Africa, Development & Aid, Global Governance, Globalisation, Headlines, Human Rights, Migration & Refugees, Poverty & SDGs

HELSINKI PROCESS: Globalisation in the Dock

Francis Kokutse and Rosalia Omungo

DAR ES SALAAM, Nov 27 2007 (IPS) - The latest conference to be held under the Helsinki Process opened in Tanzania&#39s commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, Tuesday, with calls for the gains of globalisation to be shared fairly amongst nations.

"There is a widespread sense that this framework is neither complete nor balanced," said Tanzanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe. "Many countries lack the basic economic, technological and institutional capacities needed to benefit from globalisation, and have limited bargaining power to fully participate in global markets."

The Helsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy is a joint initiative by Finland and Tanzania that got underway in late 2002, to give representatives of the North and South "a new kind of equal forum…to come together to discuss common issues of concern", according to the Helsinki website. This came against the realisation that the problems posed by globalisation require broad-based solutions.

The first phase of the process (2003-2005) focused, in part, on developing extensive co-operation to address global problems, and concluded with a conference in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. The second leg of the initiative (2005-2007) has aimed at pushing for certain proposals made during the first chapter to be implemented; its objectives also included continuing with broad consultation on the difficulties facing the international community.

This week&#39s conference (Nov. 27-29), being held under the theme &#39Inclusive Governance – Bridging Global Divides&#39, marks the end of the second phase of the Helsinki Process. It will review what has been achieved over the past two years.

Membe said global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation had to become more democratic and inclusive.

In addition, he highlighted the need for inequalities of market access to be dealt with, and noted that there was an urgent need to give social concerns equal weight with economic factors in efforts to free trade: "Trade liberalisation requires proper institutions for adjustment and social security – capital flows will dry up in times of social unrest – and international investment calls for rapid educational advancement of the labour force."

Delegates at the opening ceremony were also addressed by Finnish Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Teija Tiilikainen, who echoed the call for improved global governance. This was needed, she said, to deal with "contemporary challenges related, for example, to…changes taking place in global security and the environment…".

Tiilikainen said the nature of globalisation required "all international actors (to) join their efforts", and that since the launch of the Helsinki Process in 2002, "the need for dialogue among stakeholders from different regions (had) only become clearer".

"Bridging the divides between different states, cultures and actors seems to be more topical now than it ever has been and therefore it is important that we consider how the experience of the Helsinki Process could support us in this endeavour."

Tiilikainen said the Helsinki Process had been able to provide a "neutral forum for dialogue" where no single group felt "disadvantaged or prejudiced".

"This may not seem as a great achievement in and of itself, but we must remember that it is very difficult to build trust and new kinds of partnerships in an environment where one group or another feels underhanded."

The opening events of the Dar es Salaam meeting also included a panel discussion on how the experiences of the Helsinki Process could help overcome global divisions.

Present at the discussion was Anna Tibaijuka, U.N. under-secretary-general and executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), who said that inadequate local government was posing severe challenges to development in an era of rapid urbanisation.

"We need to have complete devolution of power, a genuine one where we empower people with their locally elected leaders to decide their development," she told IPS.

"When people are moving into cities, we have to find a way for their voice to be heard in a structured manner."

For his part, Solomon Gichira – programmes officer at the Nairobi-based All African Conference of Churches – believes people at grass roots can come up with their own solutions for problems, and that little faith should be placed in officials.

"Government does not act. Once you get to power you forget the people&#39s problems, from the potholes in the roads to bigger problems. If we go to the people, we will move; if not, we will go back to square one."

According to UN-HABITAT, 2007 marked a watershed in urbanisation: it was the first year in which the number of people living in cities equaled that living in rural areas. Urban growth is highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

By 2030, some five billion people are expected to be city dwellers, against about three billion in the countryside.

However, cities are ill-equipped to deal with this influx. Already, about a billion people – one in six persons – live in slums. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 72 percent of urban dwellers live in informal settlements.