The Africa Committee of the Socialist International convened in Dakar on 28-29 October 2022, under the chairmanship of Bokary Treta, RPM, Mali. The gathering brought together representatives of member parties from across the continent, to discuss an agenda that included the current challenges to democracy and its institutions; the prevention of conflicts, overcoming crises and securing peace; joint efforts to safeguard and strengthen social democracy in the region; and their contribution to the forthcoming XXVI SI Congress to be held in Madrid in November. The meeting also heard reports from the member parties on the national situation in their respective countries.
Following the discussions, a resolution was adopted and it was agreed to prepare a declaration for presentation at the Congress.
At the conclusion of the meeting, in response to an invitation from the President of the Republic of Senegal, the participants held a meeting with His Excellency, President Macky Sall, at the presidential palace.
MEETING OF THE SI AFRICA COMMITTEE
Dakar, Senegal, 28-29 October 2022
Original : French
The Africa Committee of the Socialist International met in Dakar, hosted by the Socialist Party of Senegal (PS), on 28 and 29 October 2022.
This session of the SI on the African soil of Senegal was an opportunity for the member parties present to discuss the political situation and perspectives in their respective countries, and the resulting economic and social realities.
Moreover, the democratic processes in Africa were reviewed with a focus on the subsequent crises (terrorism, military coups, non-respect of democratic and fundamentals rules, the key question of parity in our state institutions, in our Parties and in the SI itself, poverty, the place of African youth, environmental issues, trade on the continent, and the problems of education and health in our public policies).
In this regard, the SI Africa Committee, meeting in Dakar, expressed the wish to prepare a text, under the title of “Dakar Declaration”, in the perspective of a coordinated participation of the African SI member parties, with emphasis on:
1- African solutions to the issues facing the continent, building on our remarkable identity as social democrats;
2- The situation of democracy seen through the multiple constraints that handicap it;
3- The fight for the doctrinal and programmatic re-appropriation of Social Democracy, as the best method of managing world affairs, on the basis of the common values that characterise our identity, such as freedom, equality, social justice, and solidarity;
4- African democratic governance, which must come back to the fore, to resolve the justified dissatisfaction of our youth, which is the future of the world, and of African women, a real vector of development, particularly in rural areas.
The “Dakar Declaration” will be finalised, in consultation between the African member parties, in an inclusive manner, to be presented and supported at the Madrid Congress.
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