AHG/235 (XXXVIII) Annex I Page 3 Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights and all conventions relating thereto, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Declaration. 5. Africa faces grave challenges and the most urgent of these are the eradication of poverty and the fostering of socio-economic development, in particular, through democracy and good governance. It is to the achievement of these twin objectives that the NEPAD process is principally directed. 6. Accordingly, we the participating Heads of State and Government of the member states of the African Union have agreed to work together in policy and action in pursuit of the following objectives:? Democracy and Good Political Governance ? Economic and Corporate Governance ? Socio-Economic Development ? African Peer Review Mechanism Democracy and Good Political Governance 7. At the beginning of the new century and millennium, we reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of democracy and its core values in our respective countries. In particular, we undertake to work with renewed determination to enforce ? the rule of law; ? the equality of all citizens before the law and the liberty of the individual; ? individual and collective freedoms, including the right to form and join political parties and trade unions, in conformity with the constitution; ? equality of opportunity for all; ? the inalienable right of the individual to participate by means of free, credible and democratic political processes in periodically electing their leaders for a fixed term of office; and ? adherence to the separation of powers, including the protection of the independence of the judiciary and of effective parliaments.