ECOSOCC convenes its annual Citizens’ Forum;

The African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) on Friday opened its annual Citizens' Forum under the theme, "Reimagining Global Governance: Africa and a World in Transition," bringing together African Union institutions, civil society organisations, development partners and other stakeholders to examine Africa's role in shaping a changing global order.

The two-day Forum provided a platform for citizen-driven dialogue on the major geopolitical, economic, technological, environmental and social transformations reshaping the international system.

Officially opening the Forum on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the Director-General of the African Union Commission, H.E. Ambassador Fathallah Sijilmassi, described the ECOSOCC Citizens' Forum as a critical platform for contributing to the construction of the global order that Africa wants.

"We are living through one of those rare moments where the scaffolding of the old-world order is under stress. The ground is shifting beneath us in geopolitics, in security, in finance, technology, climate, and perhaps most of all, interests," he said.

He noted that the current global moment presented Africa with an opportunity to critically reflect on its place in a rapidly changing international system and to contribute to shaping a more inclusive and representative global order.

His remarks set the tone for the Forum's deliberations, situating citizen-centred dialogue at the heart of Africa's engagement with the transformation of global governance.

ECOSOCC Presiding Officer, Mr. Louis Cheick Sissoko, reflected on the profound shifts underway in geopolitical influence, economic power, technological innovation, climate responsibility and international cooperation.

"Institutions once considered permanent are being questioned. Alliances once thought immovable are changing. New voices are demanding recognition in the decisions that define our future. These changes will determine the opportunities available to every African nation and every African citizen," he said.

Mr. Sissoko urged Africans to move beyond the question of participation to one of influence, stressing that the current moment presented both an obligation and an opportunity for Africa.

"Only Africa can conceive the future of global governance, and only the voices of African citizens can construct it," he added.

The Head of the ECOSOCC Secretariat, Amb. William Carew highlighted the Council's role in transforming engagement between the African Union and civil society from episodic encounters into a more structured, inclusive and sustained process.

He pointed to the establishment of national chapters and the soon to be launched ECOSOCC Connect online platform as key innovations aimed at strengthening citizen participation across the continent. The platform is expected to provide a harmonised mechanism for civil society accreditation and engagement with ECOSOCC.

Amb. Carew noted that these developments were anchored in the revised ECOSOCC Statute, adopted by the African Union Assembly.

"The National Chapters bring the Union to its people. The Diaspora Framework brings its people home. The Harmonised Accreditation Mechanism opens the door. ECOSOCC CONNECT puts the key in every hand. And the Revised Statute locks the whole architecture into the legal foundation of the African Union, permanently," he stressed.

Reflecting on Africa's democratic governance challenges, Dr. Jide Okeke, Director of the Regional Programme for Africa at the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa, argued that reimagining global governance must begin with improving governance across Africa.

Drawing on UNDP and African Union evidence, he noted that Africans continue to support democratic governance, but expect it to deliver security, services, jobs, and dignity. He cautioned that governance failures, not a rejection of democracy, create conditions for instability.

He emphasized that achieving the AU's Agenda2063 requires policy consistency that extends beyond electoral cycles and called for young Africans to be engaged as partners in governance today, not only as future leaders.

"The data before us tells us that Africans believe in democratic governance. Our task is to make governance believe in Africans." he added.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Ruth Ogbewekon, Focal Point for Research and Publications at the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU), reflected on the changing global governance landscape and the future of multilateralism.

She urged participants to confront the reality that the existing global governance system is undergoing profound transformation.

"We can recognise that the global governance system, and particularly multilateralism, is changing. Some would even go as far as to say it is collapsing or it has already collapsed. I think we should first accept that things are not as they usually are," she said.

Ms. Ogbewekon stressed the importance of critically examining the structural foundations of the existing global governance system and ensuring that Africa engages in debates on reform from its own perspective and in pursuit of its own interests.

The opening ceremony transitioned into the Forum's plenary sessions, which brought together institutional leaders, civil society representatives and development partners to frame the two days of deliberations.

The discussions were organised around five thematic priorities:

Reimagining global governance and reform of the United Nations Security Council; Reimagining the global financial architecture; Climate action and a just energy transition; Artificial intelligence governance, digital sovereignty and Africa's digital public infrastructure; and Justice for Africans and people of African descent.

The first day of the Forum focused on Africa's voice in global governance reform, climate resilience and justice, and concluded with a solidarity statement by Dr. Robert Eno, the Registrar of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, commemorating 20 years of reaffirming Africa's commitment to justice and accountability.

Since its inception in Lusaka, and through subsequent editions held in Nairobi, Accra and Malabo, the ECOSOCC Citizens' Forum has grown into the Council's premier platform for civil society engagement and citizen-driven dialogue on issues of continental and global significance.

This year's Forum was supported by strategic partners including the Reform Initiatives; INCLUDE Platform, the Hewlett Foundation, KAICIID, UNDP Africa, TrustAfrica, the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU), European Partnership for Democracy, All Africa Conference of Churches, Federation of African Journalists, African Renaissance, Women's International Peace Centre, RFLD, among others.

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For Media Inquiries:

Ms. Carol Jilombo | Senior Communications Officer | AU ECOSOCC Secretariat, Lusaka, Zambia.

[email protected]

About ECOSOCC

The Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) was established in July 2004 as an Advisory Organ composed of different social and professional groups of AU Member States. The mandate of ECOSOCC is to contribute, through advice, to the effective translation of the objectives, principles and policies of the African Union into concrete programmes, as well as the evaluation of these programmes.

Learn more at: https://ecosocc.au.int

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