Final Report

A.  Place and Date of the Conference

The Fourth International Conference of New or Restored Democracies on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development was convened in Cotonou, Benin, from 4 to 6 December 2000. The Conference was organized and hosted by the Government of the Benin Republic with assistance of the United Nations Development Programme.  In addition to the United Nations and the International Organization of Francophone Countries, the following States provided financial and logistical assistance for the organization of the Conference: Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Switzerland and United State of America

B.  Attendance

Representatives of the following States attended the Conference: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Paso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Comoro, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Holy Sea,” Hungry, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kirghizstan Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Salvador, Sao Tome, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The following international organizations were represented: The United Nations, The European Union, The Council of Europe, The International Organization of la Francophonie, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), The International Monetary Fund (IMF), The World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAG), African Development Bank (ADB), Economic Community of West African States (ECOW AS), West African Development Bank, Network of African Regulatory Agencies, The Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA), Regional African Satellite Communication Organization (RASCOM), SICA and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

Also represented as observers were some fifty non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The Conference was attended, as Special Guests, by Their Excellencies, the Heads of State of Mali, Niger and Senegal, Presidents Alpha Oumar Konare, Mamadou Tandja and Abdoulaye Wade, respectively, and a number of eminent Beninese personalities, including former President Emile Derlin Zinsou.

C.  Opening Session

H.E. Mr .Matthieu Kerekou, President of the Republic of Benin, opened the Conference on 4 December.  The opening ceremony began with introductory and welcoming remarks from H.E. Mr. Kolawole A. Idji, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Benin, who was followed to the podium by Mr .Mihai Dobre, representative of the country that presided over the Third International Conference of New or Restored Democracies, held in Bucharest, Romania in 1997.

The Secretary General of the International Organization of Francophone Countries, H.E. Mr .Boutros Boutros-Ghali, made a statement.

Two visiting Heads of State, who were invited by President Kerekou for the occasion, also addressed the Conference.  They were H.E. Mr. Mamadou Tandja, President of the Republic of Niger and H.E Mr .Alpha Oumar Konare, President of the Republic of Mali.

A cultural interlude intervened, with a group of performers who combined song and poetry to deliver a satirical but poignant message on the themes of the Conference, peace, security, democracy and development.

H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, addressed the Conference just before President Kerekou declared it open.

The texts of the statements during the opening session are annexed to the present report.

D.  Election of Officers

At the first plenary session, on 4 December, the Conference elected by acclamation a Bureau of six officers: a President, four Vice Presidents and a Rapporteur-general as follows:

E.  Adoption of the Agenda

Also at the first plenary session, on 4 December, on a proposal by the President, the Conference adopted its provisional agenda as follows:

1. Opening of the Conference by the Head of State of Benin;

2. Opening of the First Plenary Session by the Head of the Romanian Delegation;

3. Election of Conference Officers;

4. Installation of the Members of the Bureau;

5. Speech by the President of the 4^th  ICNRD;

6. Adoption of the Agenda and Programme of Work;

7. Organization of Work;

8. General debate on national experiences on peace, security, democracy and development and regional reports;

9. Parallel sessions: Thematic debates on:

• democracy, good governance and development;

• participation by youth and women in the democratic process and in development; and

• democracy and conflict prevention, management and resolution;

10. Review and Adoption of the Cotonou Declaration;

11. Review and Adoption of the Conference Report;

12. Closing of the Conference.

F. Documentation

The Conference had before it the following documents:

Regional papers (providing independent views on democratization processes and transformations in the different regions):

1. Africa, by Professor A.I. Asiwaju , Department of History, University of .Lagos, Nigeria, and Mr. Arnady Aly Dieng, Dakar, Senegal;

2. Latin America and the Caribbean, by Professors Russell Crandall, Department of Political Science, Davidson College, Davidson, N.C. and Professor Rupert Lewis, Department of Government, University of the West Indies, Jamaica;

3. Asia, by Dr. L.M. Singhvi, India;

4. Central and Eastern Europe, by Professor Mihaly Simai, Hungary.

Thematic papers

1. Democracy, Good Governance and Development, by Mr. Richard Banégas, Editor-in-chief of Politique Africaine, Paris; Professor Christof Heyns, Director, Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa; and Professor Tessy Bakary, Department of Political Science, Laval University , Quebec, Canada;

2. Participation by Youth and Women in the Democratic Process and in Development, by Professor Niara Sudarkasa, Florida Atlantic University , USA;

3. Democracy and Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, by Dr. Dominique Bangoura, Paris, and Dr. Julian Th. Hottinger. Switzerland.

