Carl-Dieter Spranger
Germany has made it a goal of development policy to promote human rights and participation in recipient countries. A recent conference in Bonn discussed how this goal can be achieved. The following paper sums up the position of the Bonn government.
The World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in June 1993 will not disappear in the annals of history as yet another big international conference. The Vienna Conference was truly a milestone for the peoples of the world, the community of nations and thus for each and everyone of us in this One World. The Vienna Declaration reaffirmed the universality of human rights and the obligation on all states to respect them. It underlined the significance of human rights, particularly in connection with democracy and development; democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental liberties are intertwined and reinforce one another.
The confirmation of the universality of human rights and the importance of the same in the development process were important features of the Vienna Conference; but we must do more than simply assert these facts. We must instil a new quality into international development cooperation, applying the Vienna Conclusions to ensure a life of dignity for every single human being on this earth.
Africa is the one continent above all others where we must truly grasp the nettle. At least there, the chances of success are better than anywhere else. The end of the East-West conflict and the misguided economics, politics and ideology of Eastern Europe has, particularly in Africa, robbed the old African elites of the easy excuses used in the eighties to shift all the blame for their own economic failure onto external factors such as an unjust global economic system. Today, the new generation of young politicians in Africa, are underlining how important it is for Africans to assume responsibility for themselves in order to arrest and reverse the negative development of the past.
In more and more African states people have taken to the streets to claim their civil rights, democracy and the respect for human rights. In more and more African states national conferences and round tables have been convened to draw up electoral legislation and new constitutions and to lay the foundations for a new, democratic route to development.
Doubts about democratisation process
Today, around three years on from the democratic awakening in Africa and the "second independence" of many African states as it is often called, the voices calling for a sober if not sceptical assessment of Africa's democratisation are becoming louder. In a number of countries we can see encouraging signs that democracy is flourishing; Zambia, Benin or Namibia. There are, however, ample instances of election rigging and manipulation in other countries. In many cases, the process of democratisation was strangled soon after birth. We all know of examples where old, corrupt elites have been able to undermine the democratic process and cling to their former bastions of power, more or less intact.
After only 3 years therefore, there is good cause to ask whether the African democratic movement has not already reached its first serious crisis or is even over. Is the young African democracy in many cases no more than new wine in old bottles? I do not think so. The only ones who are disappointed at the course democracy has taken in Africa so far are those who assumed naively that democratic electoral laws and the authorisation of political parties in line with Western values would provide an instant recipe for democratic development. When I introduced our new criteria for German aid allocation, I made it clear that we did not expect our partners simply to adopt the same convictions and institutions as those spawned by the industrialised countries, but rather we wished to see the realisation of fundamental human rights and liberties valid for every individual and in their essence, common to all cultures. Democracy will only thrive in Africa if it respects African lifestyles and traditions. If we are going to implement the Vienna resolutions, we need a lively exchange of opinions both within Africa and also between developing countries and donors on new approaches and new methods in development work. The principles of democracy, I think, are undisputed: democracy must include legitimacy, responsibility, respect for human rights, a willingness to listen to and act upon the justified claims and interests of the people, and the freedom to criticise of the government and question its decisions. The real post Vienna issue is, however, what concrete form can these principles adopt in the various African cultures, and what support can development cooperation provide to that end?
Sub-Saharan Africa has always been a focal area for German development activities. In figures this has meant that from 1980 to 1990 bilateral disbursements to Africa rose by 60 per cent. Approximately DM 1.6 billion, that is around one third of our bilateral aid, goes to sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, annual disbursements in multilateral aid more than doubled in that period. This is a sign of how committed we are to our partnership with Africa. Development in Africa will not however be achieved solely by an injection of cash or an improvement in external conditions. Successful development in Africa hinges on whether it can open up politically, thus bringing an improvement in internal conditions for development. Development assistance must play its part here, too.
The topics set for the various working sessions at this conference denote the areas where action is required. They are already key elements in Germany's new development policy and are included in programmes under preparation or which have started.
We provide support to training centres and educational programmes, for instance, where awareness of human rights in Africa is furthered. In these activities we hope that a greater understanding of the principles and procedures of the rule of law will be imparted to members of the police and judiciary. We need to use every opportunity to enhance the understanding both in society at large and also by the authorities of the dignity of each individual and the respect for his/her rights. This constitutes a precondition for development, since unless the individual is allowed to develop and participate, there can be no sustainable process in the broader social context.
German NGOs aid democratisation
These are just a few of the ways in which Germany, both through government and nongovernment initiatives, is working to promote democracy in Africa.
We have to ask ourselves how best to put across the human rights message in an African context. How can each and every citizen be guaranteed legal recourse and what role should traditional legal systems play? In decentralisation projects we must of course be aware of the danger that restructuring existing power relations may trigger latent rivalries between various groups. How can development cooperation counter this type of danger? Another point of discussion is the role of nongovernmental organisations and other groups within society which can be strengthened as proponents of human rights and their great potential for political and social participation exploited. The influence, mandate and scope of this type of group should, however, also be clearly delimited including those tasks, which by their nature fall solely within the jurisdiction of the state.
None of these issues is viewed in merely academic terms. We want to develop concrete proposals on how the German aid programme can play an even more effective role in the future to promote human rights and political and social participation in Africa.
We are certainly under no illusions where international cooperation in general and the realisation of human rights in particular are concerned. For the third winter running war will continue to be waged in Bosnia. That prospect, together with the reports of atrocities the civilian population has had to suffer, bring the message home to us Europeans loud and clear: we have failed to protect human rights even in our own back yard. This should not be the signal for resignation, however. If we want to build a safer world for tomorrow then we must press on with our endeavours undeterred on every continent, in every individual case.