Remarks by Deputy Chief of Mission Robert P. Jackson 

At MEPI LDF Alumni Conference

Monday, December 15, 2008, 01:30 PM

 

On behalf of Ambassador Thomas Riley and all the staff at the U.S. Mission in Morocco, my colleagues from the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), and representatives from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, I am delighted to welcome each of you to Marrakech, and to say what a pleasure it is to be here to open the second annual Leaders for Democracy Fellows (LDF) Alumni Meeting.

We are living through historic times.  In recent years, we have seen inspiring images of people standing in line to vote in free, fair and competitive elections in Morocco, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan.  In Kuwait, women are attaining the right to vote and run for office, and Moroccan women are gaining improved status under a new family law.

A very public and vibrant conversation on democratic transformation and reform is taking place throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  Brave men and women – like yourselves -- are speaking out about the kind of reforms you seek for your own countries, including political choice and human rights, transparency and laws that enable opportunity and innovation, the creation of educational systems that produce skilled graduates ready to enter the work force, and most notably your full political and economic participation.  This conversation includes a focus on the empowerment of women and the expansion of their rights in every aspect of their societies.

Over the past five years, MEPI has devoted more than $430 million to over 350 projects in 17 countries and territories in support of local efforts to implement political, economic and social reforms to support good governance and the development of civil society.  Since 2007, more than 42 future leaders from 13 countries have participated in the Leaders for Democracy Fellows program.  These MEPI alumni and alumnae have begun to implement changes at the local level, building on their experiences in their home countries and the ideas they encountered in the United States about leadership, problem-solving, and compromise. 

The universal longing for freedom and dignity has the power to transform the Arab and Muslim world and the many corners of the world where democracy is in deficit.  In places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories, citizens of courage and conviction – like yourselves -- are embracing liberty and working to chart hopeful new courses for your nations.  You are boldly declaring that your future does not lie with empty ideologies of terrorist violence, but with the growing chorus of democratic reform that can be heard today throughout the region.

As brave men and women standing for your liberty and your rights, the United States stands with you.  Freedom, democracy, and human dignity are not American or Western ideas.  They are universal aspirations of the human spirit, and the United States will always defend these principles beyond our borders. 

The Leaders for Democracy Fellows (LDF) program, co-sponsored by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, invests in reformers in the region who are working so democracy can spread, education can thrive, economies can grow, and women can be empowered. 

Democracy

Democratic governments are more likely to
· secure peace and deter aggression,
· uphold human rights,
· expand open markets,
· promote economic development,
· combat international terrorism and crime,
· avoid humanitarian crises, and
· protect the environment and human health.

I do not think it is an accident that when one looks around today’s world, the 120 members of the Community of Democracies (CD) are generally more prosperous than the 75 partly-free and not-free states.  Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Brunei are the only prosperous authoritarian states that come to mind.  Yet, there are many models of democracy and each must incorporate a country’s history and culture.

But democracy is not a panacea.  Elections alone cannot guarantee accountability or good governance.  Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau have had free and fair elections in years past that brought leaders into office who were subsequently accused of corruption and mismanagement.  Other countries moved too quickly in the 1990s to have elections with disastrous results.  Burundi may be the best example of that, but I wonder if sustained international support for Burundian democracy could have avoided the ensuing years of civil war.  More recently, Ukraine and Georgia shook off corrupt, authoritarian regimes, but the democratic governments’ weaknesses have caused popular discontent.  In fact, in many nations, reality has not matched people’s expectations about the benefits of democracy.  Political parties must, therefore, reach out to populations that feel disenfranchised, and no donor can perform that task.

In just a few short years, the Middle East and North Africa has become one of the most dynamic political regions in the world.  Citizens have gone to the polls in Morocco, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Egypt.  Program by program, person by person, MEPI is working with local activists to increase the political space within their respective countries.  As this openness expands, MEPI helps give voice to people's opinions and ideas, as well as assist them in creating platforms for involvement in, and influence over, the political future of their country.  MEPI's Democracy Pillar is instituting programs to bring non-governmental organizations, private businesses, governments, and citizens together to push the boundaries of change.  For maximum effect, the programs are tailored to the specific needs of each country.

MEPI has moved U.S. democracy assistance toward an integrated policy and programmatic approach in the areas of political parties, judicial reform, civil society engagement, and media independence.

Education

A well-informed citizenry capable of responsibly exercising its rights is necessary for open, democratic societies to flourish.  Without an educated population equipped with the skills to operate in a global economy, democracy in the Arab world will fail to meet its full potential.  MEPI is working to support reform in this critical area by focusing on programs that strengthen democratic values and practices within both formal and non-formal education environments.

In many schools throughout the Arab world, high-quality educational materials are harder to come by.  Without them, children in the region are less likely to learn the fundamentals they need to succeed in an increasingly global society.  By improving their access to quality education, democratic mindsets, critical thinking and exploration can begin to develop early.

