Inequality often results from such situations, contributing to desperation and further conflict. To ensure the equitable provision of resources, a country must guarantee the rule of law and basic human rights—including the right to be heard, to eat, to have water, to receive quality education, and to live in a clean and healthy environment. Good governance is necessary to give a voice to societies’ weak and vulnerable populations, even while it accepts the decision of the majority. Most importantly, it seeks justice and equity for all, irrespective of race, religion, gender, and any other parameters, which can be used to discriminate and exclude.

Many African leaders have recognized the need for good governance in their respective countries and in the greater region, realizing that despite the continent’s wealth in resources, development has sorely lagged. Through multinational deliberation and cooperative organs like the African Union, there is movement toward greater engagement by leaders in order to consult with one other and decide amongst themselves how to end conflicts, rather than wait for assistance from external resources. To further promote these initiatives, African governments need to be supported—both by their own people and by one other. While challenges such as corruption and resource mismanagement do remain in many countries, it is encouraging to see leaders committing to resolve conflicts peacefully and give development a chance.

Development and Peace through Participation

The strengthening of civil society and grassroots movements to catalyze change is essential for development and peace. Doing so enhances the democratization process and respect for human rights. Weak civil societies cannot hold their leaders accountable to the people. As a result, it becomes much easier for citizens to ignore the rule of law. In contrast, a strong civil society can also be an important vehicle for the delivery of services like health, education, and protection of the environment.

As a civil society institution, the Green Belt Movement initially started off as a way to address the immediate needs of rural women. It quickly grew into a movement that educated citizens about the links between the problems they were facing, the degradation of the environment, and governmental policy. Initially, empowering citizens was difficult because they had been persuaded to believe that they were poor not only in capital, but also in the knowledge and skills they needed in order to address their challenges. They were conditioned to believe that solutions to their problems had to come from the “outside.” This way of thinking led to a dependency syndrome that was disempowering.

In order to help communities to understand these linkages, the Green Belt Movement developed a citizen’s education program. In this program, women identify their problems, the causes of these problems, and then possible solutions. They make connections between their own personal actions and the problems they witness in the environment and in society. Women then come to understand that meeting their needs depends on their environment being healthy and well-managed, and that they must be part of the solution.

This is one of the most significant messages of the Green Belt Movement’s holistic approach toward development: the need to expand “democratic space” by educating, mobilizing, and empowering local communities to take action and create change. People must come to realize that they should not wait for local authorities, government, or development agencies to bring about change. Rather, all individuals themselves can and should take action, no matter how small that action may seem. These individual, small acts have resulted in the planting of over 30 million trees in the past 30 years. Furthermore, the courage and commitment of ordinary citizens can push for political change and demand reform from the government. In 2002, ordinary people and civil society organizations realized Kenya’s peaceful transition from a one-party state to a democratic government.

Turning Theory into Action

The experience of the Green Belt Movement underscores the link between the environment, development, democracy, and peace. A country cannot develop where there is no peace; peace, in turn, will not prevail if resources are mismanaged or put in the hands of a few at the expense of many. Finally, sustainable development and peace can only be ensured if citizens participate in protecting and restoring their environment and demanding a place at the decision-making table. Understanding these indivisible links is critical to promoting sustainable development.

A number of excellent initiatives indicate that leaders, international organizations, and civil society are already acting to promote these fundamental pillars of development. One example at the regional level is the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. The forests of the Congo Basin are among some of the last remaining large areas of primeval forested lands in the world, second only to the Amazon Basin. Together with the forest ecosystem in Southeast Asia, they are considered the “three lungs” of the planet. The Congo Basin ecosystem includes almost one-quarter of the world’s tropical forests and is home to 400 mammal species and more than 10,000 plant species. It provides food, materials, and shelter for over 20 million people and plays an important role as a global sink for carbon dioxide. However, logging, hunting, agriculture, and the oil and mining industries are degrading these forests at a rate of two million acres every year.

The Congo Basin Forest Partnership brings together about 30 governmental and non-governmental organizations to manage the Congo Basin in a sustainable manner. The Congo Basin Forest is located within the boundaries of Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of Congo. The goal of the partnership is to promote economic development and alleviate poverty through conservation programs in the region, improve local governance through natural resource conservation, and enhance resource management through control of illegal logging and wildlife poaching. This partnership is the result of a growing understanding that managing forest ecosystems’ resources sustainably and equitably can help stabilize the planet’s atmosphere and ecology. Additionally, doing so can also help foster peace in an area that has been historically torn by conflict over resources. Under the leadership of Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and myself, the government of Britain has been the first to make a substantial contribution to support the implementation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership agreement. We are currently working hard to develop a governance structure that will allow other donor agencies to provide similar financial support.