§ Sir Alastair GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to promote democracy and good government in the Great Lakes region of Africa. [24235]
§ Clare ShortEfforts to build sound and accountable government which gives the poor a voice are at the heart of my Department's implementation of the White Paper in the Great Lakes. We are working bilaterally and will also use our Presidency of the EU to encourage greater cohesion in the area of governance. We will take forward the EU joint action in support of democratisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Head of the EU Electoral Unit, Professor Vasconcelos, will visit Kinshasa later this month to see how we might best help the democratisation process. The EU Special Envoy, Ajello, has produced some useful and constructive ideas on governance issues in the Great Lakes. We will pursue these during the Presidency.