From Africa Recovery, Vol.11#1 (July 1997), page

Special Initiative promotes civil society links to governance

By Gabriel Negatu

Taking a step towards consensus on what has been a politically sensitive issue, over 40 non-governmental and civil society organizations (NGOs/CSOs) from around the continent ­ including women's, grassroots, and labour organizations, churches, research institutions, and policy advocacy groups ­ drafted, debated, and approved a statement on good governance in Africa (see box). The occasion was a regional consultation entitled "Building Partnerships Towards a Common Agenda for Governance in Africa," co-sponsored by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa 23-24 May.

The statement, which was presented to the Africa Governance Forum in Addis Ababa in July, not only provides a definition of good governance, but also elaborates on ways in which it can be strengthened, with special emphases on gender equity and partnerships with civil society.

The goals of the meeting were to improve awareness and promote joint ownership of the governance initiative of the UN System-wide Special Initiative on Africa; to enable NGOs and CSOs to document best governance practices and lessons learned; and to empower them to reach a consensus on the essential requirements for good governance.

Opening the meeting, Mr. Dawit Yohannes, Speaker of the Ethiopian National Assembly, reminded participants of their common interest in three areas: improving the quality of governance in their countries; developing the capacity of governments to apply the principles of accountability, transparency, and openness; and working towards gaining the commitment of all ­ elected officials, public servants, and NGOs ­ to good governance.

Over two days, participants in working groups and plenary sessions exhaustively discussed ways to promote a priority governance agenda. Within the framework of UNDP's Special Initiative on Governance in Africa (SIGA), smaller discussion groups focused on leadership building for good governance; transparency and accountability in governance; civil society and empowerment; political transitions, peace and stability; and mainstreaming gender in governance.

The discussion on leadership building for good governance examined the need for visionary economic, political, and administrative leadership, in which capacity building for effective and responsible leadership should be strengthened. The experiences of CSOs were examined to distill lessons learned. The nature of partnerships between the state, civil society, and the private sector needed to institutionalize a culture of transparency and accountability was also discussed, with weak state structures and internal conflicts recognized as major impediments.

An empowered civil society, participants agreed, is an essential element in promoting and safeguarding good governance in Africa. The role of the state in fostering the requisite environment to nurture a vibrant and responsive civil society was addressed in the context of the need to invest in "social capital" as a foundation for good governance. The imperative of reforming public institutions to regain their legitimacy was discussed, as well as the larger framework of bringing governments closer to the people through decentralization and devolution of power. Participants also examined the peace, human security, and development nexus, and noted the need for an effective partnership between state and civil society institutions. NGOs and CSOs were called on to promote sub-regional security frameworks.

Mainstreaming gender in governance was identified as the shared responsibility of governments, CSOs, and international organizations and as a prerequisite for achieving good governance. As an immediate step, African governments were called on to review existing institutional structures, barriers, and legal instruments with a view to ensuring equal gender access. Capacity building to address the special needs of women was also suggested. International organizations with programmes on governance were called on to promote women's advancement in their work.

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BOX 1:

Consensus Statement on Governance in Africa

The following are excerpts from the statement adopted at the NGO/CSO Regional Consultation for Governance in Africa, 23-24 May 1997, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:

-- Good governance is a process by which governments and people together identify shared values, needs and challenges, set priorities and develop programmes to address those needs and challenges and jointly manage the implementation of those programs and the available resources, through a transparent and accountable process with shared responsibility for outcomes that are responsive, gender-sensitive and broad-based. This requires a climate of respect for the rule of law, the existence of institutional checks and balances and full respect for human rights, with the expressed objectives of maximizing benefits to men and women for the common good.

-- Mainstreaming gender in governance is the shared responsibility of the government and civil society, regional, sub-regional and international organizations and is a prerequisite for achieving development.

-- Partnerships should involve civil society, governments and the private sector in a process that enhances the empowerment of civil society while also strengthening our governments and indigenizing the democratization processes.

-- This can only occur within a context of peace and stability...and presupposes the elimination of poverty.

-- Significant gains have been made on our continent with respect to democratizing governance.

-- Additional challenges with respect to governance will need to be addressed in a number of areas which include creating an enabling environment for the expression of leadership at all levels, with a specific emphasis on ensuring the presence of women in leadership positions at all these levels.

-- An underlying premise for good governance is that it requires a legitimate government. African governments should make a commitment to promote and live up to acceptable standards of transparency, accountability, the rule of law and respect for human and people's rights, and social and economic justice. These standards apply equally to civil society as well.

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