If investment is to promote peaceful change rather than oppressive regimes, unjust economic structures have to be challenged to ensure the 'proper application' of resources. Again, the term 'proper application' is politically loaded and can mean different things to different people. As our emphasis was on creating a stable society in which the mass of the people flourish rather than the few, we regarded distribution as a key issue. Another was the need for special attention to be paid to women's economic development as they play a key economic role and use funds for credit schemes more efficiently and productively than men. Governance and the use of state power require fiscal policies that include taxation to pay for the infrastructure to meet the needs of citizens.
Tax raising powers require monitoring and stability of income.
Local leadership has an impact on the social development of any community. We have observed patterns of international investment which either exploit or ignore local human resources and expectations. The question is whether the West, in promoting development, is simply trying to further its own agenda rather than listening to and acting on the needs of people. For our group, broad-based development at local levels was seen as a constructive way forward. This would include education, the establishment and practice of legal norms, the training of the police and the inclusion of minorities and the disadvantaged in social and political programmes.