The need for the establishment of Hungarian Africa Platform Association can be supported by several professional reasons: the number of organizations - which have been involved in development and/or humanitarian aid activities in Africa-, has increased significantly in Hungary. Hungarian based organizations are now actively working in Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, and during their activities, huge amount of knowledge and professional experience have been gathered.

Parallel to the growth in the number of organizations, the political judgment of development has changed as well. At an early stage, the main source of helping developing countries were individuals’ donations, nowadays, as an EU member state, Hungary is obliged to take part in the development of these countries on a governmental level. The International Development and Cooperation Department has been established within Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also a platform of development NGOs, HAND Association has been founded on civil initiation. The development of the African continent plays a significant role in the EU politics, and therefore, it is important to Hungary as well.

Foundation for Africa, Hello Africa Association and Taita Foundation for the African Children have been cooperating closely together in the last couple of years: they have organized joint presentations, African experience sharing events and reports, participated together in aid related programs, cultural festivals (Africa Village at Sziget Festival, Valley of Arts, Transit Solidarity Festival).

They also participated in several international forums: Sound of Africa conference in Vienna in June 2006, International Development days in Brussels in November 2006. The members of these three organizations have realized the importance of institutional cooperation, based on their continuous joint efforts in work and the EU examples they have seen at the aforementioned conferences.

As a first step, they mapped the activity of Hungarian NGOs dealing with Africa, contacted the active organizations with whom an informal cooperation had already worked before. The Association started its work officially with its court registration in 2007. In 2009, seven new organizations have joined the ten founder members and currently two organizations are considered for membership.

Primarily, the Platform was established to participate in forming and implementing an Africa-strategy in the frame of national politics. HAP would also like to form a consolidated African Development and Aid Program based on the member organizations’ knowledge and experience on its own organizational level. Besides, the Association is a strong umbrella organization, a professional network, in which the cooperating organizations have been active in the field of diplomacy, fair trade, humanitarian aid, research, nature conservation and human rights for a long time.

The Platform’s aim is therefore to gather Hungarian organizations that are operating in Africa or dealing with African people, and to coordinate their efforts both in Hungary and Africa, and furthermore, to represent their interests on international and national levels as well. The Association ensures effective communication and experience sharing for its member organizations, and represents its organizations at international and national forums, and - whenever it is needed - applies for Hungarian and international resources as an alliance.

The Association coordinates and organizes the members to achieve its objectives, and - if requested - actively participates in EU or national governmental decision preparation acting for its members’ interests. The Platform is in communication with governmental and other state decision-making institutions, national and international professional and partner organizations. It regularly informs members on its activities and assists professional experience sharing between them, organizes professional forums, events and trainings.