This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. Now that the UN has recognized that two/thirds of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals can only be achieved at the community level, it is vital for MCLD and all Localistas to focus on the priority actions to build a strong, resilient local ecosystem for development.
To that end, MCLD and EPIC-Africa organized a discussion hosted by the Foundation for a Just Society. A group of 20 experts and leaders will came together with our panel panel — and many online — to identify actions we will each take to advance community-led development during the time of disruption global development.
Rose Maruru is the co-founder and CEO of EPIC-Africa. She is a seasoned global development expert with close to 30 years of experience.
Rose has held several management and leadership roles in various organizations
across the world. She served as the Director for Operations at Trust Africa, Senegal, a Partnership Advisor at Oxfam International, UK, a Civil Society Engagement Consultant at the African Development Bank, Côte d’Ivoire, a Bids and Proposal Manager at Population Council, USA, and a Program Manager for Save the Children/USA, working across Egypt, The Gambia, and the USA. She also served as an Advisor for the Coalition for Children’s Rights in Yemen.
Rose is a board member of the Firelight Foundation and The Accelerator Project. She is also a member of the WINGS steering committee on enabling environment and serves on the editorial board of Alliance Magazine.
Gunjan Veda is the Global Secretary and US Executive Director of the Movement for Community-led Development, a Majority World-led “network of networks” comprising 3,000 civil society organizations in 40 countries. She is a public policy and international development executive with a background in gender policy. Gunjan is passionate about elevating the voices of grassroots leaders and is currently one of the leading advocates for Community-led Development, Locally-led Development and Decolonization.
Sobel Aziz Ngom is the new CEO of Tostan, a Senegal based NGO that empowers communities to develop and achieve their vision. He is a dedicated social entrepreneur and passionate advocate for youth empowerment. He served as President of Consortium Jeunesse Senegal (CJS), an entrepreneurial alliance of youth-led organizations, Sobel spearheads innovative solutions to address key challenges in learning, work, and inclusion for Senegalese youth.
Eustochie Sezibera is the Country Director of CorpsAfrica/Rwanda, an organization whose model is centered around values that promote local ownership. Our mission is to empower young Africans to serve in rural communities, leading high-impact, locally driven development across the continent. She previously served as Country Director of FHI360. Prior to that, she led a World Bank-funded project that focused on ICT for development.