World Forum on Democracy

PLENARY SESSION

"THREATS TO DEMOCRACY AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES"

Alpha Oumar Konare, President of the Republic of Mali

Today, democracy is extending across the African continent. It needs nurturing, however, since many of the continent's conflicts are caused by weak democracies. Political and moral pressure must be exerted to enforce minimum basic values - the rule of law, respect for human rights.

The international community must demonstrate a consistent attitude to coup d'etats. The fact of sovereignty should not be a barrier to intervention by the international community if gross violations of human rights are taking place. We must also establish regional mechanisms that can rapidly resolve disputes in a spirit of democratic compromise. Civil society will have a role to play in the operations of such organizations.

One of the greatest challenges in Africa is the holding of elections, which have often brought countries to the brink of civil strife. The measure of a statesman's success should be in his handing over of power. Election funding and the funding of political parties must be transparent. Media also have a big role to play: there can be no democracy without freedom of the press, but this is a responsibility that must be taken seriously.

Poverty may weaken democracy, but it certainly does not preclude it. The poorer democracies need to be helped to learn to read, write and compute. Give us aid in financing our development. Cancel our excessive foreign debts. Our poverty must not be a pretext used by the West to abstain from participating in the development of democracy in our countries - the richer countries must share in the responsibility for creating a better world.