The African Social Forum held in Addis Ababa earlier this month protested Nepad’s adoption as the economic policy of the African Union and its inclusion in the agreements reached by governments at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Forum, which included representation from nearly 50 countries, debated the approach to the African Union. All the participants agreed on the need for African unity, but concern was expressed that the AU was being used as a vehicle for neoliberalism in the form of Nepad. There was agreement to strengthen the African Social Forum, with particular emphasis given to ensuring that it is built from the bottom up.