Theme: Trust between Citizens & Institutions

The Liberian Peacebuilding Office (PBO) undertook a COVID-19 Community Resilience and Conflict Sensitivity Monitoring assessment in July. The assessment revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the drivers of conflict and other early warning conflict factors across the country. In addition, the COVID-19 community conflict-mapping assessment has confirmed and further uncovered emerging conflict drivers – which, if not addressed in the short term, will undermine the fragile peace and the government’s response to COVID-19 emergency health efforts.

Some 60% of the Central African Republic’s (CAR) population is estimated to be under the age of 24. Despite their significant numbers, the youth remain largely under-represented and excluded as partners in decision-making processes, and their contributions to peace are often overlooked. Capitalising on the momentum following the signing of the peace agreement, with funding from the United Nations Peace Building Fund (PBF), ACCORD launched a project titled ‘Towards Youth Inclusive and Gendered Peace Processes in the Central African Republic’.

As a response to the ongoing health crisis, innovative digital solutions are necessary to help us adapt to the ‘new normal’ − and peacebuilding is no exception. While the African continent is often portrayed as the least ‘connected’ part of the world, its responses to COVID-19 demonstrate the potential for home-grown digital innovation that can strengthen societal resilience. But how can this potential be harnessed by peacebuilders to make sure that their efforts support digital self-organisation, rather than hinder it?

There are lessons to be learnt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) approach and decision to declare an end to its national state of emergency, in spite of increasing numbers of infections and growing strained relations between the government and some of its citizens.

The era of coronavirus (COVID-19) is unprecedented and offers an opportunity to manage prison populations on the continent in a different but innovative manner. It is imperative that governments consider the need to decongest prisons through a number of measures to ensure the human rights of prisoners and to further limit the spread of COVID-19 to the outside population.

It is now some 165 days since the first coronavirus (COVID-19) case was diagnosed in Africa, on 14 February 2020 in Egypt. Many commentators expected that Africa, with its high levels of underdevelopment and weak public health systems, would be particularly badly affected by COVID-19, and that this could even lead to a catastrophic collapse of social and political stability. So far, however, the emerging pattern is one of resilience rather than collapse, chaos and conflict.

At least 22 countries in Africa were scheduled to hold either local government, parliamentary or presidential elections this year. Given the almost universal strategies adopted to prevent the spread of coronavirus – including restricting people to their homes, border closures, travel restrictions and banning large gatherings – the decision whether to continue with some of the elections despite COVID-19 became a controversial issue. Stated differently, the decision came down to either preserving the vote or the voter.

The year 2020 is a significant milestone for gender equality and women’s empowerment, as it marks the anniversary of unprecedented policy commitments and practical action frameworks.1 The COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly disrupted plans to assess the progress of these milestones, celebrate the achievements and set new objectives or goals.

COVID-19 prevention policy measures – such as working and schooling from home, travel bans and quarantines, social distancing, the mandatory wearing of masks and limitation on gatherings (for instance, funerals) – have ignited the iconic debate on which comes first: freedom or security?

If we do not change the face of politics, if we continue to ignore the lessons of decades of women’s activism, if we continue to spend our resources on weapons rather than on social services, we will have a harder time recovering from this pandemic, preventing the next one, or overcoming the climate crisis. It is an easy choice to make.