|
COMMONWEALT
Aso
Rock Commonwealth Declaration
on Development and Democracy:
Partnership
for Peace and Prosperity
We, the Heads of
Government of the Commonwealth of Nations, meeting at Abuja,
Nigeria from 5 to 8 December 2003, commit ourselves to
strengthen development and democracy, through partnership
for peace and prosperity.
Building on the landmark Declarations in Singapore,
Harare and Fancourt, we are committed to democracy, good
governance, human rights, gender equality and a more
equitable sharing of the benefits of globalisation.
We recognise that the
Governments of the Commonwealth are partners sharing a
fundamental responsibility for the development, security and
well-being of their people. We acknowledge their central
role in guaranteeing stability, good economic management and
governance in promoting sustainable growth and development.
We welcome the Report
of the Commonwealth Expert Group on Development and
Democracy which was constituted following the 2002 Coolum
CHOGM. We have noted its key recommendations for
Commonwealth actions, focusing on how democracies can best
be supported in combating poverty.
We believe that efforts
aimed at eradicating poverty and improving governance are
essential for greater international equity and global peace
and security. We recognise that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
have mobilised governments, international institutions and
civil society to reduce poverty with renewed vigour and
commitment.
We
recognise that globalisation has significant potential
benefits for all. However,
the world is characterised by uneven development, and we
therefore stress that globalisation must provide real
opportunities for developing countries to transform their
economies and societies through diversification for the
benefit of their people. It is the strategic goal of the Commonwealth to help
their pre-industrial members to transition into skilled
working- and middle-class societies, recognising that their
domestic policies must be conducive to such transitions.
We further recognise
that while development and democracy are goals each in its
own right, they must be mutually reinforcing, with a clear
‘democratic dividend’, in terms of delivering tangible
benefits to people. We
are convinced that broad-based prosperity creates the
stability conducive to the promotion of democracy;
and that strong democratic institutions better promote
development.
Accordingly, we
commit ourselves to make democracy work better for pro-poor
development by implementing sustainable development
programmes and enhancing democratic institutions and
processes in all human endeavours. We recognise that
building democracy is a constantly evolving process.
It must also be uncomplicated and take into account
national circumstances.
Among the objectives we seek to promote are the
following:
§
a participatory democracy
characterised by free and fair elections and representative
legislatures
§
an independent judiciary
§
a well-trained public
service
§
a transparent and
accountable public accounts system
§
machinery to protect human
rights
§
the right to information
§
active participation of
civil society, including women and youth
§
substantially increased and
more effective financial resources
§
adherence to the
internationally agreed targets of 0.7 percent of GNP for
development assistance
§
financing and realisation
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
§
increased democracy at the
global level, including enhanced participation and
transparency in international institutions
Promoting
Free and Fair Trade
We fully commit
ourselves to an effective, equitable, rules-based
multilateral trading system, developed under the auspices of
the WTO, to support pro-poor development and democracy.
To this end, we have issued a separate Statement on
Multilateral Trade, which is annexed to this Declaration.
Poverty
Eradication and the Millennium Development Goals
We reiterate our
collective commitment and determination to attain the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in regard to
health and education. We
welcome the efforts of the Commonwealth to attain the MDGs,
in particular for poverty eradication, through technical
assistance programmes in developing member countries.
We affirm our enthusiasm and resolve to increase aid
levels to support the MDGs.
We welcome the initiative of the United Kingdom for
an International Finance Facility (IFF), and call upon other
developed countries to consider this and similar options to
alleviate poverty in developing countries.
We commit ourselves to support appropriate private
sector initiatives to promote foreign direct investment and
capital flows to developing member countries.
Role
of Women
We recognise the
critical role which women play in development and resolve to
ensure that development processes empower women to play that
full role
Action
Against Corruption and Recovery of Assets
We recognise that
corruption erodes economic development and corporate
governance. We
welcome the successful conclusion of the United Nations
Convention Against Corruption and urge the early signature,
ratification and implementation of the Convention by member
states. We pledge maximum cooperation and assistance amongst our
governments to recover assets of illicit origin and
repatriate them to their countries of origin.
