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Compliance, Conditionalities and the role of Independent Monitoring in the Implementation of NEPAD
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| 4. Practical proposals for the G8 meeting in June |
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Recommendations to G8, including pre-conditions for further aid and investment:
- G8 countries should increase annual aid levels to developing countries and in particular to Africa to the minimum agreed level of 0.7% of their GDP.
- G8 leaders should take concrete steps to remove protectionist barriers to their markets and take steps to improve access for African products to world markets.
- All G8 membership countries should enact legislation obliging multinational corporations based in their countries to publish all taxation payments to the governments of African states and developing countries.
- G7 countries should agree to the once off transfer of their SDRs to a Global Reconstruction and Development Fund.
- G8 leaders should grant authorization for the contents of this Global Reconstruction and Development Fund be used to finance the establishment of IMIs in NEPAD signatory states and to fund the establishment of recommended developmental projects (from list of projects drawn up by a credible and independent international body, as mooted by George Soros, in conjunction with the ‘Council of the Wise’ proposed by NEPAD heads of state. Both bodies could be informed by research data generated by national IMIs in NEPAD signatory states).
- In defining the rules for participation, the independent international body or Board, must mediate tensions that might arise between states around national interest and the criteria for membership of a regional structure as is envisaged through the African Union. Consequences for deviant governments must be clearly spelt out.13
- Aid and investment must be contingent on addressing weak states, including addressing the cardinal features of a democratic state and, through monitoring, ensuring that these are efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of its citizenry.
- Structural causes of conflict, including elite capture of resources, must be addressed in unambiguous terms. Countries in acute conflict on the continent are also those who have immense natural resources yet its citizens are either involved in armed conflicts, are refugees or generally displaced.
In return NEPAD signatory states should undertake to:
- Make the necessary constitutional, legislative and institutional reforms required to facilitate the implementation of NEPAD commitments to good governance and open societies.
- Take legislative measures to protect the separation between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary within their countries and which guarantee judicial independence and legislature oversight of the executive arm of government.
- Enact legislation to guarantee freedom of expression, freedom of publication, and freedom of access to all information held by the state, in states where these provisions are not currently available.
- Publish national and sub-national budgets and budget implementation plans, all tax-revenues, independent audits of all public revenue and expenditure, and made these documents freely available to civil society.
- Pass legislation requiring a public declaration of assets and financial interests by all public office bearers and senior public officials.
- Ensure that all heads of state, and executive members within signatory states, sign a public undertaking to the effect that they hold no offshore bank accounts. In addition, heads of state and executive members should sign a legally binding authorization (addressed to international banking authorities) stating that should such bank accounts be uncovered, their contents will be transferred to the Global African Reconstruction and Development Fund for use by their respective countries.
- Design a participatory role for civil society, including that of a monitoring function. Joint ownership of the implementation plan would serve to consolidate the social contract between states and its citizenry.
Footnotes:
- The role of the international Board will be advisory and will initially define the rules of the game. It will also mediate the different interest of applicants to the Global Fund. For practical and political reasons, its constituent parts being regional boards will support the international board.
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