Good governance is an essential part to preventing conflict because it helps give a country:

• genuine democracy and participation, representation and accountability
• human rights protection
• respect for the rule of law and access to a justice framework
• an effective civil society in public life
• good public administration - public finances and a professional and impartial civil service
• decentralised local government with the participation of local people.

We co-published a policy paper, ‘Governance, Development and Democratic Politics’, with the Department of International Development in March 2007.
It sets out how we will support the complex process of building democratic governance, particularly in challenging countries where people experience the greatest poverty.

See the Department of International Development website for more info about the UK Government’s policy on good governance.