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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|

Lessons Learned During the S4D’s First Year of Action

By Kibo Ngowi Supporting accountable institutions in all the places we work across the globe is a central aspect of Accountability Lab’s mission. It’s work that has become more critical as democracy and human rights continue to come under threat in multiple regions. For a translocal network like the Lab, this is ultimately a question of sustainability, so we are doing all we can to understand how to proactively manage responses to these challenges. At the ecosystem level, this often means collectively organizing to shift political narratives, and increasing the space to push for more fair, equal and accountable societies. [...]

2023-02-17T08:19:52+00:0014th February 2023|

Fact Sheet: Summit for Democracy: Progress in the Year of Action

During the “Year of Action” following the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021, the United States and over 100 partner governments around the world have taken meaningful steps to build more resilient democracies, combat corruption, and defend human rights. Summit participants have undertaken important pro-democracy reforms at home, contributed to impactful multilateral initiatives, and worked together to resist authoritarian aggression, including Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. President Biden is pleased to announce that on March 29-30, 2023, he will co-host the second Summit for Democracy with the leaders of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the [...]

2022-12-14T09:47:38+00:0029th November 2022|

Lack of inclusive governance fuelling insecurity – NGO’s allege

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have claimed that the lack of inclusion and collective governance mechanisms which have caused grievances among Nigerians for years led to the state of insecurity in the country. The NGOs made this known on Saturday in Abuja at the Summit for Democracy Roundtable organised by Save the Children International (SCI) in partnership with Accountability Lab. Speaking at the event, the Strategic Communications Manager for Accountability Lab Nigerian Office, Mr. Suleiman Murkthar said now more than ever, young children and youths should take a stand in matters that concern national interest and how they shape the nation. He [...]

2022-10-27T09:17:56+00:0023rd October 2022|

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|

5 things we learned about engaging young activists in Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Ukraine & Morocco

Written by Alawi Masud and Cheri-Leigh Erasmus Accountability Lab and the IRI Generation Democracy Program recently hosted a panel of 4 young change-makers to discuss youth leadership in times of democratic crises (watch the stream on Voice of America here). Mantate Queeneth Mlotshwa, Kateryna Dvornichenko, Khadija Amahal, and Lourdes Maria Argueta Vides discussed the current state of youth and civic space, the barriers that young people face, how to get youth involved, and the power of intergenerational collaboration. The young leaders shared extensively about their lived experiences pushing for positive change in their countries. Here are 5 lessons we learned [...]

2022-05-09T19:07:23+00:009th May 2022|

Ways to commit to democracy

By Blair Glencorse & Narayan Adhikari  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 to galvanise attention and mobilise international action to support democratic norms. Sadly, the Nepal government [...]

2022-04-03T13:41:45+00:0017th March 2022|
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