This will make more resources available for
development purposes. To this end, we request the Secretary-General to establish a
Commonwealth Working Group to help advance effective action
in this area.
Debt
Management
We recognise that the
debt burden constitutes a major obstacle to allocating
resources to key socio-economic sectors in developing member
countries. We
also acknowledge the need for a deeper, broader and more
flexible approach to debt relief and debt cancellation for
developing member countries, to achieve long-term debt
sustainability and release resources, particularly for
health and education. We
welcome the advisory and consensus-building work of the
Commonwealth Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
Ministerial Forum (CHMF) and encourage its efforts to
achieve HIPCs’ sustainable exit from debt.
We support the provision of additional resources
through topping-up at the completion point under HIPC and a
more comprehensive approach to address unsustainable debt.
Financing
for Development
We believe the
Commonwealth should lead the international community in
ensuring that the official development assistance (ODA)
target is achieved. Recognising
that poor member countries urgently need increased resources
for pro-poor development, we call on the international
community to respond positively through the following
measures:
§
improve aid effectiveness
through reductions in tied aid, increased direct budgetary
support and implementation of the Rome Declaration on
Harmonisation;
§
support social safety nets
to reduce the impact of poverty on the most vulnerable
groups and to mitigate the transition costs of reforms
designed to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of
economies;
§
strengthen the capacity of
the international financial architecture to assist poor
countries to address the impact of exogenous shocks
such as a sharp deterioration in their terms of trade
and natural disasters;
§
encourage the private
sector to play a major role in the promotion of trade and
investment; and
§
encourage greater
participation of poor and vulnerable groups in the
preparation of poverty reduction strategy papers for the
IMF, World Bank and wider donor community.
Commonwealth
Fund for Technical Cooperation
We note the
commendable assistance provided by the CFTC to the
development efforts of our member countries and commit
ourselves to continued support for the Fund.
We agree that the resources available to the Fund
should be enhanced and on no account be permitted to decline
below their current levels in real terms.
Health
We are committed to
combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and other
infectious diseases which remain a threat to sustainable
development. We
recognise that diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria and
Tuberculosis are not only health problems but are also
development issues. The
high incidence of such diseases can also reverse the
development process. We
continue to believe that strong political leadership and
education remain crucial components of the multi-sectoral
response to combating HIV/AIDS.
The threat from HIV/AIDS is especially great in sub-Saharan
Africa, which has two-thirds of the world’s 40 million
persons living with HIV/AIDS, and in the Caribbean.
We call for reforms at the national level to create
effective health delivery systems, as well as adequate
external support to achieve this. We welcome the recent WTO agreement on affordable drugs and
call for its interpretation and implementation in a manner
that makes appropriate drugs available at low cost to poor
countries.
Education
We affirm that
education, whether formal or informal, is central to
development in any society and is of the highest priority to
the Commonwealth. In
an increasingly divided and insecure world, education must
play a crucial role for people, both young and old, for them
to optimise their opportunities and to bridge divides.
We commend all
efforts by Commonwealth organisations and agencies to
develop greater education resources and to create an
enabling environment to foster an enterprise culture.
We encourage all governments, noting the value of
distance education and the benefits of technology, to draw
upon best practices throughout the Commonwealth and welcome
the increased support for education in the Commonwealth
through the new Centre for Commonwealth Education at
Cambridge University..
Youth
We recognise that
more than fifty percent of the population of the
Commonwealth is below thirty years of age.
All Commonwealth efforts to achieve the MDGs must
reflect this demographic reality by including young people
in development and democracy.
Combating
Illicit Trafficking in Human Beings
We recognise the
growing problem of human trafficking, especially in women
and children. We
are committed to combating this scourge through
international cooperation and we call on member countries
which have not yet done so to ratify the UN Convention
Against Transnational Organised Crime and Protocols.
