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Governance

SUMMATION OF PROCEEDINGS OF

Ms. Thelma Awori

As we come to the close of our two days of hectic and mutually-enriching work let me attempt to summarize the sense of our deliberations. It is a truly  daunting challenge, all the more intimidating by the fact that each and everyone of you is an authority on the subject matter. But let me give it a try, hopefully without causing great harm to all the important
contributions that have been made.

Let me begin by recalling the objectives we have set ourselves to fulfil with the AGF process:

• To provide a platform for African Governments, Civil Society and their external partners to engage in dialog on the state of good governance on the continent viewed through the optic of national programmes;
• To promote partnership among the participants and encourage sharing and exchange of experiences, information, good practices on good governance;
• Through the programmatic approach, to assist African Government to develop programmes and strengthen co-ordination mechanisms to permit long term resource mobilization to support nationally defined governance programmes, thereby ensuring sustainability.

AGF II has been centered around the theme of transparency and accountability, fulfilling the need for a focused approach to there view of the elements that make up good governance in Africa.

This Forum has elicited the active and constructive engagement of the participating countries and representatives of Civil Society organisations and external partners. All participants have shown the commitment to work towards improving transparency and accountability in Africa. The voices of the NGOs, the media, women and, of course, the governments have been heard. The national reports that have been presented, the quality and depth of the information and data they contain, suggest their ownership by the governments themselves. However, AGF as a process will not be sustainable if the programmes and related national consultations are not a true reflection and results of national efforts. The rich and extensive discussions cover a wide range of issues, in particular, the consultative process itself, the divergence between ideals and reality, the critical importance of building national capacity and the imperative of transparency in decision making processes.

Breaking up into working groups has proven to be a rewarding experience in terms of deepening substantive discussions and creating the intimate working climate that is conducive to achieving agreement and consensus on important and sometimes divisive issues.

The size of AGF II in terms of the number of participants has reconfirmed the need to maintain a manageable size which will contribute to maximizing the quality and richness of the discussions. The substance of the discussions around the topic of accountability and transparency has attracted broad agreement that:

1. Transparency and accountability are crucial elements for promoting development and should not exclusively be limited to the governments,but should involve the Civil Society Organizations and the people at large.
2. We have noted that in all the countries represented, institutions and measures for improving accountability and transparency have been put in place. The problem is how to transform them into more effective instruments. Functional problems exist at varying degrees in all the countries under consideration and include the need for more political will, resources and capacity.
3. The need to revisit African traditions and culture has been underscored in our effort to reduce the perverse effects of an alien culture in post-colonial Africa;
4. The establishment of processes, operation and institutions are undermined by political and socio-economic factors. The responsibility for the lack of transparency and accountability is shared by the government and the civil society as well.
5. The application of sanctions alone is not enough if appropriate incentives for transparency and accountability are not put in place.
6. Transparency in decision-making on macro-economic issues can enhance the practice of accountability. Conversely, accountability for public resources at the micro level is required in establishing a credible system of transparency.
7. There needs to be a concerted effort to establishing legislation for assets disclosure of all leaders, in Government, Civil Society,Parliament. Enforcement mechanisms need to be strengthened.
8. Explore the possibility for African Governments to sign on to international conventions such in the OECD/DAC on corruption.
9. The external dimension of problems of accountability and transparency require the cooperation of the external partners in the search for appropriate solutions.
10. The broad spectrum of civil society needs to be strengthened through literacy, information and education to ensure that existing institutional mechanisms translate into the realities of good governance.

The sustainability and credibility of AGF is central to UNDP and ECA efforts to support governance in Africa. The primary responsibility for the process rests with the African Governments with the full participation of people at all levels. A recurrent theme throughout the discussions has been the need for a result-oriented approach which would sustain the interest of the stakeholders in the process. We have also heard that credibility lies in devising appropriate benchmarks which would enhance the allocation and the effective use of resources in this field. We are confident that the pilot inventory on governance programmes which was presented to us this morning by the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs is a good start
in this direction.

As I underlined yesterday in my opening remarks, UNDP and ECA are not the only players in the field of governance in Africa. Many others are making an important contribution to the promotion of good governance on the continent. This Forum would hopefully provide a continuing vehicle for promoting coordinated support.Where do we go from here?

Mali has offered to host AGF III in 1999 addressing the theme of conflict prevention, management and resolution.

In closing, may I express our gratitude to the Government and People of Ghana and all those who have made this event a success.