger cross constituency coordination and to ensure that all African voices are equally represented. This was done while recognizing and considering the existing efforts by African civil society organizations to organize and coordinate better and to ensure that the African voices especially the marginalized and excluded are being amplified, and represented in national, regional, continental, and global platforms.

Building on the series of discussions carried out since the first Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development and in the subsequent Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development between 2015 and 2019 with: Members of Major Groups, Other Stakeholders, and Civil Society Organizations in Africa; Asia Pacific Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism; HLPF MGOS Coordination Mechanism Steering Group; National Sustainable Development Platforms; and UNECA, there is a clear convergence of views on the need for Africa Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism to focus coherently on the Post 2015 Development Framework which includes Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals and other global frameworks adopted by the United Nations, with Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, and the High Level Political Forum as the main regional and global platforms for engagement.

The Africa Regional Mechanism of the Major Groups and other Stakeholders (ARMMGOS) – formerly known as Africa Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (ARCSEM) – under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission of Africa (UNECA) was officially launched on the 24th February 2020 at the sixth session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) held under the theme “2020-2030: A Decade to Deliver a Transformed and Prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063” from the 24th – 27th February 2020 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Africa Regional Mechanism for Major Groups and other Stakeholders is a self-organized and managed mechanism that facilitates African major groups, other stakeholders, and civil society organizations’ participation in regional and global United Nations Sustainable Development processes. Through its structure ARMMGoS will reach out to civil society organizations in all 54 African countries, sub-regional and thematic networks, major groups, other stakeholder groupings, and key regional constituencies to share information with them on regional and global policy debates and processes on sustainable development, promoting civil society consultations and dialogue, supporting national and regional advocacy and facilitating the participation of a diverse range of CSOs and marginalized groups in regional and global level dialogues and processes on Sustainable Development under the United Nations.

The objectives of the Africa Regional Mechanism for Major Groups and other Stakeholdersare:

To coordinate and facilitate the coherent engagement of Major Groups, Other Stakeholders ; and Civil Society Organizations in Africa on Sustainable Development and Post 2015 Development Framework Processes at Regional and Global Level;
To coordinate and facilitate access to and exchange of information, best practices and experiences on sustainable development amongst civil society, Major Groups and Other Stakeholders in Africa;
To contribute in defining and promoting the African narrative on Sustainable Development at national, regional and global levels.
Coordinate the contribution of African civil society organizations, Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (both technical and resources) towards the implementation, follow-up and monitoring of Agenda 2030, Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and other sustainable development related processes.
To coordinate and facilitate the development of common positions, statements, and inputs on sustainable development by Major Groups, Other Stakeholders, and Civil Society Organizations in Africa;
To liaise with: United Nations; UNECA; and UN Funds, Programs and Agencies on the engagement of African Civil Society, Major Groups and Other Stakeholders in Sustainable Development Processes at Regional and Global Level;
To coordinate and convene a civil society forum as a preparatory event before each African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development;
To represent and amplify the voice of Major Groups, Other Stakeholders, and Civil Society Organizations in Africa at the HLPF, and MGOS Coordination Mechanism Steering Group;
To contribute towards transparency and accountability in the implementation of sustainable development in Africa;
To facilitate and coordinate the invitations and accreditation of Major Groups, Other Stakeholders, and Civil Society Organizations in Africa in regional United Nations meetings on Sustainable Development.