2022 Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting

Africa has experienced a gamut of social movements that have been stirred up by the failure of the government to serve its citizens. Citizens’ dissatisfaction with the government has further evolved into social movements. From protests against police brutality in Nigeria (#EndSARS), citizens standing up against the government abusing basic human rights in Zimbabwe (#ZimbabweanLivesMatter), Namibians demanding justice against all forms of Gender Based Violence (#ShutItAllDown) to the Congolese crying out for basic human rights (#CongoIsBleeding), the consensus is that government, as it is currently done, is not serving its purpose and as such citizens are taking to the streets to demand that government actually becomes the government. No doubt, these social movements have gotten the attention of the world, making the rounds in the News but the question remains - Have these social movements led to actionable plans that have brought about improvement in government? As a Community Dialogue, the Moderator will allow time for panelists to discuss topical issues and give the audience the opportunity to make comments and suggestions on:
How government can better respond to social movements.
How citizens can coordinate social movements to ensure that their demands are met"