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Sana'a Declaration
June 30, 1999
english - french
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Summary of Discussions & Recommendations
Topic 1 - Topic
2 - Topic
3 - Topic
4
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Final Agenda
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Mr. Mohammed Al-Tayeb, Minister of Labor, Yemen, Prime Minister Abdulkarim Al-Eryani, Yemen, and President Alpha
Oumar Konare, Mali, enjoy a
social occasion at Wadi Dar, Yemen.
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We who attended the Emerging Democracies Forum in Sana'a, Yemen from
June 27 to 30, 1999 from 16 countries, assembled to acknowledge our democratic achievements, to address common
challenges we face in the transition to full democracy and to reaffirm our commitment to democratic rights and
principles. The Forum was a unique gathering, bringing together a diverse group of participants and countries whose
democratic advances are less known.
We recognize that the transition process is not complete and that much needs to be done to consolidate our democratic
systems and to implement further political and economic reforms. While we are proud to have joined the growing
community of democracies, the international community has tended to focus on countries that are considered strategically
more important or are in crisis. However, democratic progress in our states contributes to peace, stability and
prosperity both within and beyond our borders.
Reflecting the importance of all sectors of society in this endeavour, the participants at the Forum included government
officials, members of governing and opposition parties, and representatives of labor, business and civic groups
from Benin, Bolivia, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal and Yemen. We represent a diversity of democratic experience, but our attendance at
this Forum demonstrates the universality of the democratic idea. This group of nations with different traditions,
cultures and historical experiences was brought together by a shared commitment to democracy and a belief that
the promise of economic prosperity enjoyed by all citizens is more likely realized in a democratic political environment
based on respect for human rights, popular participation and the rule of law. Further we share a commitment to:
- pursue economic reforms and secure fundamental workers' rights, while
making every effort to educate and build widespread consensus for these goals;
- improve protections for human rights for all our people;
- hold regular free and fair elections, with special attention to the
need to build public confidence in the process;
- develop our legislatures as an essential instrument for broad public
participation and representation as well as for policy debate and oversight of government;
- empower democratic governance at local levels;
- deepen our commitment to, and implement measures to ensure, the full
participation of women in political life;
- ensure that the rights of minorities are respected and that every effort
is made to engage marginalized groups in the political process;
- broaden the democratic experience by adopting all reasonable means to
encourage public access to, and participation in, the policy making process;
- support the strengthening of civil society;
- uphold the freedom of the press;
- address the urgent challenge of corruption by instituting meaningful
reforms, including those that increase governmental transparency; and
- foster judicial independence, enhance public access to legal redress
and ensure that the laws are fairly applied to all.
These are the principles that brought us to Yemen, which we discussed in the context of our specific experiences.
Following are some examples of measures recommended by Forum participants that give concrete expression to our
shared democratic principles.
The successful implementation of economic reforms is advanced by:
- transparent and inclusive decision making, the involvement of civil
servants, the public, labor, business groups and political parties in the design and implementation of reforms;
- a social safety net to meet basic human needs and/or a complementary
poverty alleviation program; and
- a recognition of the role of the civic sector in the implementation
of economic reforms, including the use of such groups to help deliver government-funded social services.
Public confidence in elections is enhanced by:
- working towards the establishment of independent election commissions
that are nonpartisan or politically balanced;
- regulating, by legislation, government financing of elections to ensure
that they are fair and equitable for all parties; and
- inviting election observers, whether domestic or international, to mount
more comprehensive efforts, including the monitoring of registration and campaign periods;
The legitimacy of parties and legislatures is advanced by:
- the adoption by political parties of internal democratic procedures,
ongoing training of political leaders and elected officials, and public accountability and transparency;
- the implementation of legislative procedures that ensure public access
to plenary and committee meetings, the holding of public hearings, and the provision of committee documents and
bills to the public.
Public participation in democratic decision making is enhanced by:
- providing for private ownership of media and ensuring the impartiality
of state-owned media through independent boards or other means;
- ensuring that governments and political parties take measures to increase
the number of women in parliament and appoint women to key government posts;
- conducting civic education in schools, nongovernmental organizations,
parties and the media to address cultural attitudinal and legal barriers to the political and economic participation
of women;
- encouraging governments and legislatures to enhance the viability of
nongovernmental organizations, including removing legal barriers and providing tax exempt status, and engaging
nongovernmental organizations in policy debates;
The achievement of good governance, the improvement of administration,
controlling corruption and strengthening the rule of law can be advanced by:
- instituting public information mechanisms, such as budget transparency,
freedom of information laws and the publication of regulations;
- depoliticizing and professionalizing the civil service;
- implementing a comprehensive program to fight corruption, including
institutions such as politically independent anti-corruption commissions, ombudsmen and auditors general, codes
of conduct and financial disclosure rules, and open procurement processes.
As a result of this conference, we hope to establish mechanisms between
our countries to continue the sharing of ideas and experiences through consultations, exchange programs, an interactive
web site and other means. We also look forward to working together in a variety of international fora to promote
democratic principles and practices. We intend to support the efforts of other countries that are beginning the
process of democratic transition.
The international community should renew its commitment to countries working to build democratic institutions and
processes and dedicate the resources for this task. In particular, the donor community and the international financial
institutions, in considering loans, aid and debt policy, should give priority to those countries implementing political
as well as economic reforms. These political reforms would include measures that advance popular participation,
build public trust in elections and legislatures, and enhance government transparency and accountability.
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