11 minute read
The Context For Good Governance
The Role of the State
By Wendy Singh
Good governance should therefore focus on the process necessary for ensuring optimum outcomes for all.
Good public governance is best manifested by the degree to which fundamental human rights are delivered to its citizenry. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) identified five key attributes of good governance, which entail minimizing corruption, taking the views of minorities into account, and ensuring the participation of the most vulnerable in decisionmaking. The Council lists human rights standards and principles that would provide a set of values to guide the work of State and non-state actors, as well as ensure accountability of these actors. These principles and standards are: transparency; responsibility; accountability; and participation.
According to the OHCHR, decision-making and the manner in which decisions are enforced, should always be transparent ensuring that all those who will be impacted are provided with adequate information through comprehensible formats. Responsible governance includes servicing stakeholders within reasonable timeframes and applying a consensus-oriented process that allows decisions to be reached in an equitable and inclusive manner, as well as in the best interest of all communities.
Inclusive participation
Accountability to stakeholders is essential for good governance and is required by governmental institutions, the private sector and civil society organizations. Participation by all in representative democracy, including the most marginalized and vulnerable in society, is a cornerstone of good governance that requires full protection of human rights that is guaranteed by a fair, affordable, and accessible justice system, which is enforced by an independent judiciary.
One might say that good governance is an elusive idea. However, governments made a commitment to working towards the fundamental human rights that will ensure sustainable development for future generations when they adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015. These rights are also embodied in international and regional treaties and conventions that governments have ratified.
SDGs and Public Governance
for generations that will follow, end extreme poverty and hunger, and to create a healthier, safer, more inclusive world. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the goals that are most relevant to public governance are: Goal 2 - end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition; Goal 5 - achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; Goal 6 - ensure sustainable water management and sanitation;
Goal 9 - build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation; Goal 11 - make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable; and Goal 16 - provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. These goals are broad and complex for small developing States but the OECD has assisted governments with implementing cross-cutting initiatives that require improvement of governance processes and with helping them to understand the institutional arrangements and alignment of policies that are necessary for their delivery.
Goal 2 – Managing the Regional Food Bill
In relation to Goal 2 to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, a survey published by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) the World Food Programme (WFP) in September 2022, revealed that over a six-month period the number of people facing moderate to severe levels of food insecurity rose by 46 percent in the English-speaking Caribbean. The survey found that people are using negative coping strategies such as selling off their assets and using their savings to meet their basic needs –measures which could only exacerbate the situation. Further, nearly 6 percent of people involved in the survey reported going an entire day without eating in the week leading up to the survey, which represented an increase of 1 percent since the last survey in February 2022 and which is due to external factors such as high energy prices and corresponding import costs and transportation costs. For instance, the survey revealed that “ninety-seven percent of people surveyed reported seeing higher prices for food items compared to 59 percent in April 2020”, and that “for the first time in over two years, people’s inability to meet food and essential needs were top concerns, followed by unemployment”.
Recognizing the need to set up systems to facilitate access to nutritious and affordable food for all, Heads of Government committed to reduce the regional food bill by 25 percent by 2025 through the implementation of the CARICOM Agri-Food Systems Strategy in Member States. The system will prioritize products that top the importation list. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the progress that Guyana has made over recent years. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Guyana quickly moved from being a net importer of agricultural products and mineral fuels, to being a net exporter of the same commodities”. The report stated that the recent offshore oil production has resulted in increased fuel exports. In addition, the local food production plan, which is linked to the wider food security agenda within CARICOM, has reduced agricultural imports and increased exports, which is projected to increase by an annual average of 50 percent over 2022 to 2026. Concomitantly, the IDB warns that generally, Caribbean countries should prepare for the negative impacts of external economic shocks during 2023 –this includes high food, fuel, and international interest rates.
Goal 5 – Ending Violence Against Women
With respect to Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, Goal 5.1 calls for an end to all forms of discrimination against women and girls. For instance, a Representative of the UN Women MultiCountry Office (MCO) Caribbean noted in December 2022, that although 70 – 80 percent of graduates from The University of the West Indies are women, this does not guarantee employment for them. In addition, she highlighted the disparity in pay in the tourism industry where women workers in Barbados earned 68 percent of men’s wages. Young women and girls are therefore encouraged to empower themselves by getting involved in enterprises that would allow them to become economically self-sufficient. Goal 5.2 focuses on the need to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. In this regard, during December 2022, the UN Spotlight Initiative collaborated with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to establish a formal umbrella network of women’s rights groups with the aim of supporting a coordinated approach to Equality and Women’s Empowerment and ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
According to the Secretary General of CARICOM, “unsettling” data from prevalence surveys “violence against women and girls remains the most widespread and pervasive human rights violation affecting more than an estimated one (1) in three (3) women globally over the last decade. This problem was exacerbated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed existing systematic inequalities supported by gender norms that threaten to reverse decades of progress in women’s equality. Goal 5.2 of the SDGs urges the elimination of violence against women in the public and private spheres. CARICOM is working with the EU and UN to ensure the provision of health, police, justice, and social services to mitigate the impact of gender-based violence.
