Title: Source Book on Governance


Date: 31/07/1998
Language: english

SOURCE BOOK ON GOVERNANCE

Introduction

This source book presented in a form of a question and answer, is the first in a series that will focus on a range of issues that fall under the preview of the UN-System-wide Special Initiative on Africa (UN-SIA). The SIA launched in March 1996, and focusing in areas of the highest priority in Africa's development. The Initiative has 13 clusters ranging from urgent survival issues to general development matters. Among the goals of SIA is to develop and implement a communications strategy that will effectively advocate for Africa with emphasis on redressing the image of Africa in the international community by providing accurate, contextualized, and targeted information on African development achievements and challenges. This booklet is part of the effort to close the information gap on Africa and to generate debate on important developments in the continent and help redress the image of Africa. No doubt, it is not comprehensive and does not cover all there is on the subject.

From the inception of this endeavor the SIA secretariat in Addis Ababa has sought to listen to views and concerns of media practitioners in Africa. This healthy interaction has continued and will be encouraged at all stages of the implementation of this strategy whose immediate goal is to produce an authoritative source-book on issues of topical and pertinent interest to Africa's development and image.

At a workshop held in October 1997 in Addis Ababa, invited journalists welcomed the idea of facilitating their work by providing accurate and timely information sources.They also backed the planned program to actively involve them in training and dissemination of ECA and SIA related news.

The material contained in this source book does not in any way represent an official stand by the ECA and is merely meant to provide information to readers in a systematic way on urgent development issues in Africa.

Any omissions as well as particular treatment of topics that you would like to see covered should be brought to the attention of the editors of this series who will gladly evaluate and act upon the suggestions. You may get in touch with us at the following address:


SIA Secretariat, ECA
P.O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Telephone: (251-1) 516667
Fax: (251-1) 512233
E-mail: ecasia@un.org


Background

Conceptualizing Governance

Ideas of what constitutes good governance vary a great deal. All societies, to a lesser or greater degree, are faced with the task of designing systems of management of their affairs that are efficient and effective and are capable of expanding and sustaining choices of their members.

How societies ought to be organized to achieve desirable ends has been the never-ending preoccupation of political thinkers of various persuasions. The ideas of the supremacy of individual rights, best articulated by John Stuart Mill in his Essays on Liberty, have greatly contributed to ideas and practices of governance for over a century. Side by side was the development of collectivist theories that placed society at the centre and relegated individual liberties to the periphery.

In pre-colonial Africa, there were many political practices buttressed by different traditions. On whole, egalitarianism was the principle at the heart of most political systems in Africa. Decision by consensus was the norm and dissent was usually tolerated.

There has been a resurgence of interest in the concept of governance following the triumph of market oriented systems over socialist or collectivist systems. There is still some controversy as to what constitutes proper governance and the search continues for an all-inclusive definition that will encompass the various strands of thought and the realities in different parts of the world. It is primarily because of these differences that dialogue on the subject of governance has been problematic. Some in developing countries argue that there can be no universal fit-all definition. International organisations in the field of governance have adopted working definitions that stress what ought to be done to achieve hoped for results. They do not usually discuss theories underlying the prescriptions they offer.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) defines governance as " the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority to manage a nation's affairs. It is the complex mechanisms, processes, relationships and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their rights and obligations and mediate their differences." Governance, accordingly, is to be judged not only on outcomes but also on the processes and relationships that produce them. Sound governance, which is a sub-set of governance, implies effective and efficient management of public resources and an adequate response to critical societal needs. It also denotes democratic forms of relationships between the governed and the governors, relationships that have in-built mechanisms for public participation, accountability and transparency. Experience has shown that systems that incorporate the above elements have been better able to satisfy broad societal needs including sustainable human development.

Modes of governance permeate entire societies and encompass every institution and organisation in them, from family to the state. In general terms governance can be delineated into three domains, the state, civil society organisations and the private sector, all which contribute to the promotion and sustenance of desirable governance outcomes.


Challenges to Governance in Africa

- What are the main challenges to good governance in Africa?

There are several challenges to good governance in Africa:

The Collapsed State: In a number of cases the state, already weakened by strife, hardly has the capacity to govern and maintain law and order. These conditions exacerbate conflicts and make their resolution doubly difficult. The first challenge in such instances is to create a viable state and this is by no means easy. The process involves more or less negotiating into existence a state whose collapse was occasioned by lack of capacity and inclusiveness, and by deeply held suspicions about the motives of the various segments of the former collapsed state. Three decades of conflict have left a number of African states-Somalia and Liberia being extreme examples-in advanced stage of ruin. The most notable recent African case of state collapse is Somalia. So far, efforts to revive the state of Somalia have foundered and factional rule persists. Liberia is slowly emerging out of chaos thanks largely to the intervention of neighbours and has started on the path reconstruction.

