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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241031
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241102
DTSTAMP:20241125T214218Z
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SUMMARY:SSRC Sponsored Panel at the Amplifying African Voices for Strategic Action (AFSA) Conference\, 31st October – Ist November 2024
DESCRIPTION:Location: Strathmore University\, Kenya\nThe SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation for Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) sponsored a panel made up of members of the Peace and Development Researchers Association (PADRA) of Kenya\, on ”Global Powers\, Regional Organizations and Peace\, Security and Development in the Horn of Africa\, at the Amplifying African Voices for Stretegic Action (AFSA) conference\, Nairobi. Four papers were presented in this panel. Dr Kizito Sabala from the University of Nairobi spoke on The Notion of African Solutions to African Problems and External Interests: Exploring the Missing Link in Africas Peace and Security Agenda in the Horn.  His presentation made a case for the African Union (AU) to take on its rightful role in peace and security as mandated by its founding documents. The paper further evaluated the role of external players in influencing the outcomes of conflict resolution and political settlements and identified funding as a major challenge facing peacebuilding efforts. Based on the case of the Horn\, the presenter captured the implications of the AU’s failure to implement the notion of ’African Solutions to African Problems’ such as the inability to limit the influence of external actors on Africa’s peace and security agenda in a significant way and ii) leverage the agency of  African regional organizations in promoting peace and  security. \nDr Marion Ouma\, a Research Associate at the University of South Africa spoke on:  Social Policy in Africa: Examining the Pathway to Peace and Social Cohesion. Her paper explored the interrelatedness between the causes and drivers of conflict such as poverty\, scarcity and the erosion of social wellbeing and cohesiveness.  Her argument in the paper was that social policy is one laudable intervention that can increase societal cohesion in contexts where poverty and vulnerability subsist. The paper noted that transformative social policy could contribute to enhancing and sustaining peace and development at multiple scales.  She also remarked that most of the continent‘s international organizations often take lead in shaping and framing social policy frameworks thereby usurping Africa’s agency. The paper appraised the African Union Social Policy Framework (AU-SPF) and related frameworks such as Agenda 2063\, the African Union Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security\, and their potential for creating a transformative social policy relevant to peace and security on the continent. The paper concluded that the implementation of the AU-SPF and related policy frameworks while adopting   an African agency perspective would improve the social contract and ultimately lead to the promotion of nation building and social cohesion. \nIn his paper on; The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) intervention in eastern DRC: actors and implications for regional integration and stability\, Dr Nicodemus Minde\, from the Institute for Security Studies\, Nairobi\, relied on the Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT) in assessing the impacts of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF)\, and its short-lived intervention in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.  The paper discussed the evolution of processes that led to EACRF deployment and its related mandate of addressing increased violence by armed groups in the eastern DRC. The paper assessed the actors in the peace process and evaluated the EACRF performance amid the complexities of actors’ interests in the eastern DRC region.  The paper assessed that while the EACRF has made strides in stabilizing certain areas and facilitating non-violent transfers of territory\, its effectiveness had been constrained by ambiguous mandates\, coordination challenges\, and competing national interests. The paper concluded that regional integration and addressing the root causes of conflict through inclusive governance and economic development would be crucial for achieving lasting stability in eastern DRC even as EACRF was replaced by the The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC). \nDr John Mwangi from the Mashariki Research and Policy Centre\, Kenya spoke on: Building Peace in South Sudan: An Assessment of the IGAD’S Contributions and Challenges. This paper acknowledged the role of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in various phases of the peacebuilding process in South Sudan. The paper appraised IGAD’S contributions and challenges that the sub-regional body continued to face in on-going peace processes\, particularly in South Sudan. It in a diagnosis of the state of the play in South Sudan by highlighting statebuilding challenges including poor governance and elites’ power contestation. Additionally\, the paper offered a series of suggestions on how to overcome the current peace impasse with lessons for IGAD and the country. \nThe presentations were followed by robust discussions\, questions and interactions between the paper presenters and participants\, around issues linked to African agency in relation to conflict prevention\, peacebuilding\, and development. There was also a lot of interest in the degree of agency of Africa institutions as the main drivers (as opposed to international actors) in driving policies linked to peace\, security and development in the Horn of Africa/East Africa. The conference also provided an excellent space to network with potentials for research and policy work collaboration. \nBy John Mwangi
