Democracy Fund launched with €34m

The UN’s newly-created Democracy Fund was officially inaugurated yesterday with pledges of $41m (€34.5m) to start promoting democratic institutions and practices around the world.

US President George Bush proposed the creation of a Democracy Fund in a speech to the UN General Assembly in September 2004, saying it could help countries lay the foundations of democracy by instituting the rule of law, independent courts, a free press, political parties and trade unions.

UN secretary-general Kofi Annan set up the United Nations Democracy Fund last July and world leaders endorsed it at their summit in September.

Yesterday, Mr Annan presided at the first meeting of its 17-member advisory board, which will select projects in different countries that strengthen democratic institutions and enhance democratic government.

US Ambassador John Bolton said: “This is something that we think could have an impact in the real world and it’s a high priority for the United States to make this fund a success.”

The US believes it is important that emerging democracies that want assistance come up with projects and nominate themselves to get funding, “so that we can see who is most interested and most eager”.

“The real measure of success of the Democracy Fund will be the concrete, tangible advancement of democracy around the world,” Mr Bolton said. “If it turns into a talking shop, it will be a failure.”

The fund has received contributions and pledges from 17 countries, with India and the US each giving $10m (€8.4m).

Qatar contributed $2m (€1.7m) and pledged an additional $8m (€6.7m), Australia gave $7.3m (€6.1m), and Germany $1.6m (€1.3m). France pledged about $1.2m (€1m) and has already given half.

Mr Bolton said the US was pleased that India – the world’s largest democracy - made a pledge equal to the US, saying “it’s a sign of the increasingly close relationship between India and the US”.

He said the US will contribute an additional $7.9m (€6.6m) to the fund this year.

Other contributors were Chile, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Slovenia and Britain. Bulgaria pledged $10,000 (€8,400).

The advisory board is made up of the fund’s major contributors, countries selected by Mr Annan to ensure geographical representation, two non-governmental organisations and four representatives of the secretary-general.

France’s UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said the fund will lead to action and complement other UN human rights institutions and the new Peacebuilding Commission to help countries emerging from conflict.

Germany’s UN Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said: “We expect the fund to act quickly now and to come out with some concrete projects that make a difference on the ground.”

The projects will be assessed by the fund’s staff, he said, and “it is extremely important to … make sure that human rights are observed and that structures are created that allow for democratic checks and balances”.

Benin’s UN Ambassador, Bodehousse Simon Idohou, an advisory board member chosen to represent Africa, said his country has chosen democracy and “the fund can help in strengthening the process of decentralisation of power in Benin, which is a very great national project for us”.

The fund should focus on “the young democracies”, he said, and help reform their institutions that aren’t functioning correctly and “strengthen the democratic way of governing the country”.

Mr Bolton was asked whether the US was still anxious to promote democracy after the results of democratic elections in Egypt, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

“Democracy is democracy,” he replied. “Sometimes, in the US, democracy produces results that I don’t like either.

“Democracy is not just about elections. It’s about a broader pattern of ... support for human rights and the rule of law, respect for the rights and opinions of minorities, and I think that’s one reason why we’re so excited about the Democracy Fund.”