The State of Democracy in Africa

The second edition of International IDEA’s flagship report The Global State of Democracy 2019: Addressing the Ills, Reviving the Promise, will be launched in Addis Ababa on 18 February 2020. The Global Launch took place in Brussels on 19 November 2019.

The Global State of Democracy 2019 Report provides a health check of the state of the world’s democracy, analysing trends, opportunities and challenges that are seen across various regions and within regions. The analysis is based on the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices, an index produced by International IDEA that measures democratic performance across 158 countries from 1975 to today.

The report aims to inform the global democracy debate with evidence and data and provide a nuanced analysis of how opportunities and challenges to democracy play out in different ways around the world, shaped by regional and country contexts. Beyond the diagnostic and in order to help rebalance the current democracy debate, the report also seeks to provide policy recommendations, building on the good practices and cases which have shown resilience in the face of challenges. These have been collected through International IDEA’s more than 20 years of regional and country-level technical assistance in democratic reform throughout the world.

The report mainly targets policymakers and civil society organizations working at the national, regional or international levels, either implementing, supporting or advocating for democratic reforms. The report also targets those policymakers who may not be working directly on democratic reform but are involved in reform processes more broadly, be they economic, social or digital.

The Addis Ababa launch of the GSoD 2019 Report seeks to present the key findings of the report and discuss its policy relevance with policymakers from the African bilateral donor community, the youth representatives, civil society organizations and opinion-makers, to identify common solutions.

- The State of Democracy in Africa -

 Launching of the International IDEA Global State of Democracy Report

Date: 18 February 2020

Venue: Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa

Programme

09.00 – 09.30:             Arrival and Registration of Guests

                                         Water, Coffee, Tea, and Snacks Service

09.30 – 09.40:             Welcome and Introductions

- Adebayo O. Olukoshi, Director, Africa and West Asia Programme, International IDEA, Addis Ababa

09.40 – 10.00:             Opening Statements

- Minata Cessouma Samate, Commissioner for Political Affairs, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa

- Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary General, International IDEA, Stockholm

10.00 – 10.15:             The Global State of Democracy: Findings from a Health Check

-Armend Bekaj, Senior Programme Officer, Global Programmes, International IDEA, Stockholm

10.15 – 10.30:             The State of Democracy in Africa: Regional Findings and Recommendations

- Adebayo O. Olukoshi, Director, Africa and West Asia Programme, International IDEA

10.30 – 10.40:             Formal Unfolding and Presentation of English, French and Arabic copies of the Global State of Democracy Report 2019

- Minata Cessouma Samate, Commissioner for Political Affairs, African Union Commission

- Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General, International IDEA

- Torbjörn Pettersson, Ambassador of Sweden to Ethiopia, the African Union, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa.      

10.40 – 11.00              Health Break and Group Photo

11.00 – 11.40:             Panel Discussion (I):

Theme: Democracy in Africa: Building on the Gains and Mitigating the Regressions

Moderator: 

- Michelle Ndiaye Ntab, Director, TANA Forum/IPSS, Addis Ababa

Speakers:

                                              - Khabele Matlosa, Director, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa

                                            - Chery Hendricks, Executive Director, Africa Institute of South Africa, Pretoria

                                             - Karuti Kanyinga, Director, Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi

11.40 – 12.00:             Open Discussions

12.00 – 12.40:             Panel Discussion (II)

Theme: Enhancing Women’s and Youth Participation and Representation in Democratic Politics in Africa

Moderator:

                                              - Godwin Murunga, Executive Secretary, Council for Social Science Research in Africa, Dakar

                                         Speakers:

- Salah Siddig Hammad, Ag. Head of Secretariat, African Governance Architecture, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa

                                              - Therese Azeng, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Yaounde II, Soa, Yaounde

                                              - Amal Ahmed, Legal Practitioner and Women’s Rights Activist, Addis Ababa

12.00 – 13.00:             Open Discussions

13.00 – 14.00:             Lunch Break

14.00 – 14.40:             Panel Discussion (III)

Theme: Democratic Governance, Conflict Management, and Silencing the Guns in Africa

Moderator:

- Ramtane Lamamra, AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Addis Ababa

Speakers:

-  Kassahun Berhanu Alemu, Professor, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa

-  Roba Sharamo, Director, Institute of Security Studies, Addis Ababa

- Annie Chikwhana, Professor, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg and Former Member of the Board of Advisers of International IDEA

14.40 – 15.00:             Open Discussions                               

15.00 – 15.10:             Wrap Up and Key Takeaway Messages

                                          - Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General, International IDEA

15.10 – 15.15:             Next Steps and Vote of Thanks

- Pinkie Mekgwe, Senior Regional Adviser, Africa and West Asia Programme, International IDEA, Maputo