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Good governance
International agreements on the promotion of good governance
As an active member of the international community, Germany has emphasised the importance of good governance in a range of agreements and resolutions.
In the United Nations Millennium Declaration (2000), the section on "Human rights, democracy and good governance" stresses the central importance of governance, democracy and the rule of law in realising the Millennium Development Goals.
The closing document of the Monterrey Conference of 2002, the Monterrey Consensus, emphasises that "Good governance is essential for sustainable development".
At the United Nations' 2005 World Summit, good governance was acknowledged as an essential prerequisite for development and sustainable economic growth. But the importance of responsibility in the exercise of state power is affirmed even in much earlier international agreements, such as the human rights covenants of the United Nations and the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950.
In 2001 the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/DAC) set up a Network on Governance. The Network's task is to enhance the effectiveness of development cooperation in the area of good governance and to promote capacity building in developing countries.
Europe
According to Article 6, paragraph 1 of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union, the European Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.
These principles of good governance are a precondition of membership of the European Union. In addition, the promotion of good governance is an important goal of the European Union's external relations and an integral part of all its Association Agreements.
Africa
The African Union set up in 2000 also seeks to promote good governance in its member states: the Constitutive Act of the African Union (2002) declared the promotion of good governance to be an important aim of the signatory states. At the 2001 African Union Summit in Zambia, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) was also established. The aim of the initiative is to institute medium and long-term policy and economic measures which advance Africa's development. The reforms it is working towards include the promotion of conflict prevention and good governance, economic stability and the rule of law. At the heart of the New Partnership for Africa's Development is the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a process of mutual assessment in relation to good governance and of support in improving this situation. 29 members of the African Union are now involved (as of February 2010).
As an organ of the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament also provides a platform for the promotion of good governance, public decision-making, separation of powers and democracy in the member states.
Furthermore, at the level of African regional organisations, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has set up a parliamentary forum. The Forum is responsible for promoting multi-party democracy and good governance principles, and for monitoring elections in member states.
Latin America
The Latin American parliament, known as the Parlatino, has existed since 1964 and consists of representatives from 22 countries. It seeks to strengthen international cooperation, implement international law and secure the democratic foundations of society.
Arab States
At the instigation of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 18 countries have combined to set up the initiative "Good Governance for Development (GfD) in Arab States", which is principally supported by the Governance Programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Arab world. The initiative's aim is to modernise public governance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
