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The vital role of young people in governance processes

The Citizens Summit in Defense of Democracy and Freedom in Lusaka, Zambia, shed light on a crucial message: the active involvement of young people in governance processes is imperative for Africa's success and prosperity. As echoed by summit participants, including political leaders, civil society representatives, and young activists, the strongest and most consistent takeaway from the event was the recognition that the youth hold the key to Africa's future. Written by Kibo Ngowi   “Young people continue to demand a seat at the table when it comes to discussions on democracy and the future of the continent. It is not [...]

2023-04-30T06:06:11+00:0030th April 2023|

Recognizing online GBV as a real and present threat for women

Written by Sheena Adams Gender-based violence online has reached crisis proportions and more sustained work is needed to hold technology companies accountable for their role in technology-assisted GBV. This was one of the key takeouts yesterday from a Summit for Democracy Day Zero side event hosted by the US Department of State. Panelists included Sandra Pepera, Director of Gender, Women and Democracy at the National Democratic Institute; Phumzile van Damme, former MP in South Africa; Kristina Wilfore, Co-Founder of #ShePersisted; and Desiree Cormier Smith, US Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice. Speakers agreed that solutions demanded an intersectional approach, [...]

2023-03-29T01:38:56+00:0029th March 2023|

Day 2: The Citizens’ Summit in Defense of Democracy & Freedom in Zambia

Written by Kibo Ngowi "We demand that all governments that have put in place restrictive CSO laws roll them back immediately as there is no place in democratic societies for laws that undermine fundamental freedoms." The Citizens' Summit for Democracy & Freedom took place this week in Lusaka, Zambia. One of the outcomes of this summit is a communiqué containing essential resolutions on youth engagement in democratic processes and spaces, media freedom and free expression, civic and democratic space, as well as elections and electoral practice. Read it here. The summit provided a platform for African civil society actors to [...]

2023-04-06T10:44:20+00:0028th March 2023|

In Defense of Democracy and Freedom – Zambia’s pre-S4D Citizens’ Summit

Written by Kibo Ngowi   The Citizens' Summit in Defense of Democracy and Freedom has officially begun! Civil society, international organizations, academic institutions, think tanks, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector converged in the Zambian capital of Lusaka to make their voices heard in the Summit discussions and in the global democracy debate.   “This initiative and engagements such as this one, which bring together various actors involved in a functioning democracy, are extremely important to upholding the democratic ideals that we all share and aspire to attain,” Zambia’s Minister of Justice, Mulambo Haimbe, said during his opening remarks. “We often [...]

2023-03-28T10:08:30+00:0027th March 2023|

Ways to commit to democracy in Nepal

Nepal needs an essential internal effort to drive reforms that are well overdue. Narayan Adhikari and Blair Glencorse take a closer look Last month, the Nepal government released its written commitments as part of the United States government-led Summit for Democracy—an effort to bolster and renew democratic action globally during a period of significant challenges for democracies around the world. While American influence in Nepal is certainly not uncontroversial—as we have seen with the renewed protests related to the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement recently—in a broader sense the S4D, as it is known, and the “Year of Action” it has now precipitated are an extraordinary opportunity [...]

2022-08-26T12:11:13+00:0026th August 2022|
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