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DPMF Publications: |
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Opening Address |
Madam Chair Person,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
On behalf of H.E. Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary - General of the
Organization of African Unity (OAU), allow me to join the Executive Director in
welcoming you all to this conference which is being organized here in Addis
Ababa, by the Development Policy Management Forum. The OAU which has had the occasion to participate in similar
initiatives undertaken in the past by a number of organizations, wishes to
signal its qualified support for this present initiative which falls within one
of its priority areas: Conflict management, democratization and development.
This conference thus provides us with a further opportunity to discuss
the important issues of democratization, conflict and development management.
Chair Person,
Excellencies,
The turn of the decade in 1990 was a watershed in African political
development. It will be recorded as
a moment as portentous as 1960, the year in which most African States gained
independence. 1990 marks the moment
when debates about democracy were put back on the national agenda as citizens in
African countries stood up and demanded political accountability from their
leaders. Partly in response to
these demands, a majority of OAU Member States have adopted more liberal and
transparent practices of governance. To
date, multiparty elections have been held in at least 80 percent of African
countries and still more are scheduled for the coming months. These events mark
a significant turning point for the continent: for the first time in a
generation, political parties have embarked on experiments to share and compete
for power, thus returning sovereignty to where it belongs – the people.
Chair Person,
Even though the present political evolution in Africa is largely driven by
internal factors and developments within the continent, its place has to be
understood within the context of dramatic changes that have been taking place in
the international environment. With
the end of the Cold War issues related to political liberalization began to
dominate the international agenda, in what one author has called a “global
democratic revolution.” Events in
Africa are mirrored in other regions of the world, from Eastern Europe to Asia
and Latin America, as countries observe and then emulate them and spur on the
process of political liberalization going on in other countries.
The end of Cold War rivalries has relaxed the super powers’ attitudes
towards the possibility of political transitions and has increased their
emphasis on human rights and improvements in governance.
In brief, changes in the international environment have provided renewed
opportunities for political liberalization.
Not only is the liberalization of political regimes a valuable innovation
in its own right, but it promises positive impacts on other aspects of African
development and society. By
encouraging the popular participation of African citizens in the conduct of
their own affairs, political reform unleashes untapped sources of human
potential. The introduction of a
greater degree of political competition acknowledges realistically that African
societies are more pluralistic than can be contained by rhetorical exhortations
to national unity. The impact of
political change on economic growth remains uncertain though on balance, the
odds appear favorable. At least in
the short run, democratically elected governments will enjoy enough political
legitimacy to win popular acceptance for the unpalatable structural adjustment
measures that are essential to Africa’s economic recovery.
And in the long run, the development of democratic institutions offers
opportunities for citizens to oversee the behavior of public officials and
dissuade them from making policy changes that are unwise or egregiously
self-serving. Improvements in
economic governance also seem likely to have a positive effect on economic
growth and thus national development.
The level of conflicts in Africa today as a result of a combination of
underdevelopment and lack of norms for good governance which have resulted in
the dehumanization of such segments of our population is simply unacceptable and
cannot be allowed to continue. It is, therefore, gratifying to note that during
the recent years, Africa, through our continental organization, the OAU,
cognizant of the fact that human life being sacrosanct has to be protected and
preserved, decided to delink itself with those debilitating and excruciating
circumstances which, for years, had conspired during the Cold War period and
began constructing the road to peace, security, stability, democracy and
preservation of life.
We in the OAU believe that democratization, in spite of some difficulties
or problems that have been experienced during its implementation, is an
important tool for development. It
is indeed a necessity for stable governance in many African countries that are
divided by ethnic, religious or other social difficulties.
Democracy therefore, is a core element in ensuring and guarantying good
governance and an essential factor in Conflict Management.
An authentic democracy requires the development of civic awareness, a
sense of appreciation and judgement and the acquisition of a critical faculty
that seeks to construct and create a perception and analysis of events necessary
for making intelligent political choices.
It was precisely because of the recognition of the role of democracy in
good governance and conflict management that our African leaders, adopted,
during their twenty-sixth session in July 1990, the “Declaration on the
Political and Socio-Economic Situation in Africa and the Fundamental Changes
Taking Place in the World.” Indeed,
the cancer of chaos that has been propelled in most pluralistic societies in
Africa has been due to the absence of proper dialogue, viable constitution and
free and fair elections. I believe
that people who fully participate in the life of their societies, who can freely
express their hopes and dreams or criticisms in a family, are less likely to
take up arms to make themselves heard.
The position of the OAU was once again highlighted in the Cairo Agenda of
March 1995, adopted by the OAU Ministers, who declared that, “we recognize and
resolve that democracy, good governance, peace, security, stability and justice
are among the most essential factors in African socio-economic development.
Without democracy and peace, development is not possible, and without
development, peace is not durable”. In
that regard, the ministers pledged to foster democratization and good
governance, characterized by accountability, transparency and the rule of law. Many of our Member States have over the years recognized the
use of political pluralism to resolve different points of view.
Such an approach does emphasize diversity, recognition of ethnicity and
fighting out political differences through a process in which everyone feels
they have a stake.
Since 1990, there has been a growing understanding among Member States of
the OAU that the Organization must show more responsiveness to the new
challenges, especially in the fields of conflicts, economic development and
democratization. Mention may
further be made at this point to the fact that the OAU, at the invitation of the
Authorities concerned, has also been involved in election monitoring with the
objective of assisting Member States in the peaceful management of change and in
the building of democratic cultures and institutions capable of diffusing
tensions arising from rival political groups.
The OAU established an electoral Unit within the Political Department,
following the July 1990 Declaration of the Heads of State and Government, which
reaffirmed the right of African States to decide which forms of democratic
government might be most appropriate for them, given the existing socio-cultural
values, different historical trends and current socio-economic realities.
Since 1990, the OAU has monitored or observed Presidential and
Parliamentary elections/referenda on over 90 occasions.
Currently we have Observer Missions in Namibia and Guinea-Bissau.
I believe that our African cultures have attributes that constitute the
universal concept of democracy, these are to be found in our religious and,
racial tolerance, our palaver tradition, political accountability and in the
principle of economic sharing. Indeed
and perhaps, as this august gathering of experts from various fields is going to
deliberate, there are differing interfaces between democratization and conflicts
with serious implications on the management of development in Africa.
The OAU believes that pluralism and democratization are important
ingredients for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts and for
the establishment of a fair and just society that can have the energy to focus
on development.