Partnership
for Peace and Prosperity
We strongly reaffirm
our commitment to multilateralism, international cooperation,
partnership, and productive working relationships between
government and civil society organisations. We also reaffirm
our commitment to enhance global democracy, by ensuring that
international institutions reflect the voice of their
developing country members and are themselves models of good
practice in democratic accountability, participation and
transparency. We recognise that the Commonwealth as an
association has distinctive strengths and comparative
advantages that could be effectively utilised for the mutual
benefit of member states.
We therefore urge greater partnership within our
community.
Furthermore we urge
all countries to implement their commitments under the
Monterrey Consensus and the Plan of Implementation of the
World Summit on Sustainable Development.
We commend the
African Union for taking the bold step to address
development and good governance through the New Partnership
for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
In this regard, we support the Commonwealth
Secretariat’s activities in developing a comprehensive
programme of assistance to support the efforts of
Commonwealth countries in Africa.
We recognise that
conflict and instability erode the prospects of development.
We are therefore committed to help mobilise international
support and resources for conflict prevention, resolution
and management. We
also commit ourselves to efforts to curb illicit trade in
small arms and light weapons and to support prompt response
in providing international assistance to conflict areas.
Conclusion
We urge the
Commonwealth Secretary-General to direct resources to
support the priorities identified in this Declaration.
We also urge relevant Commonwealth Ministerial
Meetings to give additional momentum to these priorities,
and request the Secretary-General to provide a report on
progress made to the next Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting.
Aso
Rock Statement on Multilateral Trade
We, the Heads of
Government of the Commonwealth, representing countries at
all levels of development, reaffirm our commitment to a
transparent, rules–based multilateral trading system.
We recognise that such a system is in the interests
of all countries, especially poor and vulnerable ones.
We firmly believe that all countries have a right to
full development. We
are convinced that increasing trading opportunities is the
most potent weapon to combat poverty.
A multilateral trading system that is more responsive
to the needs of developing countries is particularly
important for the Commonwealth, a third of whose nearly 2
billion people live on less than a dollar a day and nearly
two-thirds on less than 2 dollars a day.
We, in the Commonwealth, therefore, attach the
highest priority to delivering the Doha Development Agenda.
We regret the
breakdown of negotiations in Cancún.
We support immediate re-engagement by all concerned
and urge that all show the flexibility and political courage
necessary to deliver a balanced Round.
Positive outcomes are
essential in the areas of agriculture, non-agricultural
market access, services, implementation issues and
special and differential treatment.
On agriculture, we call for the early phasing out of
all forms of export subsidies, substantial reductions in
trade-distorting domestic support and significant
improvements in market access.
In the area of industrial products, tariff escalation
and tariff peaks must be addressed, as they are a major
impediment to development.
Finally special and differential treatment must be
made precise, effective and operational in all WTO
agreements.
The time that remains
for a successful conclusion of the Round is now very short.
We are, therefore, despatching a Ministerial mission
to key capitals to call on major players and to urge them to
negotiate positively and flexibly to re-invigorate the Doha
Round and to move expeditiously to a final agreement.
We stress that
multilateral trade liberalisation can offer significant
benefits for all. We
also recognise that poor and vulnerable countries should
undertake trade liberalisation in ways that minimise
transition costs and any negative impact on the poor. We recognise the special difficulties of developing economies,
particularly of vulnerable small states that have lost trade
preferences, and call for concerted action to assist them
diversify their economies.
We call upon the
Commonwealth Secretariat to strengthen its technical
capacity-building programmes for developing Commonwealth
countries to negotiate and implement their obligations
within the WTO system, and of Commonwealth ACP countries in
their negotiations with the EU on Economic Partnership
Agreements, in ways consistent with their development
interests. Where
there is significant Commonwealth consensus on particular
trade issues, we pledge to bring the full weight of the
association to bear on them
|
