Enhancing democracy in the implementation of the 2030 Development Agenda (Presentation by Mandeep Tiwana on behalf of the International Steering Committee of the Civil Society Pillar of the Community of Democracies: 18 th Meeting of the Governing Council, Community of Democracies, 1 Oct 2015, UN Secretariat Building, New York City) Introduction •
The 2030 Development Agenda is critical to the future of humanity for the next 15 years and will determine whether we are able to get a grip on extreme poverty, substantially reducing inequality, promoting peace and justice and safeguarding our precious environment.
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The 2030 agenda vitally recognises that development is also about freedom – freedom from both fear and violence.
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Notably, the agenda specifically commits to participatory decision making and ensuring public access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms in Goal 16 and to encourage and promote effective civil society partnerships under Goal 17. Without the full realisation of these aspirations, democracy is meaningless and exists only in name.
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Democratic states and members of the Community of Democracies have played a key role in ensuring that the above aspirations are firmly embedded in the 2030 agenda.
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As Nelson Mandela mentioned “once you climb a big hill, you find that there are many more hills to climb.” Thus, there is more work to be done. The indicator development process lies before us and unfortunately that process has not been as inclusive as the process of determining the goals and targets has been.
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The proposed indicator on protecting fundamental freedoms is incomplete as is the indicator on participatory decision making. The indicator on civil society partnerships is nonexistent. As the indicators will guide implementation, this process needs wholesome civil society participation.
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Equally importantly, we need an enabling environment for citizen participation and civil society to monitor the implementation of the goals and targets. Robust civil society involvement will be the key to unlocking the potential of the whole 2030 framework and ensuring that people’s aspirations remain at the heart of the 2030 agenda.
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We thus look to democracies around the world to lead by example and also to persuade those who are less willing to have civil society assume its rightful place in decision making forums. We also need to protect the public’s right to express democratic dissent and demand economic, social, political, gender and environmental justice.
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CIVICUS’ research shows that there were substantial threats to the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly in 96 countries in 2014 alone - from authoritarian and from some democratic governments as well as from non-state actors such as unscrupulous business entities and fundamentalist groups of various types.