UN General Assembly
2004

particular, I wish to single out the absence of democracy and the prolonged slackening of political reform evident in a number of countries of the South, and probably most apparent in the past few years in the Middle East, where they have been at the root of most of the harsh social and economic suffering currently plaguing that region. Political reform and people’s participation in decision-making are no longer an option but have become a definite necessity. As the history of economic relations has shown, the States that have made the greatest economic achievements — whether in the North or in the South — have been those which were most committed to the exercise of democracy. The few exceptions — States that have managed to improve their economic performance without following the principles of democracy — have known limited success and have continued to be vulnerable to sudden economic upheavals. Just as international economic relations are dominated by the discourse on sustainable development, another discourse must be launched on what I would term “sustainable reform”. There is no