"Democracy must be promoted and exercised" : European Development Day (22-24 October 2009)

Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, Stockholm, 23 October 2009 `Democracy and Development' was marked with a lively debate among the panelists during the second day of the European Development Day. The plenary was held in Victoria Hall of the EU Conference held on 23 October 2009. 15 other events and discussions. Some of 15 other events and discussions were also held which were attended by hundreds of people including Ministers, Government officials, civil societies from around the world. Amr Moussa, Secretary General, League of Arab States, urged that, “Democracy is a system that should be promoted, but the definition of democracy must be broader than simply a ballot box. Democracy promotion requires more than elections, it also requires institutions” . Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia, argued for infrastructure: “If one wants to promote good governance and democracy, one needs a people that are able to access the information that enables them to do that. In many underdeveloped countries, infrastructure is a major constraint to development Putting emphasis on building infrastructure is very important and that in itself will foster the processes of development.” “Sustainable poverty reduction goes hand in hand with good governance and the rule of law,” argued Gunilla Carlsson, Swedish Minister for International Development. “Without accountability, human rights and democracy in recipient countries, taxpayers in donor countries will not support development aid.” The potential of new media has been acknowledged by Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya, an active blogger during – and after – his election campaign. He said that using new media gives his government the opportunity to communicate regularly with people who give valuable feedback about issues that need to be addressed. “It is a constant channel of communication that we use now. I am sure new media will play a more and more critical role in the future. It brings communication down to the community level.”