Although poverty may well be the root cause of the social and political chaos that has characterized Africa in the recent past, peace is a sine qua non for development. Most African leaders now recognize strife as intolerable. Regional peace initiatives, with varying degrees of success, have been mooted to deal with conflict to bring it, when it erupts, to a speedy resolution.

The Overburdened State: The second challenge to governance is posed by the state that that takes on too many functions. An overbearing state bureaucracy that has grown rapidly entrenched in all aspects of society has characterized African countries. The problem was most acute in those states that espoused and practiced theories of central planning. The public sector became too large displacing the private sector and civil society. While the problem may not have been as serious in Africa as it was in the centrally planned economies of the former communist block it has posed a serious obstacle to the process of state disengagement.

Nurturing Democracy: The third challenge to Africa's political well being is nurturing democracy. There is growing recognition that although democracy is a difficult process requiring vigilance and reinforcement, it is absolutely essential to good governance. Africa's heads of state have made democracy a key part of their collective agenda over the past seven years. Having accepted the necessity of a democratic process, the challenge for Africa is to move forward. In some countries, narrow political considerations, personalized power and corruption have undermined the process of democracy and responsive governance. While it is acknowledged that the pace of democratization will vary from country to country, depending on the exigencies of each, the desire for greater freedom and rational management of people and other resources is widespread in Africa as never before.

The civil society organisations are an essential component of the democratization of society. Not all leaders in Africa view them favourably. Some leaders see civil society organisations as political competitors that need to be reined in rather than fostered. Nonetheless, civil organizations have persisted in their demands for legitimization, recognition, policy dialogues, collaboration in implementing development in appropriate sectors, and political room in which to develop.

Helping civil society contribute to the maturation of Africa's politics and economy is the raison d'être of the African Charter for Popular Participation in Development and Transformation. The charter was sponsored by Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in 1990 and adopted by civil society organisations and international agencies as well as Africa's heads of State. The charter views popular participation as both a means and an end; "a fundamental right of the people to fully and effectively participate in the determination of the decisions which affect their lives at all levels and at all times."

Gender Equity: The fourth challenge is to mainstream women in politics and public administration. In Africa, the exclusion of women from centres of power, whether at the national, community or household level has been partially responsible for wide disparities between men and women in economic, social, and political spheres. Good governance presupposes involvement of all sexes, equally, at all levels of decision making. Currently women make up less that 10% of the parliamentarians in the continent's parliaments and hold an even smaller share of top appointments.

Governance that does not represent both sexes is neither participatory nor inclusive and is in many respects retrogressive. The absence of women's voices and perspectives has contributed to an impoverished debate, and, always, distorted policies. A few African countries have adopted pragmatic approaches to ensure gender equality in government decision making. A legal quota for the representation of women in legislative bodies is one strategy that has been adopted by Uganda, South Africa and Eritrea. Gender equality for women in an issue for society, and all institutions of governance than can promote gender equality need to be strengthened.

At ECA, the promotion of gender equality is a full crosscutting programme. The 40th anniversary of ECA was an occasion to reflect on the enormous contributions of African women to the development for their countries.

Alleviation of Poverty: The fifth challenge to good governance is poverty. Its alleviation poses perhaps the greatest challenge to the capacities of states as well as to the private and civil society sectors in African countries. Disparities between rich and poor in income and capabilities have increased in most of African countries. The inequalities, coupled by worsening economic situations, have condemned many people to poverty. Although privatization has become the norm and productivity is up on average, the new economic paradigm is blamed for layoffs in situations where states do not have the capacity to create jobs, and the market economy is not robust enough. Poverty reduction requires three basic elements: empowerment of people through education to ensure access to opportunity, social investment and sustainable livelihoods.

Poverty, inequality and governance are all related to power. Participation in governance is weak because the poor are socially, economically and politically marginalized and have difficulty expressing opinions that will be heard by government. The cycle of poverty that brings feelings of helplessness can be changed only through empowerment. The first step is to undertake civic and social education that promotes a broader understanding of individual rights and responsibilities. But the newly emerging interest groups in many developing countries do not always express the needs and concerns of the poor, making it difficult for the poor to organize and have their opinions heard and acted upon.

As the priorities of government and the private sector have changed over the past decade, linkages among poverty, inequality and governance have become blurred. The primacy of the state's role in dealing with poverty is increasingly being challenged. However, the enabling environment that governments can create remains a critical factor in facing issues of poverty and inequality, and in promoting job creation and sustainable livelihoods. There is a growing recognition that these issues must be tackled collectively by the state, civil society organisations, families and the private sector.

