A first for the NATO SouthernHub and Three Stones International yesterday! We held a beta test online chat forum using Kialo to discuss "Who funds Instability in Africa?"
The Southern Hub is NATO's Article 2 organization and is trying to find better ways to engage with people in Africa and the Middle East to gain something very important; their perspective.
During the 90 min "live" chat session, we heard from community and civil society leaders from 12 African countries, many working daily on the front lines in conflict and post-conflict settings. We were also joined by several NGOs and local and regional experts.
To underscore senior NATO leadership's interest to better reach civil society, we were visited during the "live" chat by both Admiral James Foggo, Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa and Admiral Christophe Prazuck, Chief of Staff of the French Navy. Both Admirals recognized the significant importance of improved collaboration with local communities and are committed to finding better ways to predict and prevent instability.
As we grow this online tool to give voice to community and civil society, we look forward to involving more organizations in #GrassrootsVirtuality web forums.
More about the forum can be found here