COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on the difficulty faced by democracies around the world to deliver and meet the needs of large segments of their population – to protect their health, their livelihood, and their fundamental rights through an effective, balanced and fair response to the pandemic. This can have a destabilizing impact, particularly in countries that have a young population, whose prospects for present and future well-being are severely affected by interrupted access to education, training, and employment.
Club de Madrid, with the financial support from Fundación ACS, and the valuable contribution of Oxfam, Edelman and International IDEA as knowledge partners, is convening a Global Commission on Democracy and Emergencies to identify good practices for strengthening democratic governance in situations of emergency and in the subsequent recovery process. The Global Commission is hosting a series of regional consultations to hear about the challenges of COVID-19 for democracy in Asia & the Pacific, Africa & the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe. This Live Session will analyse COVID-19’s impact on young population in Africa and the Middle East.
Largely excluded from official decision-making structures –the global average age of parliamentarians is 53 and the average age of African political leaders is 65- young people may lose faith in democracy if they do not reap the democratic dividend in the forthcoming period of post-COVID recovery. To move forward with a system that truly reflects the values and aspirations of all, youth involvement, leadership and action needs to be present.
Together with experts from Africa & the Middle East, Club de Madrid will discuss the important role of young people as innovators and community leaders during COVID-19, the mechanisms and reforms needed to empower them, and the importance of their participation in democratic societies.
Join our efforts to identify fit-for-purpose democratic practices in Africa and the Middle East
24 August at 12:00 CEST
- –Aminata Touré, Member of Club de Madrid, Prime Minister of Senegal (2013-2014) and Vice-Chair of the Global Commission
- -Mehdi Jomaa, Member of Club de Madrid, Prime Minister of Tunisia (2014)
- –Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
- –Nanjira Sambuli, Fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- –Zinab Zidan, Interpreter at UNHCR and Facilitator in the Young Mediterranean Voices (YMV) program
- –Nyasha Simbanagevi, Regional Programme Manager for Southern Africa, Commonwealth Local Government Forum
- -Facilitator: Sean Cleary, Advisor of Club de Madrid, Executive Vice-Chair of the FutureWorld Foundation