Management of financial and natural resources: The sixth challenge relates to management of financial and natural resources. Effective systems of collection, allocation and redistribution of financial resources and the capacity to mobilize natural resources efficiently will greatly contribute to surmounting many of the challenges to governance in Africa. Africa faces a strong need to decentralize management and control of financial and natural resources. Decentralization will lead to increase trust, transparency, accountability and capacity. The state, civil society and the private sector have crucial contributions to make in the area of environmental protection.

Ownership of governance reforms: The seventh challenge is creating local ownership of governance reforms. Although basic norms of good governance apply universally, specific institutions and systems cannot be imported wholesale. They must be home grown and supported.


Governance Explained

- What types of governance have been identified?

There are four basic types of governance:

Economic governance: encompasses decision-making processes that have a bearing, direct or indirect on a country's internal or external economic activities. Economic governance greatly impacts production of wealth, its distribution and the general quality of life

Political governance: refers to political decision-making and policy implementation of a legitimate and authoritative state. A democratic state is predicated on separated and checked powers, a pluralist polity and regular and frequent participation of citizens in election of their leaders and representatives.

Administrative governance: refers to a system of administration and policy implementation carried out through an efficient, independent, accountable and open public sector.

Systemic governance: embraces all the attributes of governance geared to enhancing the life of citizens and subsumes the three types of governance mentioned above. African countries face challenges in all four types of governance. The task ahead is to construct and sustain systems that respond to economic, political and management needs of the African people.

- What are the criteria for good governance?

Seven criteria stand out: legitimacy, freedom of association and participation and freedom of the media, fair and established legal frameworks that are enforced impartially, bureaucratic accountability and transparency, freely available information, effective and efficient public sector management, and cooperation between governments and civil society organisations. These components have been readily identified by the general public and scholars and underscore the point that popular participation in decision-making forms the foundation of any good governance system.

Systems imbued with good governance are efficient and effective in carrying out their functions, are responsive to public needs and operate according to the rule of law. They also ensure gender equality and the participation of women in decision-making at all levels.


Realms of Governance

- What are the major realms of governance?

The major realms of governance are the State, the Private Sector and the Civil Society.

- What are the responsibilities of the State?

The State has the responsibility to create a political environment that is conducive to good governance. The attributes of a capable state are:

Capacity to add value to and facilitate social interaction, by, protecting the environment, maintaining social harmony, security and order, stabilizing the economic environment, and financing and providing essential public services and infrastructure.

Competence to empower people in general and leveling the playing field to provide for greatest possible social, economic and political inclusion. As a prerequisite, the state must be legitimate and function within an institutional environment that fosters popular participation and is governed by the rule of law.

In African countries, as in many developing countries, the first order of business for states embarking on political reform has been to decentralize administration and democratize the political system.

- What other roles does the State have?

The state should strive to create a conducive environment for broad-based participation of all stakeholders, protect the vulnerable, improve government efficiency and effectiveness, foster equity, encourage social integration and cultural diversity, protect the environment and uphold gender equality.

- What are some of the reactions to recent thinking on the role of the State in Africa?

In the recent past there has been a reaction against what a few African leaders have perceived as whittling down the role of the state. The state, they maintain, will remain the locus of political activity and is all the more necessary in the current era of globalization. In the opening address to the "Governance in Africa" held in Addis Ababa on 2nd March 1998, former President of Tanzania Mwalimu Julius Nyerere called on Africa to ignore calls to weaken the state in Africa. "Our states are so weak and anaemic already that it would amount to crime to weaken them further," he observed. Even critics concede that a strong capable state predicated on democratic principles is essential to development in Africa.

- What is the role of the private sector in governance?

A healthy private sector is a crucial component of any sound economy. Economic performance affects governance in many related ways. Sound economic management is a prerequisite for economic growth. A thriving private sector makes a difference by dispersing economic and political power, a development that contributes to good governance. In an increasingly globalized economy based on market principles, no national economy can afford to go it alone. Globalization requires enterprises of all sizes to respond swiftly to market conditions that include ability to compete internationally through the use of advanced technology. Labour costs alone are no longer crucial in overall cost efficiency. Developing countries have been urged to create environments that attract investors by reducing the role of the public sector in production, and expanding room for the creation and growth of small and medium size-enterprises as they hold the key to employment creation.

Small and medium sized enterprises play a crucial role as job creators and alleviators of poverty. In South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, this scale of enterprises account for the highest percentage of manufacturing jobs mostly for unskilled labour who are most likely to suffer social exclusion and poverty.

