Forum of Federations


The Forum of Federations is an international organization based in Ottawa, Canada. The Forum and its partners comprise a global network on federalism. It brings together elected officials, civil servants and experts in federalism from about 20 countries to learn from each other. The Forum's learning and technical assistance programs have covered the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Switzerland, Tunisia and Yemen.

Organization

The Forum of Federations is an international network of federal countries, elected officials, civil servants and scholars. The Forum was established by the Government of Canada in 1999 and currently has nine other partner governments: Australia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and Switzerland. Forum's headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada, and it has field offices in Kathmandu, Nepal; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Yangon, Myanmar.
The Forum runs training and knowledge-sharing programs to address governance challenges in existing and emerging federations, as well as in devolved and decentralized countries. The Forum is concerned with the contribution that multi-level government can make to democracy building and democratic consolidation.
• The Forum assists in democracy promotion in fragile states or regions in post-conflict situation.
• It provides innovative solutions to challenges posed by multi-level governance in federal, devolved, and decentralized countries.
• It focuses on the key issues of local empowerment and federal structures.
• It provides expertise that bridges the worlds of academic research and real-world practice.
The Forum runs learning events on federalism, gives technical advice on democratic governance and produces publications for academics and practitioners of federalism. Its activities involve working with government officials as well as academic experts, young professionals, journalists and other civil society organizations.
The Forum works globally – in the Americas, in Europe, in Africa and in Asia-Pacific.

Activities

The Forum was established as an ongoing organization in 2000, following the September 1999 First International Conference on Federalism in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. The event drew then world leaders such as U.S. President Bill Clinton, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. Four consecutive International Conferences were organized in Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Ethiopia. Over the years, the Forum has expanded the focus of its work to include not only established federal countries but also countries in post-conflict situations adopting federal forms of governance and those involved in processes of devolution and decentralization.

Officials