The MEPI education pillar focuses on such partnerships, especially ones between the public and private sectors.  It is vital that private industries commit to reform.  MEPI’s partnership with Scholastic Inc. is an excellent example of a strong public and private partnership.  Scholastic and MEPI have joined forces to help bring Arabic-language books to the Middle East and North Africa.  Through a MEPI-funded program called My Arabic Library, 3,000 schools in Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and Bahrain have received dozens of fiction and nonfiction titles designed to encourage reading, critical thinking and analytical skills.

Economic Prosperity

Elections do not create economic prosperity.  Genuine democracy affords people not only political but also economic choices.  Wise policy choices and wise leadership make it possible for citizens to create prosperity.  Nowhere is the connection between economic reform and democracy more important than in the Middle East and North Africa.  The Arab world faces the daunting task of creating over 100 million new jobs over the next 20 years.  While the private sector must be the engine to provide the jobs, governments will need to ensure policies are in place that enable the private sector to unleash the untapped talent and potential in each country's citizens.

Former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios declared, “Transformational change in a poor country cannot be imposed from the outside, not by the UN, not by the Banks, and not by donor governments.  There must be national leadership and local support for transformational change to remove the impediments to microeconomic reform, to clean up corruption in the political system, and to make public management more accountable and transparent."  Traditional and modern democratic institutions must ally themselves to work as partners, mutually reinforcing fundamental values and implementing needed reforms.

MEPI initiatives in the region are facilitating expanded trade, expanding the capital available to small- and medium-sized companies, supporting individuals willing to undertake risks to start new companies, establishing professional education, and creating new jobs.  Program participants have started new companies, expanded existing ones, and helped improve commercial laws in their countries to become some of the most dynamic business people in the region.

Women’s Empowerment

His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco recently stated, “How can society achieve progress, while women, who represent half the nation, see their rights violated and suffer, as a result of injustice, violence and marginalization?”

In the area of women's empowerment, MEPI is responding to growing calls for change from voices in the Middle East.  We are supporting women's groups as they work together and foster coalitions, so that women can share collective experiences and learn from each other to build pluralistic societies.

As calls for democracy spread across the region, the single most important factor in this drive for liberty is the courage and activism of women.  It is visible everywhere:  in Morocco, women have called for and won positive changes to the family code.  In Jordan, brave women are fighting to ensure the laws impose criminal penalties for honor crimes.  Women in Bahrain and Kuwait are leading the way to women's political participation in the Gulf.  Women from Kuwait won the right to vote with the rallying cry, "Half a democracy is not a democracy."

America's commitment to supporting Arab women is clear:  We are providing leaders and reformers with continuing support in their struggle to remove their legal, regulatory, economic, and political barriers.

As political systems begin to open across the region, America is supporting women as they become full participants in the political process.  Through MEPI's regional campaign schools, we are providing political training for women in the skills they need to become active participants in democracy.

Conclusion

Just last week, throughout the region and the world, we celebrated Human Rights Day, the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.  The engagement of our governments to sign important documents testifies that fundamental rights are universal for Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and people who follow other religions.  Systems may differ, but fundamental values are shared and must be maintained.

Next month, in the United States and at U.S. Embassies around the world, we will observe a day in honor of the great American civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, who worked tirelessly for racial equality and civil rights in the United States.

To paraphrase one of his speeches, he urged young people – people like you -- whatever your professional path in life, to find an avocation – a calling.  This calling should be pursued alongside a profession, and would empower you to become a dedicated fighter for civil rights and for a better society.  Finding this calling, he said, makes one a better professional, whether as a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or civil servant.  It will, he said, “enrich your spirit as nothing else possibly can.  It will give you that rare sense of nobility that can only spring from love and selflessly helping your fellow man.”  By serving others, he told us, “You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” 

We still need leaders like Dr. King – people who are committed to promoting fundamental rights, fighting for change to make our world a better place.  That is where you and your fellow MEPI Leaders for Democracy Fellows alumni, and the next few days at this LDF Alumni Meeting, all come together.

You were chosen to participate in the MEPI/Syracuse University Leaders for Democracy Fellows program because you had demonstrated your leadership potential, your promise to be an element of change in your home countries.  You are the activists, the vanguard of reform and positive development.  Now, you are coming together to share experiences, celebrate achievements, learn from each other and work with others to achieve your goals.

To this end, I urge you to participate in your countries’ MEPI Alumni Network.  If you do not have one, I encourage you to take the initiative to start one.  Here in Morocco, the MEPI alumni program has been a great success since it was launched in July 2007.  Since then, the network has organized numerous workshops, conferences and special programs focusing on either skills, as in the case of the workshops, or broader themes, such as “Women’s Leadership in Morocco,” at the conferences.

I look to each of you and say, “Be committed!  Be creative!  Be bold!”  And as Martin Luther King asked, “Make this a finer world to live in.”

On that note, I wish you a productive and enjoyable alumni conference.  We look forward to learning about you and your work as it progresses.  Please keep in touch with us and with your fellow LDF alumni this week and in the months and years to come.

Thank you very much.