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DEMOCRACY
AND DEVELOPMENT : TWIN ENGINES OF PROGRESS 
By Don McKinnon (915 words)
IPS COLUMNIST SERVICE, NOVEMBER 2003
A key challenge of the 2003 Commonwealth Heads
of Government Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, from 5-8 December, is understanding how democratic
values
and practices can be harnessed to help communities achieve
more growth,
develop better health and education systems, and increase
their living
standards, writes Don McKinnon, Commonwealth Secretary-General
since April
2000.
In this article the author writes that one
important way of achieving progress in both democracy and
development is through consensus-building. The process of
global dialogue on which the Commonwealth is based allows
leaders to develop joint approaches to problems of common
concern.
We use the power of consensus in the area
of trade and economic development. Because it embraces such
a great diversity of states -- large and small, rich and poor,
island and land-locked -- the Commonwealth is strategically
placed to ensure that the voices of its smaller and developing
members are not ignored.
The greatest obstacle to effective consensus-building
is often the lack of common ground. Here lies the Commonwealth
advantage: our nations are not only united by self-interest;
they also share common values, similar political, judicial
and administrative structures, a common language and a similar
business culture.
(*) Don McKinnon has been Commonwealth Secretary-General since April 2000.
He previously held a number of Cabinet positions in the New Zealand
Government, including Deputy Prime Minister (1990-96) and Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (1990-99).
.
This is an excerpt from the article.
Editors interested in acquiring the full text of these columns,
please contact romacol@ips.org
specifying the name and address of the publication as well
as a proposed rate. Unfortunately, we cannot comply with requests
from individuals or organisations that do not represent media
outlets.
THE
FUTURE OF THE COMMONWEALTH
By Greg Mills (860 words)
IPS COLUMNIST SERVICE, NOVEMBER 2003
As the date of its summit in Abuja, Nigeria, approaches
(5-8 December), the Commonwealth finds itself polarised and
apparently paralysed about what to do with Mugabe's Zimbabwe,
writes Greg Nillas, National Director of the South African
Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the author
of ''Poverty to Prosperity: Globalisation, Good Governance
and African Recovery''.
As a result of Robert Mugabe's misrule from Harare, half of
Zimbabwe's 13 million citizens face starvation, and many live
under constant physical threat from his government. This situation
stands in dire contrast to the values set forth in the Harare
Declaration, Mills writes in this article.
Human rights issues now threaten to divide the Commonwealth
between North and South, between the developed and developing
world, between the largely white and the largely black member-states.
In spite of the labelling of the Abuja meeting as ''Development
and Democracy: Partnership for Peace and Prosperity'', the
agenda is likely to be dominated not only by Mugabe's Zimbabwe
but also by the security situation in Iraq.
(*) Greg Mills is the National Director of the South African
Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the author,
most recently, of ''Poverty to Prosperity: Globalisation,
Good Governance and African Recovery''.
This is an excerpt from the article.
Editors interested in acquiring the full text of these columns,
please contact romacol@ips.org
specifying the name and address of the publication as well
as a proposed rate. Unfortunately, we cannot comply with requests
from individuals or organisations that do not represent media
outlets.
DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT MUST GO
TOGETHER
By Boutros Boutros-Ghali (794 words)
IPS COLUMNIST SERVICE, NOVEMBER 2003
At the heart of the international debate is the relation
between development and democracy, writes Boutros Boutros-Ghali,
Secretary General of the United Nations from 1992-1996.
In this article the author writes that these two concepts
are inherently intertwined but have all too often been treated
as separate. The achievement of both is fundamental to the
future of world peace. Development is essential to complement
and reinforce democracy. It represents the set of economic,
social, and cultural aspirations to which all societies aspire.
The right to development is a human right. It should involve
all aspects of human life. Inequality, poverty, exclusion,
religious fanaticism, racism, xenophobia, and lack of dialogue
are all impediments to development which ought to be overcome
if we are to work towards the establishment of a more global
democratic culture. The mere fact that these are still common
traits of modern societies highlights the need for participation
and involvement in the democratic process. It reveals that
freedom of opinion and expression are not only rights that
are to be taken for granted, but rights that must be put into
practice.
(*) Boutros Boutros-Ghali was Secretary General of the United
Nations from 1992-1996.
This is an excerpt from the article.
Editors interested in acquiring the full text of these columns,
please contact romacol@ips.org
specifying the name and address of the publication as well
as a proposed rate. Unfortunately, we cannot comply with requests
from individuals or organisations that do not represent media
outlets.
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