National papers (providing expert analysis on the national experience in the consolidation of democracy in Benin, the host country):

1. Women, by Ms. Amélie Degbelo;

2. Youth, by Mr. Codjo Christophe Kougniazonde;

3. Democracy, by Professor Théodore Holo;

4  Good Governance, Human Rights and Development, by Mr .Philippe Noudjenoume.

G.  Organization of Work

The Conference took place in plenary, three thematic debates and three parallel sessions in which the draft of the Cotonou Declaration was discussed and amended by interested delegations.

The general debate in the plenary was conducted in four plenary sessions.  Representatives of States and Organizations participated in the debate through statements by heads of delegations.  Discussions of the regional papers also took place in two of the plenary sessions, while the fifth and last plenary was devoted to the review and adoption of both the Cotonou Declaration and the final report.

The following background papers were presented for consideration by the Conference at the second and third plenary sessions on the 5^th of December:

1. “Sharing Best Practice Experiences in Democracy-Building (Peace, Security, Democracy and Development) in Non-French-Speaking African States,” by Antony Asiwaju;

2. “Les expériences sur les meilleures pratiques en matière d’édification de la démocratie et dans les relations entre la paix, la démocratie et le développement,” by Amady Aly Dieng;

3. “The Confining Conditions of Democratic Transitions and Consolidation in Troubled States in Latin America: The Cases of Peru and Colombia,” by Russell Crandall;

4. “Sharing Experiences on Best Practices in Democracy Building in the Caribbean: The Relationship between Peace, Security, Democracy and Development,” by Rupert Lewis;

5. “Reflection on Democracy in Asia: Challenges and the Way Forward,” by L.M. Singhvi

The remainder of this report attempts to give a brief summary of the general debate, the thematic debates and the nature of the work on the Cotonou Declaration.

General Debate

With over one hundred countries participating in the Conference, the general debate could not fail to reflect the different national experiences in establishing or maintaining democracy. However, most of the interventions can be grouped around the four major questions that the President of the Bureau of the Conference suggested for orienting the debate.  The questions are:

1) What could be the optimal practices for consolidating democracy?

2) How to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts in a manner conducive to sustaining democracy;

3) How to maximize the participation of youth and women in the democratization process; and

4) What are the factors which impede democratic development?

A broad consensus does exist that although democratic norms and principles are universal there is no single model of democracy for all countries.  Each country must choose its own way and its own rhythm for consolidating democracy.  At the same time, democracy is inconceivable without human rights, especially the rights of women, children and minorities, and it implies the progressive enlargement of the political space to guarantee the full exercise of political, economic, social and cultural rights by all.  Moreover, as the UN Secretary-General declared in his address, democracy and the rule of law are inseparable.  The constitutional and legal framework protects the fundamental rights and liberties of individuals and groups, and economic development is not sustainable without the rule of law, transparency in public affairs and the accountability of public officials.

Building democracy, together with the culture of tolerance and respect for diversity, is one way of reinforcing capacity for conflict prevention, management and resolution.  Many of the conflicts based on differences of identity are due to social exclusion, intolerance and unequal access to resources needed to sustain livelihood.  The best way to fight social and economic insecurity, and thus prevent demagogues from exploiting it to stir up identity-based conflicts, is to educate and empower those most affected by such insecurity.  Political dialogue and economic and social development must go hand in hand as mechanisms of conflict prevention and resolution.  Peace is an essential aspect of democracy in that it allows communities to use extant resources and infrastructure to improve the quality of life instead of destroying them in communal violence.  In addition to the general debate, a more focused discussion on the applicability of democratic principles to the prevention and management of conflicts took place in one of the thematic sessions of the Conference.

