Building democracies for sustainable development

Stories of democracy and sustainability can be told in many other ways too; ones that connect much more deeply with human values. Consider this tale from India:
Once upon a time there were two brothers. And when their elderly father died, he left them a cow, a blanket and a tree to share equally between them. The elder brother proposed an equal division of the property to the younger brother. The elder brother would use the blanket by night, and the younger brother could use it by day. The elder brother would own the back half of the cow and the younger brother the front half. The elder brother would own the fruiting top half of the tree and the younger brother the bottom half. The younger brother agreed. But before long, the two began to argue. For the younger brother was feeding the cow, but couldn’t milk it. He was watering the tree, but couldn’t eat its fruit. And he was cold at night.

The rule of law and constitution building are two concepts at the heart of sustainable democracy. Broadly speaking, the rule of law requires that everyone, including governmental bodies and officials, as well as citizens, is bound by and treated equally under the law. Constitutions, meanwhile, form the central repository and ultimate safeguard of the rule of law at a national level, providing a blueprint for a functioning system of rule of law and protecting and empowering the institutions that implement and enforce this system.

The past few years have seen remarkable social movements for democratic change emerge around the world. They have demanded greater justice and dignity, more transparent political processes, a fair share of political power and an end to corruption. In other words, they have demanded democratic societies built on the rule of law. The rule of law and democracy are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and they belong to the universal and indivisible core values and principles of the United Nations.

The rule of law is based on key democratic principles, such as equality before the law, accountability to the law, separation of powers and participation in decision making. Like democracy, the rule of law is a principle of governance anchored in participatory and consultative processes. To be legitimate, laws should be widely consulted and reflective of society’s needs and values. A democratically elected parliament and a vibrant and strong civil society provide ideal mechanisms for achieving this.

Inclusive consultations

The importance of inclusive consultations is evident in constitution-making processes. The constitution of a nation represents the social compact between governors and governed. It is the basic law of the land. It affords a unique opportunity to ground a political settlement and build a peaceful future, particularly after years of rupture and chaos, as is often the case in post conflict situations. In order for such hopes to materialize, a constitution needs to be developed and adopted in an open, consultative and democratic way.

When it comes to democracy and its capacity to deliver sustainable development the practical ways in which formal democracy is implemented can often seem to generate outcomes that the younger brother in this story would recognise. For equality before the law, or at the polling booth, even when it is recognised, isn’t the same as fairness. Rules that are apparently designed to generate ‘equality’ in the idea of governance of the people by the people for the people can actually foster its opposite – rising inequality; unsustainable production and consumption; unfair distribution of resources, and practices that actively undermine environmental and social justice.

Back to that Indian village. How might the story of the two brothers end?
The brothers might come to understand the value of cooperation and common ownership: taking it in turns to feed the cow, sharing its milk, using its manure to fertilise the tree so that it fruits more heavily, and taking it in turns to use the blanket at night. The fruits of the tree might be used to plant new trees, so that future generations too, would benefit from its nourishment, and from the rich soil left by a generation of feeding and mulching.

Alternatively the younger brother, stung by the greediness of his older sibling and his inequitable view of ‘equality’ might soak the blanket so that it cannot keep his brother warm at night; he might hit the cow so that it kicks his brother; or he might cut down the tree so that his brother could not benefit from more than one more harvest.

And what of sustainable democracy? If the fledgling movement for democracy and sustainability is to fly, to spark the imagination and the creative capacity of people around the world, it will need both to draw on stories and quickly to generate its own stories – of urgency, of heroism, of leaders and followers, of danger, of debate, of participation and respect and inclusion – and of community and a shared future that we can all shape through our endeavours, democratically.