It also means providing opportunities for women and minorities, by encouraging them to participate as fully as possible in the political process and its institutions. Democratisation has to go beyond elections. It has to promote an independent judiciary, an open civil society and a free media, all of which can make governments accountable for their promises and actions. Empowering people requires a commitment to respect fundamental human rights and the rule of law. This is up from a tenth of countries just 10 years ago.
Democratisation also demands overcoming corruption .
Honest and responsive government fosters indeed embodies human development. Economic growth is not a guarantee of poverty reduction, though it is clearly essential for sustaining poverty reduction in the long term. It means stimulating activity in small, even informal, businesses, both urban and rural. In most cases, it requires measures to improve property rights, bargaining power and access to credit, training and new technology. In short, pro-poor growth should aim to reduce inequities by creating better opportunities for all groups in society, particularly poor women.