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Publications >> Staff Testimonies and Presentations
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Christopher A. Sabatini Senior Program Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, NED June 16, 1999 |
SubCommittee on the Western Hemisphere House Committee on International Relations Hearing on: "The Status of Democracy in Latin America"
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for inviting me to testify on the status of democracy in Latin America and the National Endowment for Democracy's program to promote democracy in the region. I would also like to take this time to thank the Subcommittee's bi-partisan support for the National Endowment for Democracy which has allowed the Endowment to carry out its work. In my remarks, I will first give an overview of the National Endowment for Democracy's analysis of the issues and problems for democracy in the region; second, I will provide a brief summary of some of our programs that address these issues; and finally, I will conclude with recommendations for priority areas for the future. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a nonprofit, bipartisan grant-making organization created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through non-governmental efforts. With its annual Congressional appropriation, the Endowment makes hundreds of grants each year to support pro-democracy groups in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Middle East, and Latin America. Endowment programs in the areas of labor, free-market and political party development are conducted by the NED's four core institutes: The American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI). In addition to these areas, the NED has a discretionary grants program that assists pro-democracy organizations abroad doing work in areas such as: rule of law, anti-corruption, independent media and free flow of information, conflict resolution, and civic education. The National Endowment for Democracy has maintained an active program in Latin America since its inception, beginning at a time when most of the region was dominated by authoritarian regimes. Today, only one country in the region is not ruled by an elected government (Cuba). Nevertheless, despite the fact that in most countries in the region successive elections have been held for over a decade, many countries still face the difficult tasks of consolidating democratic institutions and the rule of law, establishing more transparent and accountable governments, broadening participation and representation, establishing civilian oversight and authority over the armed forces, and tackling the increasingly pressing and related problems of poverty and crime. For many citizens of Latin America, an inclusive, representative democracy based on the rule of law remains an abstract goal. Many democracies in the region today are facing what we can call a second generation of democratic and economic reforms, that are much more complex and go much deeper than the formal political processes of holding free and fair elections. The implications of not effectively addressing these problems are already being witnessed across the region, as citizen confidence in democratic institutions has reached alarmingly low levels. Increasingly, citizen alienation and frustration are being expressed at the ballot box, in the form of voter abstention and the growing support for candidates who promise quick fixes often in thinly veiled authoritarian language and actions. The NED's Regional Priorities In the region, the National Endowment for Democracy concentrates its programs and activities in several general priority areas: 1) The first of these is promoting access to justice and the rule of law: Throughout the region, judicial systems remain inefficient, arbitrary, and in many cases politicized. One of the most basic foundations of democratic governance, an independent/accessible judicial system that can check the actions of the state and guarantee basic rights–such as constitutional norms and the right to private property–is weak or in some cases deficient in most Latin American countries. The issue of rule of law is crucial not only for addressing impunity and ensuring democratic accountability, but also for establishing a climate favorable to domestic and international investment that can promote economic growth and further integrate these countries into the world economy. The National Endowment for Democracy's programs in this area address the issue of rule of law by working with local non-governmental organizations to promote improved citizen access to justice and promoting judicial and legal reforms. The NED supports groups in Colombia, Venezuela and Peru that have helped to build closer relations between communities and local judicial officials, strengthen local conflict resolution mechanisms, and promote the establishment of justices of the peace offices. In Venezuela, the NED has helped to decentralize the justice system by training justices of the peace and by funding a popular television program that educates citizens on recent legal reforms and highlights specific channels of access. In Peru, NED programs have been instrumental in promoting reform of local judicial systems to improve their efficiency and technical capacity. 2) A second area of focus for the NED has been promoting greater accountability and transparency of elected governments. Despite in some cases almost a decade of elections, many democratic regimes in Latin America remain centralized and isolated from their citizens. Between elections, officials are often unresponsive to the needs and interests of their citizens; there few checks on the actions of elected officials; and the operation and management of government remains an arcane and distant process for Latin American citizens. But accountability and transparency are also a two-way street: accountable government depends not just on elected representatives but on citizens as well, whose political engagement and oversight are essential to the proper functioning of democratic institutions. Promoting greater accountability and transparency of the state is also crucial to addressing corruption in the region. Years of corrupt, unaccountable government have undermined citizen confidence in their elected officials and their governments. The backlash is being felt in countries like Venezuela where independent, outsider politicians are capturing citizen frustration with promises to dramatically shake up the traditional political system. Corruption stemming from narcotics production and trafficking is also corroding government institutions and breaking down societies and communities in countries such as Colombia and Mexico. The lack of accountable government and corruption also has implications for economic growth and