Heads of State Progressive Governance Summit @ Didimala
On Friday, 12 February 2010, South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of Mr Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. At the age of 91, Nelson Mandela still ignites "Madiba Magic" merely by turning up and taking a few hesitant steps as he is assisted to a fold-down chair.
In celebration of this 20th anniversary of freedom on 12 February 2010, Didimala dedicates this page to Worldwide Freedom and Peace, with pictures of that awe-inspiring day exactly 4 years ago on 12 February 2006, when Didimala experienced the true meaning of Madiba Magic.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela born 18 July 1918, served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first South-African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election.
In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela. In Zulu culture, "isibongo" is a clan name or "praise name". The term is derived from the verb "-bonga" meaning "to praise", "to thank", "to worship" or "to call by a clan name".
Madiba has received more than 250 awards over four decades, most notably the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly announced that Mandela's birthday, 18 July, is to be known as 'Mandela Day' to mark his contribution to world freedom.
The 2006 Progressive Governance Summit took place in South Africa on 11 – 12 February 2006. Didimala was selected by the Office of the State President to host this International Head of State visit and it was the first time that the Summit took place in the developing world and in Africa. The Summit was structured around three main themes:
• Political strategy - elections and new challenges from the new right and traditional left
• Development and Africa - what progressives should do following the New York Summit
• Policy Challenges of the 21st Century
The Network for Progressive Governance was set up in 1999 by a few leaders who shared a progressive vision for their countries and for the world. The primary rationale for the existence of the network, as set out in the Berlin communiqué, is to provide a platform to exchange views and learn from each other about how to tackle the challenges and opportunities emerging in the 21st century. The network provides a unique opportunity for like-minded leaders from five continents to discuss matters of common concern in an open and frank manner. They are bound together by common values, committed to solidarity and social fairness and share in the belief of the equal worth of all and in mutual responsibility. The understanding reached in the meetings assists the leaders to deal with their own challenges and enables them to intervene more effectively in multilateral fora.
Since 1999, these leaders have been meeting once a year in an informal setting to discuss matters of common interest.
Previous Summits were held in Florence, Berlin, Stockholm and London. A meeting was also hosted by President Clinton in New York during the 2000 sitting of the United Nations General Assembly. 2004 marked the first time that a Progressive Governance summit meeting moved beyond the frontier that was once the Iron Curtain.
Membership of the network is by invitation only. The membership changes from time to time as government leadership changes. Current members of the network include: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Chile, Ethiopia, Hungary, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, Portugal and Uruguay
