MS new focus: Democracy and influence for the poor.
January 28th 2006 at the Extraordinary General Assembly, MS, Danish Association for International Co-operation, adopted the resolution 'MS works for democracy'. Read about the big changes that the meeting has envisioned for MS.
02. February 2006MS works to enable poor people to realise their vision of a dignified life. The aim is to put an end to poverty. In our work, we focus on democracy: to ensure that poor people have influence both locally and globally. Democratic development by the people requires the possibility of participation and a common effort – not only when the votes for parliament and referenda are cast. But every day when decisions are made – regarding education, work, health and the use of public funding.
Therefore, MS supports poor people working for influence on their own life and its framework conditions. This goes for local as well as for national and global decisions regarding trade, aid, conflict resolution, fight against corruption etc. MS supports the common effort and the ground-breaking co-operation that makes a real difference:
• When poor people gather in local associations to ensure that their interests are heard;
• When associations form coalitions and initiate joint campaigns in order to create a common agenda and be heard by the powers that be;
• When popular organisations across boarders through efficient networks learn from each others’ experience and focus on the international structures and distribution of power that create and maintain poverty.
MS believes that a democracy can not be dictated from outside. Democracy is based on the participation of people. Therefore, MS always co-operates with locals in the development work. To MS, democracy is not only a peoples’ own rule but also a co-operation between peoples, an international co-operation that is.
MS operates with several intertwined approaches to a democratic development: partnerships, development workers and exchange programmes.
Poor peoples’ democratic rights demand an effort in local communities, at parliamentary elections as well as in relation to international organisations. Therefore, our work is both local and global. MS works in partnerships with organisations fighting poverty and injustice and who have a democratic and political perspective reaching beyond their own organisation. We work across borders and with partners all over the world in order to provide people opportunities for action to ensure global justice.
The common denominator for MS’ work is to support poor peoples own efforts to support democracy. We believe that the best way to do this is to develop popular organisations. This is a long-term and difficult project. But also a necessary project if poor people are to be at the centre of the development work and if access to influence shouldn’t be limited to the few. Where the vision of a worthy life gains meaning and substance because people fight together to achieve a better life and have faith in the fact that democracy is also for the poor.
The resolution 'MS works for democracy' was adopted at the Extraordinary General Assembly of MS, Danish Association for International Co-operation on January 28th 2006