trade; corruption drains precious resources from the economy and discourages international and domestic investment. Reforming political systems to ensure more accountable, transparent and less corrupt government will provide a more stable investment climate essential for increased trade and economic growth. In this area, the NED is supporting a variety of citizen-initiatives to promote reforms to increase the transparency of state institutions, through programs that monitor state institutions such as the congress and local governments, and create systematic, transparent opportunities for citizen participation with government at all levels and at all times rather than just through the ballot box. In Colombia, Mexico and Nicaragua, the NED is supporting local organizations that conduct legislative monitoring and public information campaigns to increase citizens' awareness and contact with Congress. In Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru, NED grantees are training and mobilizing community organizations to work with local governments in managing and allocating resources. Anti-corruption programs have become an increasing priority for the NED. In Venezuela, the NED supports one of the leading anti-corruption groups in the region in its program to promote citizen initiatives to combat corruption and to establish a National Institute for Ethics and Good Citizenship that will train public functionaries and students in ethics. In Paraguay, the National Democratic Institute is working with political leaders at the local and national level to strengthen internal mechanisms to combat corruption and improve public administration. And in Ecuador, the NED institute, CIPE, supports an anti-corruption program implemented by the Ecuadorian business association ANDE that is conducting studies on specific institutions and then seeking to build broad coalitions of business and political parties to promote their reform. 3) A third focus of NED programs in Latin America is broadening and improving political representation and participation. The last decade in Latin America has brought one overwhelmingly positive trend: the emergence and growth of a wide variety of civil society groups. These organizations now form an important part of Latin American political and social fabric, and have played an important role in representing and articulating social interests and reforming the state. The NED works with a number of these groups to promote greater political participation, particularly with those sectors of society that have been traditionally marginalized from the political system, including women, youth, and the indigenous. The political inclusion and participation of youth is critical for the renewal and future of democracy in Latin America. Unfortunately, across the region a new generation of Latin America's citizens are becoming increasingly disaffected and disengaged from politics. To address this, the NED works with youth organizations in Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia that seek to mobilize and engage young citizens in the political process by increasing their interaction with governmental bodies and assisting them develop policy proposals addressing youth demands. While the emergence of civil society is a positive trend in the region, traditional channels of political representation, political parties and unions, are in a dramatic process of re-alignment and in some cases even collapse, as a result of social changes and popular disillusionment with past performance. In these cases, while a vibrant civil society is necessary, it is not sufficient. The strength of democracy will depend on the capacity of political parties and unions to reconstitute themselves into more effective and legitimate organs of political and economic representation and to reach out to under-represented groups. To address these concerns and to promote this process of internal reform and realignment, the NED is supporting a number of initiatives. In Venezuela, the NED-affiliated labor institute, ACILS, is providing technical assistance to the Venezuelan Workers Confederation (CTV) in its efforts to hold internal elections that will for the first time allow union members to elect their union representatives at all levels. In Guatemala, IRI is working with local party leaders to improve their communication and organizational skills to better respond to constituent demands. And NDI recently initiated a regional political party training program that brings together young party leaders from Latin America and the U.S. to discuss and learn about topics such as political party renewal and reform, crisis management, inclusive decision-making, constituency outreach, and communication. After the two-week intensive program, each participant returns to his or her country to implement a project to strengthen and reform their political parties. The first of these seminars was conducted last March and included party leaders from Venezuela, Mexico, Paraguay, and Guatemala. NDI will hold a second of these seminars next year and hopes to include more representatives from the Andean region. 4) In addition to these broad regional priorities, the NED has programs that address country-specific concerns: Challenges for the Future: The current challenges to democracy in the region are more complex and long term than was thought immediately after the first elections swept the hemisphere over a decade ago. Yet, the future stability of democracy in the region will depend on how these countries deal with these issues. International actors and the U.S. can help them confront and implement the "second generation" of reforms through economic assistance, information sharing, technical assistance, and moral support. The growing recognition of the international community and the U.S. of these issues represents a significant step in that direction. Below are some areas where international assistance organizations and U.S. policy makers should give increased attention: Rule of Law and Access to Justice: International donors such as the World Bank and the IDB have increased their attention on reforming the administration of justice in many Latin American countries, streamlining administrative procedures, promoting and supporting code reform, and training justices. While in some cases these programs have helped to improve the justice system overall, more attention needs to be paid to providing citizen access to the justice system through education campaigns, legal assistance and training of local justices. The bourgeoning civil society sector working in legal reform and justice issues provide an effective means to meet these needs. Anti-Corruption: The theme has received increased attention of late, but while donor organizations such as USAID, the World Bank and others are working in the area at the level of