GOOD GOVERNANCE ESSENTIAL FOR AFRICA TO REJECT CONFLICT, REALIZE POTENTIAL SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO THIRD AFRICA GOVERNANCE FORUM
Press Release
SG/SM/7054
AFR/150
GOOD GOVERNANCE ESSENTIAL FOR AFRICA TO REJECT CONFLICT, REALIZE POTENTIAL SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO THIRD AFRICA GOVERNANCE FORUM
19990629 Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the third annual Africa Governance Forum, being held in Bamako, Mali, from 28 to 30 June:Three years ago, we witnessed the birth of the Africa Governance Forum in Addis Ababa. Today, we launch the third in the series, with the theme of "good governance and conflict management for durable peace and sustainable development". That choice of theme signals the determination of Africa's leaders and people to come to grips with the causes and consequences of conflict. Mali, our generous host, is itself a sterling example of a country in which the entire population is committed to national reconciliation and the path of peace and progress.
Over the past three decades, more than 30 civil wars have been fought in Africa. Conflicts have erupted, spread to neighbouring states and enmeshed others with claims of shared security interests. We have seen the devastation; we have despaired at the prolonged suffering, with women and children the most frequent victims; and we have regretted the postponement of development.
In the early 1990s, the whispers of positive change reverberated throughout the continent. Many countries adopted economic and political reforms. Pluralistic elections were more frequent, and equity in public policy and decision-making seemed less elusive. It was in this hopeful political climate that the United Nations Special Initiative on Africa was launched in 1996. Governance is the foundation upon which the Special Initiative is structured. It calls for a vision of society built on national consensus, participatory democracy, respect for human rights, an independent judiciary, transparency and accountability, independent media, and an unbiased civil service that manages resources and delivers services effectively.
The Africa Governance Forum, organized and led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Development Programme, is in its early years, but already it augurs well for a culture of improved governance on the continent. The Forum promotes partnerships: nationally,
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among African Governments and civil society; regionally, with regional institutions; and internationally, with the United Nations system and donor community. It emphasizes human and institutional capacity building. It creates new opportunities for coordinating resource flows for governance programmes. And it reinforces one of the main messages of my 1998 report to the Security Council: that good governance is an essential prerequisite if Africa is to turn its back on conflict, reap the benefits of globalization and realize its great potential.
The Governments of Ethiopia, Ghana and Mali merit our gratitude for serving as hosts to the Africa Governance Forum. The Forum has also benefited from the support and involvement of the Governments of Japan, Norway and Switzerland and from the European Union. This is an era of fundamental change in Africa and the world. The recent history of Nigeria and South Africa shows how a nation's prospects can be transformed and how Africa can turn over a new leaf. In that spirit, I offer all who have gathered in Bamako in solidarity with Africa, my best wishes for the success of these important deliberations.
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