Expert
Group Shows a Way Forward
By Sanjay Suri
The group that was set up to
make a set of recommendations on promotion of democracy
and development makes it clear that it is time for specific
steps, not for slogans. An exclusive report on the findings
of the panel. |
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ABUJA: SLOGANS OF democracy and development
will not be enough, and heads of government coming to the
biennial Commonwealth meeting in Abuja will discuss an eight-point
plan to promote them.
The plan has been prepared by an expert group headed by former
Indian finance minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The plan reportedly
identifies priorities for definite and visible action by the
heads of government.
In part the plan suggests only the creation of more committees.
These are said to include establishment of a technical group
to draw up Commonwealth codes of good practice on budgets,
expenditure management and accountability. The expert group
is believed also to have asked for structures to make sure
that Commonwealth governments monitor and enforce the codes
recommended.
The expert group has asked also for steps to develop institutions
to expand democracy beyond elections. That must mean citizen
participation, local democracy and human rights, the group
says. The group has asked also for strengthening mechanisms
to monitor press freedom throughout the Commonwealth.
Local democracy must mean decentralisation of power to local
government institutions that are accountable, transparent
and representative, the group says. It has asked for legal
representation for local government, and paying to ensure
that decentralisation works.
Corruption must be taken on as a major priority, the expert
group is believed to have recommended. In this the Commonwealth
can assist in repatriation of illegally acquired public funds
and assets transferred abroad. The group has asked the Commonwealth
to consider proposing legal frameworks for this. The group
has also proposed an international convention on this.
A particular recommendation, one that Commonwealth secretary-general
Don McKinnon has taken up already is to push the case of developed
countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It has asked
for provisions within the WTO for poor Commonwealth countries
to undertake liberalisation in ways that do not hurt the poor.
The group is reported to have said the Commonwealth secretariat
should provide technical support to poor member countries
to increase their capacity to negotiate within the WTO.
All this cannot happen without more money, and the group is
said to have recommended a doubling of overseas development
assistance to 100 billion dollars.
The British Treasury has already proposed an international
financing facility. The Commonwealth has been trying for some
time to take a leading role in running such a facility.
The group is believed also to have recommended a strengthened
aid administration in beneficiary countries, reduction in
tied aid and an increase in direct budgetary support. It has
asked for measures to enhance stable flow of private investment
to developing countries, and flexible approaches to debt relief.
The expert group has asked for changes beyond the Commonwealth
that could benefit member countries. Member countries are
asked to ensure deeper participation in poverty reduction
programmes and development strategies. Again, the expert group
wants the Commonwealth to anchor these recommendations into
specific programmes that are observable and can be reported.
Finally the expert group wants the Commonwealth to become
more pro-active in addressing conflict involving member states,
because international action is weakest when conflict involves
countries that are among the poorest.
Many countries in Africa are particularly at risk, the expert
group is believed to have noted. The commonwealth must mobilise
international support to address concerns in such areas, and
facilitate regional peace initiatives. The group says the
Commonwealth must take up such issues alongside the United
Nations.
The group has pointed out that while development programmes
are geared towards the Millennium Development Goals, one-third
of the Commonwealth’s two billion people live on less
than a dollar a day, and nearly two-thirds on less than two
dollars a day.
Of the 31 top priority countries to meet the MDGs, nine are
from the Commonwealth (Cameroon, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique,
Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). But
the situation within the Commonwealth could be worse, because
insufficient data means that 13 Commonwealth states cannot
be classified.
The report notes that the number of democracies has grown
from 35 to 130 over the past 25 years. But many Commonwealth
countries have failed to implement democratic procedures.
In addressing such needs both in development and democracy,
the expert group points to a strong role for civil society,
which it calls the third push towards those two goals, after
government and the role of the market.
Where the voice of the poor cannot be heard directly within
government, civil society and the media must give voice to
holding government and the private sector to account, the
group is reported to have said. The report will be officially
released this week.
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