Microcredit programs are often seen as solutions to help the most vulnerable. In Côte d’Ivoire, CARE International and the National Democratic Institute are exploring how microcredit can also enhance civic participation. 

Local governments are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis globally, not only in managing the public health response, but also with regard to educating and communicating with citizens. Officials are continuing to develop and implement measures to address complex citizen needs today, while also looking ahead to prepare their communities for the new realities of a post-COVID world. Concurrent with the pandemic are challenges such as disinformation, citizen skepticism, and the need for greater transparency and accountability across all functions of government. 

The protests in the United States sparked by the high-profile deaths of George Floyd and other Black Americans have evoked widespread sympathy across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and comparisons to the anti-government protest movement in the region in recent years. However, when it comes to the widespread racial discrimination towards Black communities in the Arab world, there has been little acknowledgement of the need to address the issue.

The participation of women in Armenian politics is nothing new – in the early-20th century, Armenia first granted women’s suffrage, elected women parliamentarians and appointed women ambassadors. Yet, in Armenia today, women represent less than a quarter of the National Assembly and even smaller percentages in executive and high-level government leadership roles. 

In Tunisia, civil society organizations (CSOs) across the country have taken principal roles in supporting government efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. By standing up government efforts with resources, leadership, or community relationships, these CSOs have held an important role in virus response across the country.

Every Wednesday, Calmar Brou, Aliou Bamba and other young leaders arrive at daybreak to help keep the peace on market days in the weekly market in the Ivorian city of Béoumi. Calmar and Aliou are respectively the president (a Baoulé) and vice president (a Malinké) of the municipal youth body, selected by their peers to help coordinate youth activities and promote collaboration among members of their two ethnic groups. This task has been particularly challenging in the last year.