Like the issue of conflicts, the participation of youth and women in the democratization process was such an integral theme of the Conference that an entire thematic session was devoted to it.  Mention of the challenges facing women and the youth in many of the new or restored democracies was often made in connection with the need for more education, employment opportunities and shielding these groups from the negative impact of wars, social dislocations and disease.  In Africa, in particular, the large number of young people who are both unable to go school and to find gainful employment is a clear and present danger, as they are likely to be recruited into the armed bands of warlords and political extremists.  Consolidating democracy requires a greater effort towards giving them hope in the future through educational and employment opportunities.

Finally, with respect to factors that impede democratic development, Conference speakers made frequent reference to poverty and its roots in the economic and social structures at the local, national and international levels.  The local structures of poverty creation and reproduction include unequal access to vital resources such as land and the lack of other types of productive capital.  National structures include the denial of democratic rights, without which ordinary people cannot have a voice in the distribution of resources and in the allocation of the funds needed for development projects, while international structures refer to inequity in the world commodity and financial markets, including the external debt burden. Among the many proposed solutions include decentralization as a mode of governance that allows local communities to play a greater role in determining their own destiny nationally, and debt relief internationally.

Thematic Debates

As indicated above, three thematic sessions took place at the Conference, all of them on the 5^th of December.  The first session, on democracy and good governance, was based on the discussion of the background paper by Richard Banégas entitled “Démocratie et ‘bonne gouvernance’: ambiguïtés et limites des conditionnalités politiques de l’aide. internationale.” The second session, on youth and women, was organized aroun6 the paper by Niara Sudarkasa, “Democracy and Development: Meeting the Challenges to the Equitable Participation and Progress of Women and Youth.”  As for the third session, which was devoted to conflicts, it was based on the discussion of the paper by Dominique Bangoura on “L’application des principes démocratiques dans la prevention et la gestions des conflits en Afrique” and that of Julian Hottinger entitled “Civil Society’s Role in the Resolution of Conflicts in Post-Settlement Peace Building in Africa: Eleven Lessons Learned.”

In accordance with the approved organization of work, the thematic debates were meant to enrich the general debate and the analysis and recommendations contained in the Cotonou Declaration. Summaries of these debates will be published alongside this report and the statements of eminent personalities in a publication on the 4^th International Conference of New or Restored Democracies.

The Cotonou Declaration

The major Statement and Recommendations of the Conference are contained in the Cotonou Declaration.  Much of the work on this document was done in two parallel sessions on the 5^th of December, under a bureau chaired by Ambassador Joel W. Adechi, the Permanent Representative of Benin at the United Nations, Ambassador Cyril Sagbo, the chief adviser to the National Coordinator of the Conference, and Professor Nzongola, the Rapporteur general.  A third and editorial session took place in the morning of 6^th December.  In spite of material difficulties such as lack of simultaneous translation, over 40 participants labored for very long hours to produce this document.

H.  Adoption of the Cotonou Declaration

At the fifth plenary session on 6 December the Conference adopted the Cotonou Declaration. which includes the Final Recommendation of the Conference

I. Venue of the Next Conference

Mongolia and Yemen have offered to host the Fifth Conference of New or Restored Democracies.  Participants agreed that the follow-up mechanism described in the Cotonou Declaration will through consultations with both countries arrive at the decision as to which of them will be chosen as the venue of the next conference.

J.  Closing Session

The Opening ceremony began with a statement by H.E. Mr. Kolawole A. Idji, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Benin, in which he gave a summary of the Conference deliberations and conclusions.  He was followed to the podium by Professor Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, the Rapporteur-general, who read the recommendations contained in the Cotonou Declaration.

Three eminent personalities then made statements.  The first was the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Mr. Mark Malloch Brown.  The second statement was made by H.E. Mr. Eriya Kategaya, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda.  The third statement was an important message on democracy and the Senegalese and African experiences on the matter from H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal.

Finally: H.E. Mr .Mathieu Kerekou, President of the Republic of Benin and the host of the 4^th International Conference of New or Restored Democracies, proceeded to deliver the closing speech and to declare the conference over.