By Mandeep S.Tiwana, policy manager, CIVICUS: World Alliance for
Citizen Participation
Recently, the South African Parliament hosted a seminar on the ‘Role
of Legislatures in Achieving the Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs).
One of the topics under discussion by lawmakers was the role of South
Africa in harnessing aid and global partnerships for development in
Africa.
A question that immediately comes to mind is whether Africa’s most
hopeful democracy and strongest economic power is doing enough to
support the achievement of the MDGs in its neighbourhood. A number of
countries on the continent are significantly lagging with regard to
targets set under these eight international development goals that all
U.N. member states and major international organisations have agreed
to work together to achieve by 2015.
While the first seven MDGs contain key aspirations in relation to
human development and the improvement of living standards, the eighth
goal enjoins governments, the business sector and civil society to
forge a ‘Global Partnership for Development’. It has been referred to
as the glue that binds all the MDGs together and central to their
realisation. Notably, the international community has agreed that a
clear and unequivocal commitment to good governance, development and
poverty reduction both nationally and internationally is an
important aspect of the targets set to achieve MDG eight.
Nevertheless, the combination of the global financial crisis, serious
governance failures such as widespread nepotism and corruption added
to the political and social upheavals taking place in many African
countries because of the actions of authoritarian governments, is
threatening to completely derail reaching MDG targets.
Civil society experts have consistently emphasised that achieving MDG
targets by the cut off date of 2015, will require serious efforts from
world leaders towards fulfilling existing commitments, grounding MDG
policies in the social justice and human rights framework and becoming
accountable to each other and their people. This is best achieved in
democratic environments, of which there is a serious dearth on the
continent.
CIVICUS believes South Africa’s soon to be established Development
Partnership Agency could play a lead role in this regard. As plans for
the Agency are put in place, it is critical that decision makers focus
on carving a unique niche for it; one which does not replicate
existing efforts of other countries but focuses on South Africa’s
strengths and special experience with regard to democratisation and
nation-building. Notably, the well respected Ibrahim Index of African
Governance, which assesses and compares the quality of governance
across the continent by using multiple parameters of safety and the
rule of law; participation and human rights; sustainable economic
opportunity; and human development, places South Africa at number five
in the continent with a comprehensive score of 71 out of 100.
A number of countries in Africa and the global South are currently
experiencing a transition from long years of authoritarian rule. As
the winds of change continue to blow, many others are likely to
embrace democratic change. South Africa’s past experience of making a
progressive and just constitution can provide a vital blue print in
this regard.
Moreover, the role of national institutions is key to aligning MDG
strategies with the human rights framework and guaranteeing public
access to accurate and timely information. South Africa has much to
offer in terms of technical expertise in setting up and running
national institutions, as mandated by Chapter 9 of its constitution.
These include the Office of the Public Protector; the South African
Human Rights Commission; the Commission for the Promotion and
Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic
Communities; the Commission for Gender Equality; the Office of the
Auditor General; and the Electoral Commission.
Nevertheless, offers of technical assistance carry the greatest
legitimacy when the state providing the support comes across as an
honest broker. Foreign policy coherence and a progressive development
agenda thus go hand in hand. A core founding value of South Africa’s
constitution is the establishment of “a society based on democratic
values, social justice and fundamental human rights.”
It is but natural that South Africa’s diplomatic doctrine and
relationships should be based on these values. But, the reluctance of
the South African government to speak out openly against the
perpetrators of gross violations of human rights being committed in
its neighbourhood or further afield is telling. The imperative to
resolve a conflict cannot become an excuse to the overlook the
complicity of brutal dictators bringing untold misery on their people.
That said, the spaces for South Africa to exercise moral leadership to
advance the achievement of the MDGs globally are manifold. South
Africa is currently a member of the UN Security Council, an important
member of the G 20 group of the world’s strongest economies and a
regular participant in meetings at the United Nations and the African
Union, including at the UN Human Rights Council and the AU’s Peace and
Security Council.
South Africa plays a leading role in the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) and in debates regarding trade justice at the World
Trade Organisation. The Secretariat for the New Partnership for
Africa’s Development (NEPAD) with its African Peer Review Mechanism
(APRM) is also based in South Africa.
Interestingly, Human Rights Watch’s 2011 report states: “South
Africa’s pro-human rights constitution, stable government, democratic
institutions, independent judiciary, and strong economy mean that it
has great potential to be a human rights leader.” The question is
whether there is enough political will to sacrifice short term
strategic and geo-political interests to speak loudly and clearly for
good governance and human rights in the larger interests of the
continent.
(END/2011)
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