Goal 5.5 requires Governments to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life. This human rights approach to women’s leadership is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará). These instruments emphasize the need for women’s leadership role in decision-making and public life as being fundamental. Such an approach will also ensure that the issue of gender is fully integrated in all public policies. According to recent data compiled by the InterParliamentary Union, women make up less than 33 percent of parliamentary representatives in CARICOM countries. Guyana is the only country in the region that has legislation that provides for gender quota in general elections, requiring all parties to have one third of its candidates as women as recommended in the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA).
Goal 6 – Better Health Standards
Goal 6 points to the need for a human rights focus in the management of water and sanitation to ensure sustainable consumption and production. The results of a study in 2020 carried out by the Panamerican Health Organisation (PAHO) on drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) shows that 65 percent of the population in the Caribbean and Latin America still do not have adequate access to water and sanitation services, while the percentage worldwide is 71%. The report affirmed the results of a previous 2016 report which highlighted inequalities in access to water and sewage services between urban and rural areas. The methodology applied to the study was based on the UN Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation (HRWS) analytical framework, which allowed the authors to show a correlation between unequal access and characteristics such as gender, age, income, and education. Given that Caribbean economies are heavily reliant on tourism, and health is key for a vibrant tourism industry as proven by the devastating effects of COVID-19, governments are working in partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to adopt higher health, safety and environmental sanitation standards in the sub-region.
Goal 9 – Resilient Infrastructure
In February 2022, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) urged Governments in the Caribbean to invest in more resilient forms of construction since these islands are extremely vulnerable to climate-related disasters. The IDB further stated in March, that Caribbean islands lose about 2% on average of their capital stock in infrastructure due to these disasters and noted that the recurrent expenditure for infrastructure diverts funding away from other matters such as social programmes. For instance, the Bank highlighted that hurricane Maria in 2017 caused Dominica almost US$1.0 billion in losses while in 2017 hurricane Dorian caused in the Bahamas approximately US$2.5 billion in losses.
Goal 9 calls for building resilient infrastructure, promotion of inclusive and sustainable industrialization and for fostering innovation. However, building resilient infrastructure will require an initial investment cost. In this regard, the IDB affirmed its commitment to finding solutions for a more resilient infrastructure in the region.
Goal 11 – Sustainable Communities
Goal 11 urges Governments to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. While a safe environment is important for tourism-based economies, Governments seem to be engaged in a constant struggle to control the illegal drugs, arms, the spiralling homicide, and imprisonment rates in Caribbean states. According to InsightCrime, much of the bloodshed in St. Lucia and Jamaica is attributable to gangs who are in possession of illegal firearms. Nevertheless, governments are making efforts to manage citizen security and implement strategies for preventing and controlling crime and violence. This approach is in keeping with Goal 16 which calls for access to justice for all and for building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Inequality, discrimination, and marginalization prevent many persons from accessing the justice system since they are unaware of their legal rights and are unable to afford legal representation. A Needs Assessment Report which was carried out by UNDP in July 2020, highlighted some of the challenges that Caribbean Governments face with the administration of justice. These were identified as: a lack of available data for the design of regional and national assessments and result oriented solutions; a backlog of court cases; the slow pace of investigations by police, delays with depositions, a lack of human and technological resources, and an over-use of pre-trial detention linked to a paucity of alternative pre-trial options. It should be noted however that at the national level, governments increased the use of technology for case management, carried out legislative reform, engaged in capacity building, strengthened justice institutions, and established specialized family, juvenile, drug, sexual offences courts.
Conclusion
Good governance should therefore focus on the process necessary for ensuring optimum outcomes for all. Governments in the region made a commitment to realizing the rights listed in the SDGs, which are also enshrined in the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other treaties –viz: civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights. The process required is a human-rights based approach since it focuses on analyzing inequalities, discriminatory practices and unjust power relations, has a special focus on groups that have been historically discriminated against, places emphasis on participation, and relies on the accountability of the State and its institutions to guarantee the human rights of all.
---------------------
GET PUBLISHED IN THE CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REVIEW
WhatsApp +1.868.472.4777/+592.663.4000
