Conflict & Resilience Monitor – 28 March 2024

As we end the 2024 International Women’s month, a deeper reflection on the status of women in the Southern African region points us to the impact of their invisibility and a lack of meaningful participation in key governance structures.

Historically, politics have been viewed as a male domain, with women expected not to hold many, if any, political views and opinions, this being illustrated by the fact that women were only given the right to vote in the last century. While advancements have been made over the last century, politics still remains a largely male-dominated arena. Africa is no exception to this reality, with men dominating most of the major political positions in African countries. With more than a third of African states holding elections in 2024, this article looks at female participation in politics in Africa and female participation in recent and upcoming elections.

Africa is witnessing a troubling resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs), a phenomenon that directly undermines democratic principles, respect for human rights, and the rule of law and good governance that the African Union (AU) was founded upon. The continent, once filled with hope for democratic progress following the democratic wave of the 1990s, now faces a disheartening reality of military coups and political instability. This pressing issue demands the immediate collective attention of all African citizens in order to address the structural, dynamic and trigger causes. As almost half the continent goes into elections, 2024 could be a turning point – for better or for worse.

In a new study conducted by researchers from the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON), the role of human rights work in United Nations (UN) peace operations is examined. Seventy years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly, human rights are experiencing an unprecedented “global retrenchment” in a context of changing geopolitical order and strife, which has put increased pressure on the UN’s peace and security work.

The opinions and actions of African youth serve as a barometer for the political and economic vibrancy and potential of the continent. Their opinion is a measure for the failure or success of political systems. From this perspective, the youth of the continent form an interest group that cannot be ignored. They hold the potential of transforming, rather than merely reflecting, the political realities of the continent.