A better world is possible - Global Commons Institute

Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only.
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of Unlock Democracy’s “War Powers and Treaties Consultation”was provided in Chapter 11. To bring an end
to war one of the most effective things you can do is to strengthen UK’s democracy through Unlock
Democracy.
An example of what works
Kenya - a Citizens Agenda for Political Dialogue following the post 2007 Election Crisis in Kenya The
following example shows the strength of citizens’ action. Although the conflicts in Kenya are not over, the
following provides an example of how major violent conflict can be resolved, albeit not perfectly, as a result
of an initiative by a citizens’ coalition. This initiative followed the atrocities and destruction committed after
the disputed election in December 2007.
A coalition was formed of Concerned Citizens for Peace, Kenya Private Sector Alliance, the National Council
of NGOs, Peace and Development Network – Kenya, the Media Council of Kenya, Maendeleo ya Wanawake
representing Partners for Peace, Federation of Kenyan Employers, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty,
and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers among others. The coalition put forward an agenda which
formed the basis of an agreement which ended violence. This is a shorter, edited version.
A seven point citizens’ agenda for peace, truth and justice
1. Restoring peace, reconciliation and national healing initiatives. All actors to work cooperatively to
bring an immediate end to the violence, enable peaceful political activity, actively engage in
reconciling communities and encourage peace initiatives.
2. Trust and confidence building for the political players. Deliberate efforts need to be undertaken to
rebuild trust and confidence between and among political players to enhance the capacity for
dialogue and constructive engagement.
3. Election closure. The disputed presidential poll has to be brought to closure if Kenyans are to have
faith in the electoral process. This will require some form of agreement on the final presidential poll.
4. Composition and duration of a Government of National Unity – a grand coalition or Government of
National Unity will command a significant popular mandate and be well placed to set the pace for
tackling some of the deeper issues that have led to the current crisis.
5. Priority agenda for the Government of National Unity – Key among the items to be included in the
priority agenda include:
Constituting a body to carry out a comprehensive review of the election process
Constitutional reforms to address some of the deep-rooted issues
Administrative and legal reform to address the weaknesses identified in the electoral
process
The return of internally displaced persons and reconstruction
Priority initiatives to deliver equitable economic growth
A comprehensive framework to address land issues
An anti-corruption agenda and a robust, transparent Public Accountability frameworkEstablishing the
truth of the allegations of all forms of ethnic cleansing and genocide by both PNU and ODM with a
view to restitution and justice
6. The next Presidential and/or National Elections. The timing of the next Presidential and/ or National
Elections should be agreed as part of the negotiated settlement.
7. Global agenda to restore international respectability. A global agenda shared with all stakeholders
should be agreed to form part of efforts and reclaiming our pride of place among nations
The two contestants formed a power sharing agreement. Mwai Kibaki’s Party of National Unity became
President and Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement became Prime Minister. This partnership
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