Despite the evident importance of the private sector in job creation and economic growth, it is not clear that the sector's operation is facilitated in Africa. In many African countries the sector suffers from limited access to and high costs of credit, and, frequently, bureaucratic hurdles. Clearly, the private sector's ability to create jobs depends on market development.


Issues in Governance in Africa

- What are the main issues in governance in Africa?

The first is democratization. In the past decade, Africa has experienced a movement away from military and one party rule to more open pluralistic systems. While a number of countries are still going through a period of civil upheaval and armed confrontation, in general, Africa is engaged in a search for viable systems of governance that incorporate tenets of democracy.

By and large, African countries do have modern rational-legal systems of governance elaborated in their constitutions, and are signatories to many international conventions that stipulate adherence to some basic conduct of governance. There is however a major dissonance between stated intentions and reality on the ground. Governance institutions simply did operate, as they should and this has led to authoritarianism, perpetual rule and the individualization of the state to serve the interests of the rulers and their coteries.

One major consequence of personalization of power is the decline of the state's capacity to carry out any developmental function, which has serious implications for legitimacy of the state. Political disorder arising out of declining economic performance engenders extreme dissatisfaction that frequently into turns into civil strife.

The challenge facing Africa in the 1990s is to find ways of reversing the observed negative trend. Good governance is essential to Africa's revival and African governments do readily acknowledge that not much can be accomplished without it.

- What are some of the "dividends" of democratization?

Progress made in the areas of governance and liberalization has ushered in economic growth. In the past few years, growth rates in three countries have exceeded 8 per cent per annum; eight countries have reached between 6 and 8 per cent; and a dozen countries have averaged between 3 and 6 per cent. Data on overall economic performance in 1997 in 38 countries show that all but one country registered economic growth. Fifteen of 38 achieved GDP growth of at least 5 per cent. Among them, 11 countries reached 6 per cent of higher and the top performers growing at well over 7 per cent. These positive economic indicators have followed in the wake of a surge towards political and economic liberalization and the establishment of plural and more accountable and transparent political systems.

- What is capacity building in relation to governance?

Capacity refers to people, institutions, and practices that enable countries to achieve their goals. Africa has suffered from a progressive whittling of its capacity, particularly that of the state with severe implications to the rest of society.

- What accounts for Africa's declining capacity?

One primary cause of declining capacity is the deterioration of education systems and training capacity in the continent. This has negatively impacted the private sector, the public sector and the civil society. Poor governance is generally recognized as the root of Africa's capacity problems. In many countries, political considerations have taken precedence over public interest and broader issues of development. African governments have come round to the realization that they are unlikely to make headway unless they build capacity in all vital sectors. Accepting the need to revamp governance practices is a desirable beginning in an attempt to deal with capacity constraints.

- What is accountability?

Accountability encompasses holding individuals and organisations responsible for performance measured as objectively as possible. Public accountability refers to the spectrum of approaches, mechanisms, and practices used by governments to ensure that their activities and outputs meet the intended goals and standards. This notion of accountability is applicable to all levels of government, public enterprises, individuals, and groups.

- What are some methods of ensuring accountability?

Procedures of ensuring accountability will differ depending on the level. At all levels, public accountability is intended to ensure close relationship between what public officials are mandated to deliver and what they accomplish, as well as the efficient and effective use of public resources. Accountability is achieved through a combination of factors that mostly take the form of pressure, be it of consumers in the market place or of services offered by a public agency.

- What is Africa's experience with accountability?

Accountability has not been a defining feature in the delivery of public goods and services in Africa. Groups with the greatest capacity to exert pressure are often both service producers and consumers. The strategy they usually employ is that of capture-that is, they appropriate to themselves the best of what there is and allow the quality of the remaining public goods and services to deteriorate. When such conditions prevail, one form of pressure that has proved effective is mass action.

- What is the link between transparency and accountability?

Transparency is the flip-side of accountability and they both are essential to good governance and key institutions of the state, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive cannot be strengthened without them. Transparency and accountability need to become part of the political and economic culture and one way to reinforce this development is to create institutions whose main purpose will be to promote these key elements. The success of such institutions will invariably depend on the strength of democratic tendencies in the general society.

- Has the opposition in Africa worked towards good governance?

Legalization of opposition parties in many African countries is a recent development. Their legalization has extended the political space and debate, and contributed to the furtherance of good political governance. Multi-partyism not withstanding, the political atmosphere in most African states is characterized by lack of tolerance for differences; winner takes all attitudes, demonizing of the opposition and irresponsible opposition.

- Considering governance problems in Africa, where should the emphasis be placed?