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/report-of-the-ssrc-sponsored-panel-at-the-amplifying-african-voices-for-strategic-action-afsa-conference-held-on-31st-october-i-st-november-2024-at-strathmore-university-kenya-organized/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241113T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241113T170000
DTSTAMP:20241209T192138Z
CREATED:20241209T155433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241209T192138Z
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SUMMARY:Trendlines and Transformations in African Democratic Governance: Lessons for 21st-Century US-Africa Relations
DESCRIPTION:November 13\, 2024 | Washington DC \nOn November 13\, 2024\, the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen)\, in partnership with the Wilson Center’s Africa Program\, hosted a policy dialogue at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC. This inaugural session of the “Trendlines and Transformations in African Democratic Governance: Lessons for 21st-Century US-Africa Relations” series brought together African and US scholars and experts to discuss political developments across Africa\, exploring strategies for strengthening democracy in the region.   \nRobert Litwak\, Senior Vice President and Director of International Studies of the Woodrow Wilson Center\, opened the session by emphasizing the shared missions of the APN and Next Gen Program and the Wilson Center’s Africa Program in fostering African expertise in US-Africa policy discussions through research and dialogue. He also framed the conversation as one that focuses on how governance trends across Africa intersect with major political events and daily civic engagements.   \nOpening remarks were given by Dafna Hochman Rand\, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy\, Human Rights\, and Labor\, US Department of State. She stressed the importance of rethinking the US’s approach—its ‘toolkit’—to democracy promotion strategies to address new challenges and empower local actors on the continent. She posed three critical questions to the panel: 1) How can we consider the impact of growing geopolitical competition on democracy promotion in Africa? 2) How can the US and other actors better support successful democracies in Africa? 3) How can the US modernize its tools for promoting governance?   \nCyril Obi\, Program Director of the APN and Next Gen Program\, followed with the program’s objective to produce high-quality research on conflict-affected countries and connect them to policy discussions and conversations. He highlighted democracy’s resilience on the continent despite the present challenges and introduced the concept of democratic dividends. An overarching question was posed: how can African people and regional bodies effectively engage in democracy promotion\, and what role should the international community play in supporting this?   \nDirector of the Wilson Center’s Africa Program\, Oge Onubogu\, invited the panel to comment on the disconnect between citizen values and aspirations for democracy and the practice of democracy on the continent.   \nRawia Tawfik\, a former APN fellow\, and Visiting Associate Professor\, Council on African Studies\, MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University\, emphasized that the wave of democratic protests in Africa often drew connections between securing fundamental freedoms through democratic governance and the management of the continent’s economies. She highlighted the difficulty of building a lasting democracy without a robust institutional framework.   \nCharles Ukeje\, a former APN fellow\, and Professor of International Relations at Obafemi Awolowo University\, Ile-Ife\, Nigeria\, spoke of the material base required for popular support for democracy\, as well as the erosion of this material base\, which has reduced the capacity of social actors at the forefront of change: the African middle class. This erosion\, he asserted\, is contributing to the shrinking of civic spaces across the continent.   \nLatifah Kasozi Namutebi\, a Wilson Center’s Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP) Scholar and Strategic Partnership and Advocacy Officer at the Women’s International Peace Centre\, Uganda\, drew on the 2021 General Ugandan Election\, where digital spaces were used to engage with political actors in real-time to shed light on the pivotal role technology has played in creating spaces amidst shrinking civil spaces. She emphasized the importance of not focusing solely on the rising threat of disinformation and misinformation\, asserting that we can continue countering them through community efforts and fact-checking.   \nPeter Lewis\, Warren Weinstein Chair of African Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies\, and former Wilson Center Africa Program fellow\, highlighted Africans’ commitment to democracy\, which still surpasses percentages in Asia\, Latin America\, and the Middle East.    \nOge Onubogu\, Director of Wilson Center’s Africa program introduced a new line of questioning centered on new actors that are reshaping the geopolitical and strategic competition involving established and emerging international actors on the continent. Specifically posing a question to Professor Tawfik\, she inquired about how the strengthening of democratic governance can be considered on the continent\, given these actors’ influences.   \nProfessor Tawfik used Sudan and the Horn of Africa as case studies\, explaining that the incursion of international and regional actors has contributed to 1) support of dictatorial regimes and 2) support of one side over another in conflicts. Professor Tawfik suggested that different countries understand these actors’ interests and exert sufficient pressure to influence their course of action. She also urged the AU to be more consistent regarding actions taken against violators of unconstitutional changes in government.    \nThe Director of the Wilson Center’s Africa Program then posed a question on how the toolkit for engaging the continent can be updated to represent the interests of citizens\, given the fading legitimacy of RECs\, to Charles Ukeje.      \nProfessor Ukeje described the disconnect between the commitments made by the AU and other RECs to uphold the principles of democracy over the last decade and their implementation. He highlighted West African citizens’ disconnect from ECOWAS\, an institution that has become more of a club of governing elites. He suggested that ECOWAS and other RECs carry out institutional reforms\, especially considering the cross-border challenges facing Africa\, including banditry\, violent extremism\, and climate change.     \nDuring the Q&A session\, panelists emphasized shifting US support for democracy in Africa from propping up governments to empowering citizens and civil society. They highlighted the need to address systemic challenges\, like election manipulation through the judiciary\, and stressed the importance of involving African youth in strengthening governance. The crucial role the African private sector can play in the political space—particularly through strategic coalitions with government and business interests to foster growth\, improve infrastructure\, secure property rights\, and align institutions to attract local and foreign businesses—was also underscored.      \nA recording of the panel discussion can be found here.    \n 
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/trendlines-and-transformations-in-african-democratic-governance-lessons-for-21st-century-us-africa-relations/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241120T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241120T113000
DTSTAMP:20241112T150212Z
CREATED:20241024T155735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241112T150212Z
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SUMMARY:Reforming Tech and Democracy Programs for the Global Majority
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Launch Event of the Study Custom Built / Feito Sob Medida \nHow can tech and democracy programs better serve the needs and challenges of Global Majority countries? What are divergence points between Global North and Global Majority tech justice advocacies? How are so-called “whole-of-society” tech and democracy coalitions guilty of knowledge and data extractivism?   \nThis event launches an important new study entitled Custom Built / Feito Sob Medida: Reforming Tech and Democracy Programs for the Global Majority. Retelling both frustrations and creative aspirations of over 100 frontliners of election integrity and media freedom initiatives from Brazil to India to Kenya to the Philippines\, the study discusses the “illusion of inclusion” in the tech and democracy space. Overdetermined by Global North funding priorities and governments’ securitization agenda\, tech and democracy projects are often experienced in the Global Majority as top-down and tools- and tech-first rather than community-driven\, healing-oriented\, and custom built\, or in Portuguese\, feito sob medida. \nIn this webinar\, we will be joined by Marcelo Alves (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro)\, Jonathan Corpus Ong (UMass Amherst)\, and Raquel Recuero (Federal University of Pelotas)\, who will discuss their vision for a more globally minded and community-driven tech justice agenda that centers Global Majority creative capacities and distinct challenges of institutional capture and fractured civil society.  \nThis discussion will be moderated by GloTech’s Ethan Zuckerman (UMass Amherst). \nThis study is out and available for download at www.glotechlab.net. \nExpert Discussants:\nProf Herman Wasserman (Stellenbosch University\, South Africa)\nDr Nina Santos (Desinformante\, Brazil)\nPaco Camacho (The Asia Foundation\, Philippines)\nSabhanaz Rashid Diya (Tech Global Institute)\nDinita Putri (Luminate Group)
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/reforming-tech-and-democracy-programs-for-the-global-majority/
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