The Foreign Service Journal, June 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2023 35 to the continent, as well as “smaller” initiatives likely to pay positive dividends: to strengthen African democratic transi- tions, to improve civilian oversight of the security sector, and to increase labor rights for women in the workplace. There were also significant deals brokered between African governments and the U.S. private sector. The vast majority of participants and observers agree that the summit was more substantive and more successful than many of us anticipated. Of course, the true measure of success isn’t the number of promises made. It’s how well the administration honors its commitments, as well as how many benefits African citizens are able to reap as a result of the summit and the agree- ments coming out of it. In that regard, the summit’s biggest failing is of great concern because it could imperil the very success the administration is after. Despite all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the event, African civil society and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the U.S. working on Africa were largely sidelined. A Critical Failing No doubt there was an effort to include civil society. The first day of the summit included a civil society forum hosted at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) with lots of interest- ing conversations. That forum was held in parallel with other events at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (the main summit location), including African youth and diaspora forums. Because each event was by invitation only, the vast majority of Africa-focused civil society representatives were invited exclusively to the civil society forum at USIP. Instead, many civil society organizations ended up hosting their own side events to elevate their specific issues. Ultimately, it seemed the African civil society leaders—the ones who will hold their governments accountable for ensuring citizens benefit from the summit commitments—were cordoned off in one building (at USIP) while most of the action happened at the convention center. Further, several of the important events, including a Peace, Security, and Governance Forum—also on the first day—fea- tured African heads of state talking at the audience instead of having a real dialogue. The Business Forum on the second day was a company-to-government affair, with little effort to allow civil society in the room or to know what deals were being made, much less offer input or introduce concerns of the con- stituents they represent. In an era of shrinking civic space on the African continent, the inadequate platforming of civil society was a missed opportunity. In a number of African nations, laws and regulations are being enacted to restrict CSOs’ operations and fundamental human rights; civic engagement and freedom of speech are also under- mined, and CSO leaders and activists face frequent arrests and attacks. In addition, some African governments view civil society with general suspicion and skepticism. The summit could have been an opportunity for the U.S. to emphasize to African heads of state the importance with which we view civil society engagement and the need to promote a conducive environment for CSOs to meaningfully participate in domestic and regional policy processes. Finding ways to include civil society on the same stage as African heads of state during these high-stakes events can help send a message that the U.S. believes they’re an essential part of the governance architecture. Admittedly, planning a summit is hard, and the administra- tion was never going to please everyone. Many Africa experts hope that the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit becomes a regular occurrence and that it doesn’t take another decade for the next one. Ideally, in the future the U.S. administration will treat civil society as an equal leg of the stool, along with the private sec- tor and government. This can be done by strengthening CSO engagement prior to future summits. For example, in advance of this summit, our organization, Humanity United, partnered with Amnesty International USA and the National Democratic Institute to co-chair a working group of Africa-based and Africa- focused CSOs in the U.S., representing the different regions within the continent. This diverse group of organizations remains willing to find ways to continue collaborating more closely with various U.S. government entities. The group also released a series of recom- mendations on areas in which the administration should focus its engagement with the continent, including democratic gov- ernance, rule of law, human rights, African futures, and shared prosperity. In an era of shrinking civic space on the African continent, the inadequate platforming of civil society was a missed opportunity.