The emphasis should be on creation of institutions whose main purpose is to promote transparency and accountability should help overcome the obstacles to a democratic political culture and consolidate the institutional foundations of good governance. The most appropriate institutions in this regard are independent commissions and regulatory agencies with quasi legislative, judicial and executive powers and specifically designed to deal with issues or problems that transcended the three branches of government or are too technical or political to be left to any of them.

In addition to the independent commissions and regulatory agencies such as the office of the Auditor General, the judicial commission, civilian police review boards, three other agencies are particularly suited for promoting transparency and accountability. These are public media and communications council, human rights commissions, and the Office of the Ombudsman.

- What is the importance of civil society?

The importance of Civil Society lies in the facilitation of political and social interaction and the ability to mobilize various groups in society to participate in economic, social and political activities.

Civil society organisations are social creations and they provide important checks and balances on government power and on the private sector, but their activities contribute to and smooth operations in the two domains. Civil society organisations can monitor the environment, resource depletion, pollution and social abuses; provide social services such as health and education at reasonable cost to consumers; contribute to economic development by engaging in direct economic activities that are not attractive to the private sector thereby offering opportunities for individuals to improve their standards of living.

By channeling people's participation in economic and social activities, civil society organisations provide a forum and a collective voice to groups that would otherwise find difficult to organize or to be heard enabling them to influence public policies. Civil society organisations also have an important role in mitigating the potentially deleterious efforts of economic instability because they create efficient mechanisms for allocating social benefits and frequently act as pressure groups in political and government decision-making for marginalized groups. Civil society organisations do fill in the gap created by market failures and weaknesses. Cooperatives, for instance, help in uniting small disparate producers or consumers giving them an effective voice in the market place.

Cooperatives have a long history in Europe and in some parts of Africa they are well established. In the United States of America, the Non-Profit Sector or the Third Sector, as it is called, plays a prominent role in the economy especially in the provision of social services such as education, health-care and care of children and the elderly.

- What are civil society organisations?

Civil societies are composed of organizations and institutions as diverse as trade unions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations, religious entities, charities, clubs, foundations, political parties, sports associations, environmental groups, cooperatives, citizens' watch-dog organisations, cultural groups, special interest groups, professional groups, support groups, academic and research institutions, consumer and service organisations and health service providers.

- What contribution does a vibrant civil society make to society?

Vibrant civil societies contribute immensely to social stability, retention of openness and competition, and to the society's capacity to develop its population. The sector provides what is frequently called "social capital" that is increasingly observed as a crucial variable in development. Civil society organisations are especially important in societies making a transition from totalitarianism to more open systems.

- What are the prerequisites for the development of a civil society?

Four prerequisites for the development of a civil society are:


• A legislative and regulatory framework that guarantees the right of association;
  
  
• Tax and other incentives to facilitate support from corporate and philanthropic organisations to civil society associations;
  
  
• Agreed mechanisms for the involvement of civil society organisations in decision making and in the implementation of decisions taken; and
  
  
• Financial support from the state and the donor community, especially for start-up expenditures.

What is the link civil society organisations and governance?

Cooperation between civil society organisations and the government is vital to good governance. Civil society institutions deserve much greater attention and support as they constitute a critical element of social cohesion and mobilization, service delivery, transparency and accountability. Civil society organizations in Africa have been recognized as key agents of local change and development.

- What is the scope of NGO activity?

Non-Governmental Organisations' activities vary from local-level micro-projects projects to national, regional and international operations. International NGOs tend to be based in developed countries and conduct operations in the developing world. As many as 50,000 NGOs are thought to be operating in developing countries. In 1990 it was estimated that $US7.3 billion-13 per cent of net official aid or 2.5 per cent of total resource transfers to developing countries-was channeled through NGOs.

- What value-added do NGOs bring to development?

NGOs frequently have a comparative advantage in management of resources directed to the poor and marginalized segments of society. They also are a means of achieving greater participation and empowerment of the people. On balance:


• NGOs are efficient and have relatively low operating costs, which stem partly from their voluntary nature and from their closeness to local communities with whom they work. However, it would be unwise to assume that all NGOs are organizationally well adapted to the requirements of local development. Because of their localized focus and impact and their reliance on motivation, sensitivity, commitment, and capabilities, it is often difficult to replicate their activities.
  
  
• Developing government and NGO activities that are mutually reinforcing will require an acceptance of their relative strengths and weaknesses as all-round effective outcomes can be achieved faster when there is cooperation between government and NGOs.
  
  
• All over Africa, civil society organisations have matured into serious actors in the struggle to expand parametres of liberty and the political space. Much of the democratization on the continent could not have taken place without the active participation of civil society organisations.
  
