The CIVICUS World Assembly is a forum for international civil society representatives to get together, exchange ideas, experiences and build strategies for a just world.

The overall theme for this event is 'Acting Together for a Just World' which will be explored further through the 2008 focus theme, People, Participation and Power.

The theme came out of a serious need to look at civil society's capacity to act in concert to realise the big picture and knowing there are allies in government, business, media and donor bodies who are similarly involved and from whom strength can be drawn. The main questions will be on the role of civil society; why its participation is so resisted; what civil society needs to do to overcome those challenges; what are the obstacles to civil society's participation and what is the importance. The concept of ‘governance’ is really about power and who exercises it, for what benefit and to whom. Governance denotes the practice of involving other actors in decision-making processes and it is a notion that has been around for the last decade.

CIVICUS is an international alliance established in 1993 to nurture the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened.

Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA General Secretary, will participate in the conference as a special guest contributor.