Building stronger democracies

Making history: In November 2005, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won Liberia's presidential elections, becoming Africa's first woman Head of State. She was sworn in on 16 January 2006.

The world has seen an unprecedented expansion of democratic freedoms since the end of the Cold War. As the 2002 Human Development Report shows, during the 1990s, some 81 countries made significant progress towards democracy. Today, 140 countries in the world hold multiparty elections. Despite these achievements, however, in many countries, democracy is taking root very slowly. Out of the 140 countries that hold elections, more than 100 still limit important civil and political freedoms.

In many parts of the world, confidence in democracy's power to change lives is also being eroded. The ‘dividends of democracy' often seem elusive to those who, having gained the right to vote, still struggle to feed themselves and their families. As UNDP's 2004 Democracy in Latin America report shows, more than half of all Latin Americans—54.7 percent—say they would opt for an "authoritarian" regime over democratic government if authoritarianism could "resolve" their economic problems. In many parts of the world, disillusionment is also fuelled by increased cynicism about the political process and the lack of transparency of political institutions.

Reversing this trend is a crucial challenge, not least because strong democracies are key to advancing human development, with its essential component of human empowerment. Democratic governance is also associated with peaceful resolution of disputes; and promoting peace is, of course, at the heart of the UN's mission.

Over the past six years, UNDP, in collaboration with the UN Department of Political Affairs, has been helping countries develop their capacity to build stronger democracies. We have been working with national partners to implement better electoral and legislative systems, improve access to justice and public administration, and develop greater capacity to deliver basic services to those most in need. In 2005, we helped strengthen democratic governance in over 130 countries and devoted US$1.4 billion in resources to these efforts. UNDP supports one in three parliaments in the developing world and an election somewhere around the globe every two weeks.

In Liberia, UNDP was on the ground to help the country prepare for the poll that saw the election of Africa's first woman president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, in November 2005. For a country that only recently emerged from 14 years of violent civil war, organizing elections presented major challenges. UNDP teamed up with the UN Mission in Liberia, the United States Agency for International Development and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to train more than 915 community-based voter educators from 22 civil society organizations. They learned how to conduct workshops and other outreach activities, including those designed for women and special groups, such as the physically challenged, internally displaced persons, ex-combatants, and refugees who had returned to Liberia. The European Commission provided $3.6 million, including $500,000 to computerize voter rolls. UNDP managed the contribution to develop the National Elections Commission's capacity to enforce electoral rules and put in place the systems and procedures needed for transparent and democratic elections.

Elections constitute but one step in the process of developing a strongly rooted democratic culture. Legislatures play an important role and UNDP is currently helping countries to strengthen their Parliaments and ensure fair and inclusive democratic participation. Through its Global Programme on Parliamentary Strengthening, UNDP is working to help Arab parliaments develop the capacity, resources, and independence to carry out their functions effectively. For example, in Algeria, UNDP helped train Members of Parliament from both houses, as well as parliamentary staff, on writing and initiating laws, carrying out research and ensuring that new laws adhered to the Constitution. The key skills acquired will allow legislators and staff to improve the effectiveness of Parliament and increase their capacity to support the needs and interests of their constituents.

To build strong and stable democracies, countries must ensure that young people have the opportunity to take part in the democratic process. In Nicaragua, UNDP helped set up a Political Youth Forum, aimed at encouraging young party members to articulate their ideas and vision to political leaders and their fellow citizens. In collaboration with a number of regional and international partners, including the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Development Cooperation), UNDP helped to develop the political skills of young parliamentarians and strengthen their capacity to influence public debate.

For many citizens living in newly-emerging democracies, casting their vote in an election is still a novel experience. Ahead of the July 2005 presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan, UNDP worked with the country's Electoral Commission to launch a wide-ranging voter education campaign. An eight-page pre-election newspaper was produced, providing information about the six candidates and their electoral programmes. Well over a million copies were printed and distributed to 46 districts across Kyrgyzstan—the largest single printing venture in the country's history.

Electoral broadcasts encouraging voter participation were aired on over 30 national and local stations and reinforced the campaign's unprecedented outreach. UNDP also helped strengthen the Electoral Commission's independence by providing infrastructure support, including a new media centre and a national computer network, which was used to establish voter lists and transmit results. By highlighting the vital role that access to information can play in developing a strong and vibrant democratic culture, the Kyrgyzstan experience is just one example of a successful model that could be replicated in other emerging democracies.

UNDP is a leading provider of technical advice on the modernization of state institutions. We help countries develop professional civil services through performance-based management, which, in turn, promotes equal opportunities for women and minority groups. We also help strengthen countries' capacity to develop anti-corruption legislation and codes of conduct, and we train civil servants, particularly in public service delivery to vulnerable citizens. Throughout Africa, international partners continue to support initiatives to clamp down on corruption and strengthen governments' capacity to deliver for the people. One such initiative is the African Peer Review Mechanism developed under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). This programme allows African governments to evaluate their peers in a manner that will collectively raise the bar on governance standards and performance. Some 27 countries have so far agreed to be reviewed and more are expected to join the process. A key partner in this initiative, UNDP has been instrumental in developing the tools to carry out peer reviews in Algeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and Rwanda. UNDP also manages the African Peer Review Mechanism Trust Fund, to which it has contributed $2.7 million. In addition, we have been supporting NEPAD through a $3.5 million project aimed at bolstering countries' capacities to strengthen democratic governance and budgeting for the MDGs, as well as to improve communications.