Title: The Global Democracy Coalition (GDC) Forum 2025 African Regional Dialogue
Background
The Global Democracy Coalition (GDC) Forum 2025 African Regional Dialogue, led by The Youth Café in collaboration with regional GDC partners, will convene a diverse group of democracy advocates, civil society leaders, policymakers, and youth representatives. Set for March 28, 2025 , celebrating the intersection of democracy, environmental justice, and human rights. This unique timing amplifies the event's focus on the critical intersection between democratic resilience and environmental stewardship, rooted in Africa’s pressing socio-political and ecological challenges.
The African Regional Dialogue aims to facilitate a forward-looking discourse that captures both Africa’s unique democratic priorities and the universal democratic values upheld by the GDC.
By gathering regional and international stakeholders, this dialogue will emphasize Africa-specific issues, innovative solutions, and cross-regional collaborations that strengthen democracy across the continent.
Key Approaches
Empowering Youth through Inclusive Tech-Driven Consultations: Ignite meaningful engagement by prioritizing youth voices through tech-enhanced, human-centered consultations. This approach leverages innovative tools and active participation to shape a forward-thinking, inclusive agenda.
Dynamic, Multisector Engagement through Hybrid Formats: Create an inclusive and interactive environment for regional dialogue that combines in-person and virtual participation. This hybrid approach ensures accessibility, maximizes engagement, and integrates the perspectives of civil society, policymakers, academics, and youth leaders.
Emphasis on robust facilitation and real-time feedback mechanisms enhances the quality of discussions.
Collaborative Synthesis and Strategic Dissemination: Join forces with regional partners and the GDC Forum Working Group to turn dialogue insights into actionable strategies. Share impactful findings, spark ongoing discussions, and inspire policy change.
Objectives
Facilitate in-depth regional dialogue: Foster a platform for open, meaningful discussions on Africa’s current democratic challenges and opportunities. Participants will explore region-specific priorities and identify actionable, context-sensitive solutions that address Africa’s democratic and environmental realities.
Promote knowledge exchange and collaboration: Unite thought leaders, civil society organizations, policymakers, and youth representatives to share best practices, innovative approaches, and experiences in advancing democracy. The dialogue aims to identify opportunities for collaboration and strengthen regional and international partnerships for a sustained democracy movement.
Develop actionable recommendations: Capture key insights, recommendations, and strategies that emerge from the dialogue into a comprehensive report, serving as a resource for democratic stakeholders across Africa and globally, offering specific actions for democratic reform and advocacy.
Enhance awareness and engagement: Through targeted social media campaigns, live-streamed sessions, and media partnerships, the African Regional Dialogue will maximize its reach, amplify critical discussions, and broaden engagement on democracy-related issues across diverse African audiences and beyond.
Funder: Global Democracy Coalition (GDC)
Implementing Partners: The Youth Café in collaboration with Afrobarometer, Somali Media Women Association (SOMWA), Community Action for Health and Development (CAHED), and Citizen Voice and Actions (CVA)
Expected results/ outcomes
Actionable Recommendations for Democratic Reform
Through the regional dialogue, a comprehensive set of recommendations on democratic reforms will be developed, reflecting Africa’s unique experiences and addressing critical challenges and opportunities. These recommendations will be informed by insights shared during in-person and virtual sessions, consultations with experts, and thematic discussions from the curated agenda. Key themes, such as the intersection of grassroots advocacy, regional cooperation, and innovative policy solutions, will guide the creation of practical measures for implementation. These actionable reforms will feed into the GDC’s global democratic agenda, ensuring relevance and inclusivity in addressing global democratic priorities.
Strengthened Regional and International Networks
The forum will foster connections among diverse regional and international stakeholders, including civil society leaders, democracy advocates, academics, government officials, and international partners. By curating a panel of 15-20 experts and ensuring active engagement through matchmaking sessions, thematic challenges, and interactive discussions, the dialogue will serve as a platform for collaboration. These strengthened networks will lay the groundwork for sustained partnerships and joint initiatives to support democratic progress across Africa and beyond.
Engaged Youth and Civil Society
Empowering youth and civil society representatives will be a central focus of the dialogue. Dedicated opportunities and spaces will be provided to ensure meaningful participation of marginalized groups, including youth and women, in shaping democratic reforms. Activities such as live Q&A sessions, polls, and breakout discussions will encourage active contributions from grassroots organizations. This engagement will reinforce the critical role of youth and civil society in advocating for democratic principles and driving community-led initiatives.
Increased Public Awareness
A strategic promotion campaign leveraging social media, regional networks, and GDC partner platforms will raise awareness and attract a diverse audience to the forum. Live-streaming the sessions and providing high-quality recordings will make the dialogue accessible to a broad audience, ensuring maximum outreach. Real-time engagement opportunities and interactive sessions will further captivate participants, fostering widespread support for democracy. Post-event documentation, reports, and strategic communication efforts will sustain public interest and awareness, contributing to long-term advocacy and education on democratic values.