PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN MINISTER OF BENIN

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN MINISTER OF BENIN

The Fourth International Conference of New and Restored Democracies will be held in Cotonou, Benin, from 4 to 6 December this year, Antoine Kolawole Idji, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Benin, announced at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

Mr. Kolawole said his Government had offered to host the conference because it was committed to democracy and believed in democratic rule. Since 1988, the Conference had been held in Manila, Managua and Bucharest. The Cotonou meeting would be the first in Africa. Invitations had been sent to all Member States of the United Nations, and he hoped participation would be at the ministerial level.

He said invitations had also been sent to international institutions, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and to civil society organizations. Observers from academia were also welcome. Financial assistance had been received from a number of international bodies, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and from States like Norway, China, Denmark and the United States. The Foreign Minister noted that the United Nations General Assembly, by its resolution GA/54/36 had called for collaboration by Member States, relevant specialized agencies and other international organizations in the holding of the Fourth Conference.

Benin had undergone several political changes since its independence in 1960, including a one-party political system, military coups and now a multi- party system. A national conference to determine the political future of the country, organized early in 1991, had led to the institution of the multi-party system. There were 127 political parties in the country. Following his country’s example, other countries, such as Togo and Mali, had tried to establish democratic rule through national conferences. The outcomes were not always "a big success in political terms", he said, nevertheless adding that the system had been successful in Benin. His country’s offer to host the Fourth Conference had been accepted by the United Nations General Assembly, which had endorsed the Conference.

The Fourth Conference was very important not only for Africa, but for democracy itself. Participants in the previous meetings would bring their experiences, thoughts and reflections so that the Cotonou Conference would consider how democracy could be strengthened in Africa, and how the challenges of democracy could be met not only in Africa but throughout the world. He appealed to the media to become involved in the promotion of the Conference and its objectives.

Asked what specific issues the Conference would discuss, he said there were a number of challenges. "Democracy cannot work without development, without peace, without security", he stressed. The topics could include the challenges of democracy related to peace, to security and to development.

He told a correspondent that he expected a declaration to be issued at the end of the Conference. Decisions might also be taken, he said. His personal

Benin Press Conference - 2 - 15 September 2000

view was that elections should not be organized like shows. He told another correspondent that the Conference might well discuss the problem of dictators who managed to stay in power for years.

"We must have free and fair elections", he said. The public must understand what elections were about. "We cannot reduce democracy to elections”, he stated, adding that governance was also important, as were accountability and transparency. Without them, there could not be true democracy.

A background release published by the Department of Public Information (DPI) and issued at the press conference said it was hoped that the Benin Conference would be a "a valuable forum to exchange lessons learned and best practices". It was expected that the Conference would focus on the operational aspects of functioning democracies, which covered issues on how free and fair elections could be held, and the institution of other mechanisms to ensure good governance and the rule of law.

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