  
• Civil society organisations have access to legislatures and they are often represented in parliaments across Africa. Given this proximity, civil society can play a crucial role in strengthening good governance by, among other things, establishing good working methods and enhancing the skills of legislators.
  
  
• The judiciary can also rely on civil society organisations for information on the abuse of power by the executive and the legislative branches of government. Civil society organisations may utilize information in the press in their role watchdogs of public policy and governmental activity.

- Why are peace and stability important to development?

Peace and stability are necessary conditions for development. There are still to many conflicts in Africa. Peace and stability are dependent on many interdependent factors the most important of which is good governance.

- Has poor governance contributed to civil-strife in Africa?

Social disaffection has led to the many civil wars in Africa. The primary reason for conflict in Africa is capricious and insensitive leadership that has restricted political and economic space. With the rise of political democratization and economic liberalization, greater room for participation of diverse segments in societies has been created and this could lead to lessening of conflict.

- Why is democracy crucial to peace?

Democracies rarely wage wars on each other. Among the causes of many conflicts in Africa are the undemocratic nature of the states and the absence of effective regional mechanisms to contain them. A three-pronged initiative aimed at augmenting peace on the continent entails strengthening the OAU's capacity for peace-building; developing selected civil society organizations engaged in peace building; and utilizing mass media to enhance communication for peace-building.

- What activities have been undertaken by OAU to maintain peace and stability in Africa?

The OAU has established a Peace Fund to finance peaceful resolution of conflicts. A UNDP trust fund will be established to support OAU's peace-building efforts. The peace-building component of the initiative to develop civil society in Africa is well underway. It is intended that specialized nodes be established and/or strengthened to promote conflict resolution and the constructive resolution of conflicts and the underpinnings of national reconciliation and peace from the perspective of civil society organisations.

- Can effective communications assist in peace building?

Communication for peace building is an important part of the transition mechanism from conflict and authoritarianism to peace and democracy. Internal conflicts have often arisen from the fact that the mass of people have limited access to basic information which would empower them to express their views and opinions about significant development problems, and to participate in the process of democratic transition and conflict resolution. In some few unfortunate cases the mass media has been instrumental in inciting hate and contributing to the disintegration of countries.

- What is the role of UNESCO in communication for peace building?

UNESCO is the lead agency under the SIA communication for peace-building component. In July 1997, UNESCO organized a Regional Consultation Meeting on Communication and Peace-Building in Africa that was co-hosted by ECA under the SIA. The Addis Ababa meeting discussed an UNESCO prepared draft project document on the use of communication media to promote peace, tolerance, democracy, good governance, and respect for human rights. The immediate objectives of the proposed project are to prepare a regional plan of action for peace building in Africa as well as national plans of action for twelve countries in the region.

- Is gender inequity in governance being addressed?

Overall picture in Africa presents significant gender gaps in many facets of social, political and economic life. Governance is no exception. Policies pursued have discouraged women from being responsible for important decisions or seeking public offices. Good governance implies involvement of women in decision making at all levels. In almost all-African countries, women are excluded from centres of power. Currently women make up less than 10% of the parliamentarians in the continent's parliaments.

ECA is committed to sensitizing national governments to the need to include women at all levels of decision making. With assistance from the World Bank, ECA has established The Leadership Fund for African Women that will help train women who demonstrate leadership potential, especially on issues where women's voices are critical. ACW advisors will also meet in member countries with local civil service authorities, management groups, and policy makers to advise on bringing women into leadership positions.

- What is ECA's track record on gender equity?

ECA has a good track record of commitment to gender equity and has partnered with other organisations in Africa to achieve the goal. ECA first introduced gender issues into its agenda in 1972. The ACW was established three years later. In 1994 it expanded its work to reflect wider socio-economic concerns posed by gender issues, using seminars, publications, and networking as its primary tools of information exchange.


UNDP and ECA Roles in Governance

- What role does United Nations Special Initiative on Africa (SIA) play in support good governance in Africa?

The SIA has a twofold challenge:

To carry out the best supportive actions congruent with Africa's priorities, and to mobilize the political support needed to ensure that timely action is taken to remove some obstacles to Africa's development. Governance issues (in particular transparency, accountability and responsibility, partnerships across societies and total effectiveness) have been identified as fundamental to development. Under the SIA, planned activities aim to strengthen the public and civil society, create an environment conducive to the private sector, and establish conflict prevention mechanisms. Handled well, each of these factors reinforces the other.

- How does the SIA attempt to foster good governance in Africa?

ECA's principal aim under the SIA is to foster growth through sound and effective governance based on the participation of all segments of society. To this end, the SIA includes three components that will enhance good governance by:


• Expanding the capacities for transparent, responsible and effective governance;
  
  
• Strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations in development, including peace-building; and
  
  
• Strengthening OAU's capacity for peace building, conflict resolution, and national reconciliation.

