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Anika Jane Dorothy, the Executive Director of the Green Congress of Kenya, visited the UK as a participant in the Green Talent Accelerator. The visit was designed to support Anika in her leadership objectives.
In 2019, Alexis Mugisha, Commissioner General of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and Secretary General of the Eastern Africa Greens Federation (EAGF), participated in the Green Talent Accelerator programme. Alexis planned to stand as a candidate in the Rwandan Senate elections in September 2019, and his objectives in the programme mainly focused on his preparation for this.
This IDAHOBIT, we must ask: How do we ensure that political decision-makers see and listen to LGBT+ people and incorporate their views and needs into COVID-19 responses?
On Friday 15th of May, WFD in partnership with the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), convened a webinar to discuss strengthening of democracy in Nigeria, with a focus on accountability and transparency.
Around the world, certain limitations to our freedoms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been accepted as necessary to uphold our collective and individual right to public health, not to mention our fundamental right to life. As a result of this COVID-19 pandemic, key human rights are at risk due to the enactment of emergency laws that are sometimes inconsistent with international human rights law and standards.
Governments around the world have introduced emergency measures to fight the coronavirus, often alongside significant financial support packages designed to cushion the economic impacts of the virus and ensure livelihoods. At this time, accountability and citizens’ rights must not be suspended. Quite the opposite: checks on executives exercising extraordinary powers are increasingly critical. However, they are challenging in equal measure.
In April 2020, as Nepal's parliament is awaiting to be convened for its Summer (budget) Session and the country entered its sixth week of lockdown, some parliamentary committees resumed their business.
In April 2020, as Nepal’s parliament is awaiting to be convened for its Summer (budget) Session and the country entered its sixth week of lockdown, some parliamentary committees resumed their business.
WFD and our partner organization Youth Educational Forum launched a series of online workshops titled “The New Everyday Life for Students” aiming to help students learn and stay well during the pandemic.
Women’s political leadership results in better outcomes for society and delivers progress in policy areas vital for economic growth and development. Democracy cannot meaningfully exist if more than half of the population is not wholly engaged equally in decision-making.
The COVID-19 pandemic is testing governance systems around the world. Where democratic systems were already straining under the pressure of post-financial crisis populism, this latest crisis is pushing political institutions and norms to breaking point. Emergency measures once thought unthinkable have been quickly designed and enforced, often with little to no public scrutiny or time restrictions. The variation in responses and results has again opened the debate as to the ability of democracies to deliver in moments of crisis.
Through all this, one factor seems to dictate the extent to which governments have been able to respond successfully to the pandemic: political trust.
Through all this, one factor seems to dictate the extent to which governments have been able to respond successfully to the pandemic: political trust.
Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, explains how the virtual parliament got up and running during the pandemic.
UPDATE AT 24/04/2020 at 08.40AM BST
Civil society organisations (CSOs) are a channel through which citizens can engage with the government constructively to make sure adequate services are provided, helping build more inclusive and accountable democracies. Their role is especially important during the pandemic, as civic freedoms are curtailed and the usual channels of engagement with the government are unavailable.
Parliaments and parliamentarians can monitor and manage global state efforts through sharing lessons of effective national legislative action and support each other as they develop new working practices to support citizens.
