[mgj-discuss] UNDP Cites Anti-Corporate Globalization Movement; Notes How WTO Hurts People

[Dan Beeton]

'Strains on democracy are also evident in Latin America, where economies are
stumbling. More should be done, the report adds, to reform international
bodies to respond to citizens' needs. The institutions mentioned include the
World Trade Organisation and the UN Security Council.

Ms Fukuda-Parr noted: "The anti-globalisation movement is a sign most people
think the world is unfair. It's not poor people protesting, it's people
outraged at the unfairness. It's the powerful versus the powerless as much
as rich versus poor."'


The Independent (London)

July 25, 2002, Thursday

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 7

BRITAIN SLIPS DOWN RANKS OF THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN THE WORLD

BYLINE: David Usborne In New York

PROGRESS SINCE the Cold War in forging new democracies around the world has
stalled, if not gone into reverse, and the US-led fight against terrorism
could encourage the re-emergence of authoritarianism in many states, a
United Nations report warns.

The same report, which offers a detailed X-ray of the daily circumstances of
the world's citizens, also shows Britain losing its place among the top 10
countries where people would most like to live. Britain was placed 13th, one
place behind France but above Germany. Norway was first.

Released yesterday by the UN Development Programme, the annual report
concedes the planet is theoretically more democratic than ever before. It
notes that 140 of the almost 200 countries in the world now hold multi-
party elections but says that is not the whole picture. Of those, only 81
countries have fully democratic institutions with legitimate elections.

Mark Malloch Brown, the head of the UNDP, said: "Some of these gains are
under real threat. Lots of nations aren't very good democracies. They have
lost the trust of their citizens and very few of them are delivering what
citizens want."

Burma and Pakistan are both countries identified as having returned to
military rule while Zimbabwe is described as a "pseudo-democracy" because of
restraints placed on freedom by President Robert Mugabe and the flaws in the
country's recent elections.

Pakistan is one of several Asian countries due to be visited over the coming
days by the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell. With a tour beginning on
Friday, he will be urging governments in the region to step up efforts to
fight terrorists.

While the report avoids pointing a finger at the US, it clearly argues
against allowing any trade-off between human rights and democratic
governance on the one hand and combating terrorists on the other. It notes
that security is historically more rooted in full democracies. The report's
main author, Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, said: "There is a temptation to think in
the short term, to think you need a powerful authoritative force to clamp
down."

Warning against restricting human rights in response to the 11 September
terrorist attacks in America, she said: "History shows that in the long
term, when these authorities are not protected by democratic principles,
they turn against people. Over the 20th century, 170 million people were
killed by their own governments."

Strains on democracy are also evident in Latin America, where economies are
stumbling. More should be done, the report adds, to reform international
bodies to respond to citizens' needs. The institutions mentioned include the
World Trade Organisation and the UN Security Council.

Ms Fukuda-Parr noted: "The anti-globalisation movement is a sign most people
think the world is unfair. It's not poor people protesting, it's people
outraged at the unfairness. It's the powerful versus the powerless as much
as rich versus poor."

Leading the world in the quality-of-life rankings are, in descending order:
Norway, Sweden, Canada, Belgium, Australia, the US - which has slipped four
places since 1990 - Iceland, the Netherlands, Japan and Finland. They are
followed by Switzerland, France, Britain, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg,
Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Italy.

The annual rankings are not just a wealth index but consider indicators such
as life expectancy, per capita income and educational opportunities, as well
as human rights considerations.

This year, they show that the worst countries to be living in are all in
Africa. The bottom five are Sierra Leone, Niger, Burundi, Mozambique and
Burkina Faso. Eastern European countries that have tumbled down the rankings
include the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

While per capita income in Britain is lower than in other countries near the
top of the list, overall quality of life for its citizens is impressive,
particular in terms of health care and education. This is due to success in
"translating income into human development," the report says.

Among the gloomiest aspects of the report is the calculation that about 2.8
billion of the world's population of 6 billion are living on $ 2 (pounds
1.20) a day or less. Moreover, more than 60 countries have lower per capita
income than they did in 1990.

New trends identified as worrying for the cause of world democracy include a
downturn of voter turnout everywhere, caused in part by the corrupting
effect of corporate contributions to parties and candidates. In the US,
companies contributed $ 1.2bn (pounds 750m) to the 2002 election.

And while it cautions against an authoritarian response to terrorism, the
report concedes that terrorism has emerged as a new threat to the world,
sparked by the killing of 3,057 people in the al-Qa'ida attacks of last
September.

"Sometimes it is better to have the people of the world on your side than
the governments of the world."

- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary, National League for Democracy,
Burma

*******************************
Dan Beeton
Free Burma Coalition
Washington Office
1101 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, #204
Washington, DC 20003 USA
(202) 547-5985 (ph)
(202) 544-6118 (fax)
 www.freeburmacoalition.org
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