HRH Princess Mable’s Speech

Speech by HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje,
CEO of The Elders www.theElders.org

The Hague International Model United Nations, 'Good Governance' Conference, 25 January 2010.

Distinguished delegates, excellencies and guests, It is a real pleasure for me to be with you today and to have this chance to discuss with you some of the major challenges that our world is facing.

I must confess that I am a little jealous. I grew up not far from here, but never had the chance to take part in the Model United Nations – although my husband did.

I know that I would have learnt a great deal from this fantastic opportunity to discuss global issues with people from so many different countries and backgrounds.

It would also have helped me at a young age understand the crucial importance of the UN in encouraging the increased international co-operation which is essential for our world.

For in a world in which we are more inter-connected than ever before, we can only succeed by working together. For example, no country, no matter how powerful or wealthy, can hope to tackle climate change on its own – or address the threat of nuclear weapons. Nor can we hope to overcome such complex and huge challenges without improving standards of governance across the world – which is the main theme of this conference. Indeed, it is crucial for progress. For without good and effective governance, it is pretty much impossible to ensure that people are healthy, educated and safe.

In Haiti, we are seeing not only the impact of the earthquake – but also the effect of poor governance. The lack of effective institutions has made dealing with the destruction and suffering of the people so much more difficult. Now, governance is one of those words which is used a great deal in international, development and business circles. It is not, however, an easy word to define. At its simplest, it means good management of a country or company. When you are elected class captain or sit on your school council, you are helping to improve the governance of your school.

In government terms, good governance means how well a country's political leaders deliver services like health care, roads, policing and education for the people who fund them through their taxes.

Governments are much more likely to be effective and responsible if they have the consent of the people who they govern – and free and fair elections are obviously the best way of achieving this.

It is also important that citizens are able to see what their government is doing and how well they are performing. In other words – transparency – which is another theme of your meeting.

For example, in Kenya, the Ministry of Education ordered all school budgets to be published – so that teachers, parents and communities know how much funding their school should be getting and can track how the money is used. Some schools even pinned the budget on notice boards. That simple step has helped to fight corruption and improve transparency. But transparency won't work unless those who act badly or ineffectively can be held accountable for their performance. Accountability means the public can vote against corrupt or useless politicians – and it means that officials who are corrupt or incompetent can also be sacked.

This requires respect for the rule of law and the human rights of all citizens – making sure, for instance, that the police and courts treat everyone the same, no matter how wealthy or poor. And that everyone's vote is counted in elections. Get all these right and you have the basis for good governance – a country where the nation's resources and tax-payers' money are used wisely and effectively for the benefit of all its people.

It seems simple. But across the world, there are too many governments who don't live up to these standards. Through my work as Chief Executive of an organization called The Elders, I regularly see the terrible consequences of this failure and neglect. The Elders is a group of eminent former leaders – set up by Nelson Mandela who you will all know – to use their experience to help reduce conflicts. They are a very special group of people who instead of enjoying retirement still want to do what they can – just as you do – to make our world better.

I am sure you will know some of them.

Here is Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
This is Jimmy Carter who was President of the United States of America and who worked so hard to bring peace to the Middle East.
And Kofi Annan, who was Secretary-General of the United Nations until 2006.
This is Mary Robinson – the former President of Ireland.
Gro Brundtland – Norway's first woman Prime Minister – and also a member of the Elders.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the former President of Brazil.
And Martti Ahtisaari, Finland's former President and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. 
These are just some of the Elders – and I feel very privileged to work with them. Their determination to make a difference takes them into parts of the world with some of the most deep-rooted and difficult problems – such as Sudan and Burma, Israel and Palestine and Zimbabwe. Countries where millions of people are paying a very heavy price for poor governance.

Zimbabwe, for example, was once one of the wealthiest and successful countries in Africa. But poor and corrupt government has brought the society and economy to its knees. Zimbabwe once exported food to its neighbours. When we visited in 2008, it was a country whose people were starving. Half of all its population needed food aid. Its water supplies had broken down, helping to spread a cholera epidemic which was claiming thousands of lives.

Unemployment was over 80 percent. Inflation was so high that shops had to change their prices several times a day. Families could not afford the most basic items. The Government didn't have enough money to pay teachers and doctors. Schools and hospitals were closing down. Those are consequences of poor governance. Burma is another country where the Elders have been working and where the population is paying a terrible price for poor governance. Its opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner - Aung San Suu Kyi - is an Honorary Member of the Elders. Because she has been under house arrest for most of the last 20 years, she can't attend our meetings.

So The Elders always keep an empty chair for her to ensure she stays in our thoughts.

Burma's military government rules not by consent, but by fear. And while the Generals have grown wealthy in the 40 years they have ruled the country, its 50 million people are now among the poorest in the world. Corruption is another feature of poor governance – with leaders stealing resources which should be used for the benefit of the whole country. It is why some of the poorest people in the world are found in countries with the richest natural resources – and why discovering oil or diamonds is all too often not a cause for celebration but a curse.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country with incredible mineral wealth – one estimate is that its mineral reserves are equal to the annual wealth of Europe and the US combined. Yet corruption and conflict, fuelled by greed to control these natural resources, mean that one in three of Congo's children suffer badly from malnutrition.

In oil- and diamond-rich Angola, around one-third of its oil revenues – $1 billion dollars – simply disappeared in 2001, while two out of three people lived in abject poverty. It doesn't have to be this way. Botswana was also one of the poorest countries on the planet. But when diamonds were discovered 40 years ago, its Government used the money to invest in schools, in health, in roads and for the long-term future of the country.

Corruption casts its shadow over many parts of the world. A UN report only last week found that more than half of Afghanistan's people had to pay a bribe to a public official last year – to reduce delays or improve services. The police topped the list of bribe recipients. The total amount of bribes paid in Afghanistan last year was some $2.5 billion dollars! Just imagine what could be done with this money! How the Government could improve schools or health services.

That's why improving governance and rooting out corruption are so important. It is not going to be easy overcoming these challenges. But don't become depressed! These challenges might be bad and deep-rooted, but they can be changed!

Despite all the suffering I have seen around the world, I remain an optimist. Because I have also seen, in the most desperate of conditions, how humanity wins through.
I have seen time and time again the incredible resilience and resourcefulness of people, how if they are given a chance, they seize it win both hands.
And there is one more reason why I am optimistic – and I am looking at it right now. It's you.

I am very confident that young people like you have the vision, the commitment and the courage to make our world better.
I hope the next few days will help prepare you for the tasks ahead and help us work together to build a better, more just and more prosperous world.
I wish you all the best in your discussions.
Thank you.