Whether a sign of a healthy democratic experience or that of a deep and generalized discontent, in recent years, the world has witnessed a multitude of protest movements. From the “Occupy” movement, the "Indignados", the social riots in some Latin American countries, the so-called “Arab Spring”, to the more recent “Gilets Jaunes” or “Antivax”, the world registered a clear increase in dissents since the financial crisis (2007-08). These social movements have clearly demonstrated the growing frustration from socioeconomic policies. They have also pointed at some dysfunctions in democracies in terms of good governance, political representation, and economic justice. Hence, with street power seemingly coming back at the center of world geopolitics, governments are increasingly brought back to the fundamentals of the balance between power and people. Governments are challenged by mass protests, social media polemics and even boycott campaigns that can sometimes lead to damaging instability.
- How can we preserve values of democracy in today’s mutating world?
- What’s at stake in today’s world governance?
- In an era of proven instances of manipulation and interference in news and social media, how can governments ensure freedom of expression while addressing these challenges?
In July 2017, the OCP Policy Center published a collective work entitled Social Cohesion, Institutions and Public Policies directed by Professor Abdallah Saaf, Senior Fellow at OCP Policy Center. This publication is the result of reflections and discussions exchanged during a conference organized on Thursday, October 27, 2016, and which subsequently were transposed into written contributions. On this occasion, the authors set out to shed light on the concept of "social cohesion" by examining its history, implications as well as its implementation in various chapters. As Morocco grows economically, social demands are also rising, thus requiring social cohesion, as a guarantor of social peace. This Policy Brief aims to revisit the concept of social cohesion, its origin in sociology, to briefly present the societal evolution of Morocco and finally, to highlight the key ideas developed in the book.
Scholars of social movements and global protest have long neglected social movements in Africa, ostensibly because African societies are too rural, too tradition- or ethnicity-bound, or lacking advanced class formations. Those who have broached the topic tend to focus on South Africa’s labor movement and anti-apartheid struggle. Even less addressed is how social movements in various parts of the continent have affected each other. A continent-wide approach however shows that protests in sub-Saharan Africa preceded the North African uprisings, by almost a decade. These protests had similar objectives and faced comparable obstacles, yet much of the scholarship on the “Arab Spring” has ignored the sub-Saharan connections and precedents. How did these movements build on earlier waves of political agitation? How do these “protest coalitions” combine political and economic motivations?
Africa is acutely affected by the ongoing global democratic recession. In 2020, a military coup took place in Mali. In 2021, four African countries – Chad, Mali, Guinea, and Sudan - experienced military takeovers. Thus far, in 2022, two coups have occurred in Burkina Faso and an attempted one in Guinea Bissau. Yet polling data and activism on the ground shows African youth believe in and are prepared to fight for democracy.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed flaws in healthcare systems around the world. Despite the inequalities between the different countries in the strength of these systems and the social safety nets, the common observation is that we must rethink social contracts and the relationship between states and their citizens. This renewal of this relationship is based mainly on the quality of services provided by the State and the reform of health systems so that it can withstand future shocks. Nonetheless, we should also take a look on the nature of interactions between citizens and decision-makers. Globally, populations have opposed the coercive methods used by states to impose confinements and mandatory vaccinations, in this context, the issue of trust between states and citizens is at the heart of the overhaul of Post Covid Social Contracts. How can we build an inclusive social contract after what the pandemic has revealed the flaws inside our systems? How does international cooperation impact the national debates on social contracts? Do states have to create global surveillance systems in order to ensure citizen’s well-being? Moderator: James Mcgann, Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program Speakers: - Tosin Duratoye, Principal, Conselia Advisory Practice (ADEL) - Bushra Ebadi, Network Coordinator, Data-driven Surveillance Technologies & Migration Amnesty International (ADEL) - Serigne Gueye Diop, Minister Advisor to the President ; Mayor of Sandiara, Senegal - Ignacio Walker, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chile
As Asia rises, the world liberal order is slowly cracking. Democracy – a universal goal for humankind – has also been failing in delivering better welfare to the populations. Western values have influenced the world for the last three hundred years. However, steadily, the West is becoming less relevant, and its values seem to be criticised and inappropriate to catapult the West into a more prominent role. What to expect? Can the West recover lost ground? Will Western values be resilient? Moderator : Mohammed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South Speakers : - Bineta Diop, Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, African Union Commission - Trisha Shetty, Founder & CEO, SheSays - Ignacio Walker, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chile - Thomas Richter, Director, Berlin & Brussels, Avisa Partners (Emerging Leader).
Moderator Borzou Daragahi, International Correspondent, The Independent Speakers Laura Albornoz, Former Minister of State for the National Service for Women, Chile Mohamed Benaïssa, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Morocco Michelle Ndiaye, Director of the Africa Peace and Security Program, Institute for Peace and Security Studies – IPSS Trisha Shetty, Founder & CEO, SheSays.