Africans Prefer Democracy, Survey Shows
Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky addresses Freedom House group

Washington -- A recent survey in 15 African countries showed that about 70 percent of those responding said they prefer democracy to all other forms of government.

The United States wants to help them achieve that goal, says Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, by promoting human rights and democracy as an investment in freedom and security worldwide.

She spoke March 29 in Washington at a conference, "Africa at the Crossroads," sponsored by Freedom House, a nonprofit organization that works to advance political and economic freedom around the world.

Dobriansky said the United States is focusing on countries where U.S. resources and other tools can "make a tangible difference to every man and woman" -- especially those who want to have a voice in their communities.

The approach, she told her audience of diplomats, development specialists and democracy activists, is known as "transformational diplomacy."  It differs from traditional diplomacy in that it entails "working with partners to build and sustain democratic, well-governed states that will respond to the needs of their people" and will help their people better their lives, build their nations and transform their futures.

"We see this current spirit in Mali," she said, which currently chairs the Community of Democracies Group, a coalition of more than 100 nations seeking to strengthen democracy across the globe by sharing best practices and helping those countries that still are struggling in the democratic process.

Community of Democracies countries like Cape Verde and Mali, she said, show that Africa has important resources to offer when it comes to democracy promotion.

She said that in 2005 Cape Verde participated in a nine-country delegation as part of the East Timor Initiative to help strengthen and consolidate democratic institutions in that new democracy.

DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LINKED

Dobriansky acknowledged that there has been much talk about which should come first, democracy or economic development.  The United States believes both should be advanced simultaneously, she said.

Democracy and economic development are "inseparably linked" she said, and can yield a range of tangible benefits by encouraging stability and good governance, which are essential ingredients for economic prosperity.  "Accountability in government and business should go hand in hand, just like free enterprise and free speech," she added.

"As we look around the continent of Africa we see what Mali has already identified, and that is that economic development and democracy are mutually reinforcing and do go hand in hand," she explained.

Dobriansky singled out South Africa for playing a "very significant role" in promoting democracy across the continent and trying to "engage and persuade some of its more … recalcitrant neighbors to democratize.  We welcome these initiatives.  We welcome their engagement and we commend them for their efforts.

"We see this spirit in Liberia, where men and women from across the country that not long before had been rocked by civil war flocked to the polls and elected Africa's first woman [elected leader], Ellen Johnson Sirleaf," she said.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United States spent $137 million in 2005 to implement democracy and good governance programs in Africa -- a 30 percent increase over the previous year before, she said.

Additionally, she said, the United States has spent more than $36 million in the past three years to prevent trafficking in persons across Africa.

Good governance is essential for sustainable development and is one of the founding principles of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), she said.

Three of the eight approved MCA compacts are in Africa -- Madagascar, Cape Verde and Benin -- she said, and three of the five approved threshold programs are in Africa as well -- Ghana, Mali and Lesotho.  That, she said, totals $573 million in assistance.  "An additional nine African countries are pending approval for compacts totaling almost $2.7 billion, she said.

In addition to focused aid, the under secretary said, the United States also supports free trade in Africa through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides significant trade benefits to African countries that are making continual progress through establishing the rule of law, democracy, human rights and a fair environment for investors.

"AGOA is an ambitious initiative," she said, that is helping to increase exports from Africa to the United States in key economic sectors.

But for all the progress that has been made in Africa, Dobriansky said, "considerable challenges" lie ahead on the road to democracy and prosperity.  These include the repression and intimidation that continue in Zimbabwe and the fact that there are countries just now emerging from devastating conflicts.  Food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and sexual violence also continue at an "unacceptable rate," she said, and Darfur still suffers "the horrors of genocide," despite efforts by the United States to better the situation there.

"Despite these problems, there is reason … to be hopeful about Africa," she stressed.  "It is clear that democracy is taking hold in many parts of that continent and … citizens are being empowered, the rule of law is being strengthened and the chances of conflict every day are being reduced.  The likelihood of achieving sustainable development and poverty eradication is heightened."

The United States, she pledged, will "remain steadfast" in its pursuit of democracy, in concert with its African partners.