- How do UNDP and ECA combine their roles on governance issues?

ECA and UNDP have the mandate under the SIA to lead activities designed to assist African countries expand capacity for transparent, reliable and effective governance. In fulfilling their responsibilities on governance under the SIA, UNDP and ECA have drawn on experiences in the management of their respective primary mandates for development and economic development. The two institutions define governance as the totality of the exercise of authority in the management of a country's affairs, comprising of the complex mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights and mediate their differences. Governance encompasses the political, economic, legal, judicial, social and administrative authority and therefore includes government, the private sector and the civil society.

- What specific activities under SIA aim to foster good governance?

Under SIA framework, a series of consultative conferences on governance that emphasize building of partnerships among stakeholders through consensus have been held.


• The first such conference was held in May, 1997 at ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and drew participants from the civil society organisations throughout Africa.
  
  
• This was followed by Regional Consultative Meeting on Communication for Peace-building in Africa, co-hosted by UNESCO and ECA in June 1997.
  
  
• In the following month the first Africa Governance Forum held at the same venue.
  
  
• These activities directly fed into the International Conference on Governance for Sustainable Growth and Equity held at the United Nations General Assembly Hall, New York, in July 1997.
  
  
• At the New York conference, fundamental challenges to governance were highlighted.
  
  
• In March 1998 another conference on governance was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the theme "Consolidating the Institutional Foundations."
  
  
• The Second African Governance Forum took place in June 1998 in Accra, Ghana.

- What are the specific objectives of SIA initiatives on governance?

The SIA intends to build on past and on-going efforts of African countries to improve effectiveness in governance by addressing five key areas: leadership building; transparency and accountability; civil society empowerment; political transition; and peace and stability.


• Leadership building: Reinforcing leadership remains a fundamental governance objective in Africa. Efforts to build and strengthen decision-making at various levels of government and civil society are crucial, and will be supported through capacity building. Emphasis will be placed on the roles and responsibilities of public office holders, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, the limitations of power, and the separation and balance of power required by democratic governance.
  
  
• Transparency and accountability: Accountability is the ability to hold public officials and their representatives to a standard of conduct that is in the public interest. Accountability implies that clear rules of conduct are broadly accepted and those public officials who deviate from them will be disciplined or replaced through regular and legal processes.
  
  
• Civil society empowerment: Civil society works to influence public decisions that affect the interests of their members in particular development priorities, delivery of services and the use of public resources. The state's performance will improve considerably if civil society helps to hold public office holders accountable and transparent in their actions. The empowerment of civil society is critical to national dialogue with decision-makers.
  
  
• Political transitions: The creation of an enabling environment that allows citizens to live in accordance with the beliefs and the exercise of their rights without obstruction from government is crucial. Public institutions such as parliaments, legal and judicial systems that perform well, and open electoral processes, constitute some of the basic elements of sound governance.
  
  
• Peace and stability: Africa has experienced many intra and interstate conflicts around the issues of ethnicity, religion, race and class. These conflicts have been extremely destabilizing and affected countries have had to deal with innumerable problems spawned by them. The end result is that development has been severely retarded if not negated altogether. OAU's capacity for peace-building and conflict resolution must be strengthened as well as those of non-governmental organisations that work to promote reconciliation and peace. Civil societies' ability to mediate in crisis situations, promote research training and democracy, support human rights, must be enhanced.

- What is the African Centre for Civil Society in Africa?

The African Centre for Civil Society (ACCS) was launched at ECA in October 1997.The Centre will assist in the development of a viable civil society organisations capable of handling many challenges confronting Africa. It will also enhance cooperation between African governments and civil society organisations by encouraging governments to support the building of civil society capacity to develop innovative techniques necessary for strengthening democracy and preventing conflict.


African Experience and Perspective on Governance

- What is Africa's experience in governance?

African government inherited modern governance institutions at independence. Elaborate constitutions with bills of rights followed. Things have not proceeded according to expectations. In many African countries constitutions were jettisoned and one party or military regimes characterized by arbitrariness, lack of transparency and accountability, and corruption became the norm. The result was economic decline, national instability and insecurity. With authoritarianism arose perpetual rule and the privatization of the state in the interest of the ruling elite. Governance institutions began to decay.

- What are the major causes of institutional decay in Africa?

Major factors leading to institutional decay include:


• personalization of power;
  
• erosion of state legitimacy;
  
• conflicts and the confluence of forces in the international environment; and
  
• personality cultism, clientelism, nepotism and brutal repression of dissent.
  
