The Foreign Service Journal, June 2023

36 JUNE 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The message that trade and investment trumps human rights violations will only make it harder for the U.S. to achieve its goal of having Africa succeed. Form a Brain Trust, Prioritize Human Rights Beyond the summit, U.S. embassies in Africa and the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council can play their own parts in identifying community- and national-level African CSOs that can form a brain trust as advisory partners. Such a brain trust can contribute toward shaping the agenda for future engagements, help identify which elements of the current com- mitments would yield the greatest success, or what aspects of current commitments are most lacking and need bolstering to garner support from their respective constituents. Establish- ing these kinds of brain trusts will contribute toward fostering and consolidating partnerships between the U.S. government, African leaders, and CSOs—and thereby create opportunities for dialogue as the summit moves to implementation. The lack of emphasis on human rights was another failing of the December summit. Prioritizing human rights, a principle the Biden-Harris administration has rhetorically championed, seemed a tertiary concern. In particular, when President Biden has photo ops with African dictators and the U.S. Secretary of State is seen shaking hands with the Ethiopian prime minister, whose government was until recently carrying out war crimes at home, the U.S. is sending an unfortunate, albeit perhaps unin- tentional, message. The message that trade and investment trumps human rights violations will only make it harder for the U.S. to achieve its goal of having Africa succeed and creating a true partnership. The Biden-Harris administration’s 2022 National Security Strategy places a global political order built on respect for universal human rights, and a global economy that provides opportunity for all, as fundamental to its national security interests. This means that beyond the fanfare of summitry, Foreign Service officers (FSOs) who represent the United States abroad must continue to have these conversations at post and emphasize to their counterparts that trade and investment in Africa will thrive only when there is good governance that includes solid human rights protections. We all acknowledge that senior U.S. officials will visit countries—and meet with their leaders—where human rights records are questionable. However, arranging for these senior officials to also meet with civil society leaders and human rights defenders in the country makes a statement that the U.S. gov- ernment takes them seriously. It also bolsters activists’ efforts in the long term if they’re in environments where they can safely seek meetings with their own government officials. There’s no doubt that the State Department does a lot to support activists behind the scenes. Many of them tell us they would also like to see the U.S. more vociferous in public sup- port. During the summit, for example, along with some other civil society organizations (e.g., Amnesty International USA, Human Rights Watch, and Project on Middle East Democracy), we held a daylong “Africa Human Rights Leaders Summit.” The bravery with which these activists carry out their work is inspiring. Each of them said the U.S. government is an effective listener but doesn’t act often enough on their requests. In this area, FSOs and colleagues in Washington, D.C., can better trian- gulate what actions would be most effective. They can also use the civil society in Washington to better understand nuances and what levers our partners on the ground are seeking to have the U.S. government pull. Toward a Full Partnership As the dust settles on the summit, it would also be useful for FSOs to become intentional about supporting multisectoral dialogue outside embassy walls. This kind of dialogue can cata- lyze partnerships that are intended in the spirit of the National Security Strategy and the U.S.-Africa Strategy. They can also help bring greater clarity on private sector commitments to the respective African governments. Taking these actions now and before the next summit might strengthen CSO engagement with businesses that could pay dividends in the business forum of future summits. So, too, would the United States being explicit about ensuring that human rights protections are built into trade and investment discussions. We hope the Biden-Harris administration continues efforts to prioritize Africa in a way that includes African people and not only their elected leaders. A full partnership would fully embody the “Africa Matters” mantra, and a multisectoral approach can help ensure success of the various commitments the U.S. has and will make to the continent. n