Events in South Africa mark launch of Democracy Without Borders chapter

Democracy Without Borders (DWB) has launched a South African chapter which will further its mission to advocate for democratic governance locally and globally. The launch was marked by two events held in Johannesburg and Cape Town, centered on the theme of global democracy and the role of the United Nations.

Launch in Johannesburg

The first event took place on November 25, 2024, at the Wits School of Governance in Parktown, Johannesburg. Titled “Global Democracy and the United Nations: The Summit of the Future – What Next?”, the event brought together academics and civil society actors to reflect on the outcomes of the recent UN Summit and its Pact for the Future. 

Taking stock after the UN’s Summit of the Future

Raesetsa Hopane, Manager of Executive Education at the Wits School of Governance, opened the event with a welcome note. This was done on behalf of Themba Maseko, Head of the Wits School of Governance. The launch of the South African chapter was then officially announced by the founding chair, Frank Lekaba. The chapter’s founding manifesto among other things underscores DWB’s commitment to promoting and safeguarding the key principles and values of the South African constitution and to advocating for greater democracy on the African continent and globally. 

The hybrid event included a panel discussion featuring Andreas Bummel, Executive Director of DWB; Frank Lekaba, who is also a lecturer at the Wits School of Governance; Ndzalama Mathebula, Secretary of DWB-South Africa and associated with the University of Johannesburg; and Adebayo Olukoshi, a prominent academic at Wits who joined online. Moderated by Thelela Ngcetane-Vika, the discussion explored key themes such as transforming global governance, advancing the African Agenda, and empowering women and youth in democratic processes. 

Continuing the dialogue in Cape Town

Two days later, on November 27, 2024, the conversation continued in Cape Town at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. This event extended the dialogue initiated in Johannesburg, further examining democratic representation at the United Nations and South Africa’s role in promoting democratic values on the global stage. It also included a presentation of the second edition of “A World Parliament: Governance and Democracy in the 21st Century,” co-authored by Andreas Bummel, who outlined the book’s vision of a democratic global order based on the principle of equal global citizenship.

Promoting equal global citizenship

The Cape Town event additionally featured remarks from Mandira Bagwandeen, a lecturer at Stellenbosch University; Andisiwe Kumbaca, an ANC member of South Africa’s National Assembly; Frank Lekaba; journalist Peter Fabricius; and Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue. The discussion was moderated by Salona Lutchman, a lecturer at the University of Cape Town.

Key takeaways

In both dialogues, participants overall were not impressed by the Pact for the Future. While much of its content was laudable, it was noted that the document was fairly general and often simply reiterated long-standing goals such as eradicating poverty, disarmament or UN reform. The process was subject of critical comments as consensus was required in the intergovernmental negotiations and consultations with civil society were kept separate, raising question marks whether they were more than mere tokenism.

Urgency of transforming global governance

Both events highlighted the urgency of transforming global governance in view of pressing global challenges such as climate change, war and rising geopolitical tensions. The UN Summit of the Future was not seen as a critical milestone in this regard despite its outcome document having an extra chapter on this theme. 

According to Ndzalama Mathebula, a key stumbling block is an insistence on the part of UN Member States on principles of national sovereignty and the state-centric nature of the UN. Mandira Bagwandeen noted that “Global South solidarity and cooperation is needed now more than ever to meaningfully reform global governance institutions”, adding that “nothing is going to change” if Global South countries “do not find their rightful place in multilateral institutions”. Andisiwe Kumbaca stressed in particular that the UN Security Council had to be reformed “as a matter of urgency”.

In the context of the African continent, in both dialogues there was recognition of the African Union Commission and the Pan-African Parliament as key structures of the African Union to advance citizens’ representation and participation. This could be championed through South Africa’s Foreign Policy key tenet of multilateralism. 

South Africa’s G20 presidency in 2025

As South Africa takes on the G20 presidency in 2025, hopes were voiced at both events that the country could advance forward-looking proposals in the field of transforming global governance such as creating a UN Parliamentary Assembly. It was recalled that South Africa, at the time, had championed the establishment of the Pan-African Parliament as a body of the African Union. A recent statement made by the IBSA group of India, Brazil and South Africa was noted which even included a call for a UN Charter review conference.

At the Rio De Janeiro G20 Summit earlier in November, South African President Ramaphosa remarked that the South Africa’s G20 presidency represented “a chance to reform global governance”. The Democratic Alliance, a partner in South Africa’s new coalition government, in the meantime suggested that “African democracy” and “democratic oversight” should be among the themes to be pursued.  

South African citizens and residents are welcome to indicate their interest in supporting the new South African chapter of Democracy Without Borders by submitting this online form.