LDCs make major efforts to establish democratic rule
20 May '06
3 min read
Anwarul Chowdhury
Despite constraints on human resources coupled with structural weaknesses, a number of poor countries have made significant efforts to establish democratic rule in the past 20 years, according to a new study released by the United Nations today.
While least developed countries (LDCs) continue to face enormous challenges, including corruption, the lack of access to justice, and continued human rights violations, they can prove to be a global force behind practical democratic innovations, says the report, entitled “Governance for the Future: Democracy and Development in Least Developed Countries.”
Jointly carried out by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office of the High Representative for the LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), the study challenges doubts around the poorest countries' ability to build stable democracies.
Citing roving judges in the Maldives and a community justice system in post-genocide Rwanda as solid examples of poor countries stride towards democratic governance, the report shows that a nation's income level does not necessarily determine its democratic future.
One clear indication of how the LDCs have achieved a considerable level of progress in recent years is the advancement of women, according to the report. Snce 1991 the number of women in the parliament of Mozambique has doubled, while Rwanda now “leads the world” in terms of women's representation in the legislative business with more than 48 per cent.
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