Civil Society: new roles for African traditions, NGOs, women and youth

摘要

In the last five years, the world has witnessed the unfolding of momentous and sometimes dramatic events. The fall of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe brought to an abrupt end the era of suspicion and Cold War between the West and the East. In the Middle East, a process of rapprochement began to bring hope of peace to one of the world's troubled regions. South Africa took the first step towards what later became an irreversible process of dismantling the brutal system of apartheid. Suddenly, the world was beginning to wake up to a new vision of peace, stability and prosperity. The dawning of the 'New World Order', it was hoped, would herald a new era of transparency, democracy and people-focused development. The effects of these changes were widespread, although they were felt more profoundly in some parts of the world than in others.