strengthening and reforming state institutions, there is only limited funding for working with civil society and committed elected officials. More focus should be placed on ways in which civil society can work with elected officials to ensure public access to information, advocate and implement specific institutional reforms, and increase the transparency and effectiveness of election and campaign finance laws. Political Party Building: International organizations need to devote greater attention to the re-alignment and re-emergence of democratic political parties in the region. Establishing viable, institutionalized and representative political parties is essential to democratic participation, governance and stability in Latin America. U.S. party institutes, IRI and NDI, should continue to provide assistance to political parties in a non-partisan manner in areas such as coalition building, internal organizational reform, campaign techniques, and voter outreach. In addition, other international organizations can provide assistance to political parties through local think tanks and civil society groups. Think tank programs that offer independent assistance in policy and platform development and seek to educate citizens on issues can play an important role in shaping the political debate and in the formation of more programmatically-based parties. Admittedly the area is difficult; in many countries political parties have become severely discredited to the point where the word "political party" is anathema to many voters. Nevertheless, the process of realignment and reorganization will occur and in some cases has begun to occur–particularly at the local level. Assistance to deepen and institutionalize that process is essential. Civil-Military Relations: Overt military coups are less a threat today than they were in the 1960s and 1970s. Nevertheless, in many countries the armed forces are assuming a greater role in what were once considered civilian duties, often with the support of a public that is growing increasingly frustrated with civilian management. While one could debate the relative dangers of such changes, it does raise the issue of the stability of civil-military relations in Latin America today. In many countries the administration and operation of the military remains opaque, and civilians charged with the responsibility for oversight of the military lack expertise in issues such military administration and budgeting. In these cases, greater assistance should be provided to train civilians in military issues, promote greater contact between the military and civilians, including civil society organizations, and educate the military on their roles and duties in a democracy. The NED currently supports civil-military projects in Peru and Nicaragua, but is looking for similar opportunities in Ecuador, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Colombia. Crime: According to recent surveys, one of the leading concerns of citizens in Latin America is crime and personal security. This concern has manifested itself in some instances in people looking for authoritarian solutions; one example of this is the escalating demand in several countries for a greater role for the armed forces in local policing. The democratic solution to rising crime lies not only in improving the criminal justice system by strengthening the police and prosecutors, but also in the community. More needs to be done with civil society groups to promote programs such as community policing. Civil society is crucial to promoting safe neighborhoods and serving as a check on state encroachment on civil liberties while combating crime. Freedom of the Press: Freedom of expression is fundamental to a transparent, democratic system, but unfortunately it is under attack in Latin America. In the last decade over 203 journalists have been killed in the Americas and reports of attacks against journalists and the media have increased in countries such as Peru, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. In some cases these attacks have been orchestrated or supported by the state, in others they have been private acts committed by narcotraffickers or private militias. The trend represents a dangerous erosion of one of the fundamental rights in a democracy. In 1998 the OAS created the Special Rapporteur of Freedom of Expression. However, the first step in addressing this issue is within the individual countries by developing and supporting national networks to defend freedom of expression. Economic Growth and Inequality: Although economic reforms implemented during the last decade and a half have successfully stabilized many of the economies in the region and controlled inflation, economic reform has failed to improve the living standards of a large majority of Latin American citizens. In fact, the middle class has been steadily losing ground. Poverty has not been reduced, nor has the gap between rich and poor that makes Latin America the region with the widest income disparities in the world. Many now talk of the need for a second generation of economic reforms that can improve the environment for economic growth and address pressing social needs. These include areas such as the liberalization of labor markets, strengthening the rule of law, educational reform, and the improvement of social services. Unfortunately, at the same time, popular support for reform is waning. Helping governments and societies address these issues will be critical to the future of economic and political development in the region. Local Government: In the last decade, the region has seen a remarkable trend of greater decentralization of resources and responsibilities to local governments in Latin America. When there exist weak internal controls on local government administration and when local communities are not mobilized to monitor local governments these processes may bring greater problems than benefits. Yet, when the conditions do exist, decentralization holds the promise of bringing politics and the delivery of services closer to citizens. International donors should devote greater attention to strengthening local governments and working with community groups to ensure local level accountability. Particular attention should be paid to decentralization of the justice system to provide citizens with local means to resolve conflicts. The list only gives a brief idea of some of the programs which the NED currently supports in Latin America and some of what we believe are looming concerns for the future of democracy in the region. I would be happy to answer any questions you, Mr. Chairman, or the other members of the Subcommittee might have or to provide more written information about some of these projects. Thank you again for the opportunity to make this presentation. |
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