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16 Jan 2012

ESCWA Opens Reform and Transition to Democracy Meeting

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Opening HLM.JPG

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on those who believe in a future of freedom and dignity to come together and help people of the region and their leaders to write the next chapters. He said that from the very beginning of these revolutions, from Tunisia through Egypt and beyond, he has called on leaders to listen to their people, a call that some heeded and benefitted while others did not, and today are facing the storm. "I say again to President Assad of Syria: Stop the violence. Stop killing your own people. The path of repression is a dead end," he demanded. Ban also called for an end of Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian territories and of violence against civilians. He asserted that settlements, new and old, are illegal and they work against the emergence of a viable Palestinian State. This came in a statement Ban delivered at the opening session of ESCWA’s high-level meeting on “Reform and Transitions to Democracy.” Ban, UN Under-Secretary General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf, and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati today opened the meeting in the presence of ministers, parliamentarians, heads and members of the diplomatic corps, dignitaries and media representatives. Ban said democracy is not easy. It takes time and effort to build. It does not come with one or two elections. He added that there are four prerequisites for success: reform must be real, inclusive dialogue is crucial, women must be at the centre of the region’s future, and we must heed voices of the youth. “People do not seek authoritarianism with a human face. People want meaningful changes in security services and armed forces. These should serve the people, not keep them down,” said Ban. He stressed that diversity is strength, and that we must oppose those who exploit ethnic or social differences for political gain. The UN chief highlighted the importance of protecting women from violence, intimidation and abuse, because this, too, is a fundamental matter of human dignity and equality. “Arab countries need to create 50 million jobs within the next decade to absorb young entrants to the workforce. This profound demographic pressure drove the Arab Spring. Faced with bleak prospects and unresponsive governments, young Arabs acted on their own to reclaim their future,” Ban said. He concluded by pointing out the United Nations’ responsibility to update its approach to the region, saying that its Arab Human Development Reports broke new ground in frankly diagnosing the region’s problems -deficits in democracy, knowledge, women’s empowerment and human security. But those reports were not fully integrated into our work. The UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCWA Rima Khalaf stated that “Spring, awakening, renaissance, revolution” have all been used to describe the popular uprisings ignited in Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia a year ago. Since then, millions of people in the Arab world, young and old, men and women, have flooded the streets chanting “the people want”. She said there were different views on prospects for this new era. Some observers look at it with great hope, while others view it with pessimism. "The transition from tyranny to democracy is not an easy task. It requires comprehensive reform of State structures," she added. Khalaf stressed that the bygone era was one of muzzled voices, sham promises, shattered hopes, despotism and corruption, and that conflicts, wars and occupations have proliferated in the region, of which the longest has been the Israeli occupation that continues undeterred and in violation of all rights and laws. She said addressing legacies of the past and building national consensus were most important for the transitional period in order to avert a relapse into internal strife or the return to authoritarianism. Notwithstanding unclear prospects, muddled courses and multiplicity of obstacles, the ultimate target remains one: free nations; just, democratic regimes; respect for human rights, an end to marginalization, equal rights to all citizens enshrined in constitutions, she added. Khalaf expressed hope that this high-level meeting would provide an opportunity for fruitful interactions between leaders from this region and their counterparts who have successfully led processes of democratic transformation. She finally said “this future may as yet seem distant, but peoples of this region are not less worthy, or less capable or less deserving than other peoples of the world. We, too, have a right to freedom, dignity and justice.” Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the “Arab Spring” triggered great changes, the outcome of which rippled throughout the world, since this region plays strategic role in the development and safety of the world economy. From this perspective, the eyes of the world follow attentively events unfolding in it, while our people are looking for the fruits that such spring will bring and of which some might be take longer to deliver. He pointed out that the Lebanese Government has focused its priorities on good governance through administrative reform, transparency, and the development of a democratic system by launching a new electoral law. Our Government is determinate to undergo leading reform steps, he said. Mikati stressed that UN agencies were and will remain the primary resort for all people seeking peace, security, freedom, democracy and development.
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