Speech delivered by the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, HE Mr Alvin Botes, on the occasion of the Validation Meeting of the Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Digital and Social Media in Elections in Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 6 September 2023
Your Excellency, Ms Patience Zanelie Chiradza, Director of Governance and Conflict Prevention Directorate,
President of the Executive Committee of the Association of African Electoral Authorities, Ms Jean Mensa,
Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council for the month of September, Ambassador Churchill Ewumbe-Monono of Cameroon,
UNDP Executive Ms Nikina Kiplagat,
Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa, Mr Mosotho Moepya, and Commissioners of the various Electoral Management Bodies in the continent,
Chief Electoral Officers of the various Electoral Management Bodies in the continent,
Your Excellencies, Members of the African Diplomatic Corps,
Members of the various civil society organisations represented in this meeting,
All Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The African Union’s Agenda 2063 pivots an Africa that is Peaceful and Secure, with a Deepen Democratic Architecture.
The African Union’s Agenda 2063 pivots an Africa that is Peaceful and Secure, with a Deepen Democratic Architecture.
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Africa Governance Report 2023, highlights the nexus between Unconstitutional Changes of Government and Integrity of Elections Processes.
We must be concerned about the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of governments in the continent. Six AU Member States are under suspension due to unconstitutional changes of governments.
This is unprecedented and therefore we request the African Union Commission to carry out a study on the root causes of these military coups to understand why citizens celebrate when a coup takes place. Without addressing the root causes, we will not effectively stamp them out.
I am honoured to present some reflections during this auspicious occasion of validating the Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Digital and Social Media in Elections in Africa, principles and guidelines which serve to complement and strengthen the African Union instruments already in place on the management of elections in Africa, in particular, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance.
On behalf of the Government of South Africa, I would like to thank the Association of African Electoral Authorities for this timely initiative given the socio-political context in which we are living, which presents challenges as well as opportunities in the use of digital and social media.
I also wish to acknowledge the multi-stakeholder nature of this consultation. We are particularly encouraged by the presence of various sectors of civil society represented here today, which serve as a sounding board for governments across the continent.
The socio-political context in which we live continues to be challenging as the African Union works towards strengthening and consolidating democracy and good governance across the continent.
The elections monitoring missions deployed to various countries during elections contribute to this effort of entrenching a political culture of change of power based on holding periodic elections that are free, fair, and transparent, conducted in a professional manner by independent and impartial electoral management bodies.
It is therefore critical that we continue to capacitate the electoral management bodies so that they can keep up with developments, including in the technological field relevant to their work.
In this regard, we should be mindful of the trends, including those that may have adverse impacts on the work of the electoral management bodies, such as misinformation and disinformation campaigns that are sometimes unleashed during political and/or election campaigns, resulting in election results that are not credible.
It is also important that governments and electoral management bodies can take advantage of these digital and social media to inform and capacitate especially our youth, given that our continent has a youthful populace.
These digital and social media can also be harnessed to reach various sectors of society, including those in rural areas, as well as those living with disabilities to ensure that no one is left behind.
However, the necessary infrastructure should be put in place for our countries to be able to take full advantage of these technological developments.
In addition to the information and communication infrastructure, there is a need for the appropriate legislative and regulatory system to be put in place that would facilitate access to information and the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and association, in line with the various constitutions in place across our continent, as well as the attendant responsibilities that go with the exercise of such rights.
The principles and guidelines that you will be considering today hold the potential for these digital and social media to enhance the credibility of elections.
The role of civil society in advocating for the necessary infrastructure to be put in place cannot be over-emphasised, notwithstanding the challenges of limited financial resources and technical skills.
While our vision with these principles and guidelines for the use of digital and social media during elections in Africa is that of a common/public good, we are acutely aware that these can also be used to amplify misinformation and disinformation, to spread hatred and conspiracy theories, among others.
The challenge remains of how to enable people to engage with information while also respecting the rights of others, how to combat expressions that cause harm, and how to build competence such that each individual is able to understand the stakes and benefit from information and communication opportunities presented by these digital and social media in the current context of complex and sometimes contradictory messages.
I am particularly pleased that digital communications companies are represented in this workshop as they have an important role to play in preventing the spread of misinformation and disinformation, and mitigation thereof while striking a balance with the right to exercise freedom of expression.
This calls for a specific skill set that may be achieved through formal, non-formal, and informal education, in addition to the policies and strategies that governments may implement to increase awareness and increase media and information literacy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The other key question to consider during our engagements is whether governments have a conducive regulatory environment in place, that is, an environment that is not too restrictive.
I want to believe that the tools that we have in place through the African Union Election Monitoring Guidelines, the Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance among others, work to reinforce each other with the work being done by the African Peer Review Mechanism that is helping governments with the promotion and implementation of good governance measures, with the ultimate objective of realising Aspiration Three of Agenda 2063, being an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law notwithstanding the rising trend of unconstitutional changes of government in our continent, a rather concerning development.
We look forward to increased advocacy for the necessary regulatory frameworks to be put in place, where necessary.
There will be challenges pertaining to issues of jurisdiction and the protection of information especially for multinational digital communications companies. For governments, limited financial resources and inadequate capacities/skills remain a challenge.
Some electoral laws may need to be reviewed and updated to be in keeping with current developments. We must therefore continue to build on and strengthen various African Union Legal Instruments already in place to promote good governance to realise a vision of an Africa that is prosperous, peaceful, and stable.
It is within this context that South Africa supports and has also provided financial support for this process of elaborating these principles and guidelines.
We congratulate all the stakeholders involved in the elaboration of these principles and guidelines.
With those remarks, I wish you success in your deliberations and look forward to their outcomes.
I thank you.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
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