• In some countries, there have existed highly developed systems of terror and repression complete with administrative restraints on freedom, the use of armed groups attached to state agencies, and large networks of spies, assassins and thugs.

- What are the consequences of the decay?

The major consequence is the decline in the state's capacity to perform any developmental tasks including even routine administrative functions. This crisis of the state, together with its declining capacity to ensure political stability and its failure to meet the basic needs of the people, has led to erosion of legitimacy and a breakdown of peace and security.

- What is the African leaders' perspective on the governance crisis?

OAU has articulated the parameters of good governance:


• In the 1990 Declaration on the International Changes, African heads of state committed themselves to the establishment of political systems that guaranteed human rights, adhered to the rule of law and ensured high standards of probity and accountability for those in public office. This was a clear demonstration of political will and commitment by African states to change in the direction of good governance.
  
  
• The 1991 Commonwealth Declaration of Good Governance adopted in Harare by heads of government reaffirmed their commitment to change and respect for universally accepted principles of good governance. The key components of the declaration are the right of people to freely elect their governments; the primacy of rule of law; the independence of the judiciary; freedom of expression and association; and transparency and accountability in government.
  
  
• In the Cairo Agenda for Action adopted in July 1995, African Heads of state committed themselves "to the promotion of good governance characterized by accountability, probity, transparency, the rule of law, and a clear separation of powers."
  
  
• At the France-Africa Summit held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in December 1996, African Heads of State and Government in French-speaking Africa further committed themselves to good governance.

- Are global prescriptions on good governance fully supported by African leaders?

There is a residue of distrust in Africa about what is perceived as externally dictated criteria of good governance. At the Commonwealth Round-Table on Democracy and Good Governance in Africa held in Kasana, Botswana, in February 1997, several African leaders underlined that "sustainable democracy could only grow from within societies, and could neither be prescribed nor imposed."

- How have people in Africa responded to the governance crisis?

The African leaders' perspective on governance is in large measure a response to internal and external calls for change. African governments have been under domestic and external pressure to effect changes and liberalise political systems. Democratic elections quickly followed.

- What are the highlights in the development of good governance in Africa in the past decade?

Between 1989 and 1995, thirty-five presidential and parliamentary elections were held, prompting reference to Africa as " the world's most democratically contested continent." Many of the elections did not however result in change of leadership.

This has led to criticism of the democratic process. Some observers insist that an essential element of good governance is the inalienable right of people to change and renew the leadership through regular elections. Consistent wins by incumbents, some analysts argue, are a mark of lack transparency in the electoral process.

- What are some of the setbacks that have marked Africa's democratic experiment?

Electoral processes in some countries have been less than transparent resulting in disputed results and dissipation of confidence in the process. Nonetheless, there is irrefutable evidence that good governance practices are taking root and are irreversible.


Africa Governance Forum

- What is the Africa Governance Forum?

The Forum on Governance provides a unique opportunity for Africans, international Organisations and Africa's external partners to engage in a dialogue on governance as viewed through the lenses of national programmes. The Forum is organized in the context of the SIA and aims to promote the active involvement of non-state actors from African and the donor community. ECA and UNDP-the lead agencies in the governance component of the SIA-- have organized pre-forum meetings of NGO and CSO representatives. Prior to the first Forum which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, more than 30 African NGOs and CSOs held a two-day consultation on governance in Addis Ababa, 23-24 May 1977.

- How many African governments were represented at the First Forum?

Fourteen 14 African governments were represented at ministerial level, with 22 others participating as observers. The forum took place at ECA in Addis Ababa, 11-12 July 1997 and was chaired by Mr. K.Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary of ECA and Mr. James Gustave Speth, the Administrator of UNDP. The Forum's tone was set by a message from the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan.

- What did the Forum deliberate?

The Forum deliberated ongoing constitutional, judicial, and administrative reforms in African countries. Consensus emerged on accelerating the reform process with emphasis on leadership building; transparency and accountability; civil society empowerment; institutional capacity building; the rule of law; constitutional guarantees; and media freedom. The Forum adopted a programme of action to asses reform progress in the various countries and it was agreed that yearly forums be held. It was further recognized that there was need for the Forum to coordinate with other institutions that are engaged in governance reform effort.

- When and where was the Second Africa Governance Forum held?

The Second Africa Governance Forum was held in June/July 1998 in Accra Ghana. It focused on accountability with emphasis country programmes that support governance institutions (e.g. Judiciary, Parliament, Media, and Civil Society). Effective institutions are more likely to hold governments accountable to their peoples at all levels of responsibility. The forum was also preceded by a consultation with NGOs and CSOs.


Source:
United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa (UNSIA)