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President Ben Ali calls for the creation of an international solidarity fund
Tunisia’s call for the creation of an international solidarity fund sprung from the observation of the growing gaps between countries’ standards of living and from the country’s experience in successfully improving the economic and social integration of its people. President Ben Ali proposed that cooperation and solidarity must be globalized in the way the economy has been globalized. He puts forward three basic principles: cooperation, solidarity and peace. International organizations such as the League of Arab States have supported the initiative.
A colloquium has been proposed to articulate a policy that would be faithful to the pillars of development that are conducive to the social and economic integration of all — particularly women, the elderly and the poor.
The fund would be financed through voluntary donations and contributors. It would become the vehicle through which governments and civil society would combine their efforts to improve the living conditions of the poorest.
President Ben Ali’s initiative puts forth the duty of solidarity among the international community in its fight against all forms of exclusion and marginalization.
Tunisia is an African nation, part of the Arab and south Mediterranean world. Because of this particularity and that cultural identities and specificities play an important role in international cooperation and development, Tunisia has the capacity to become the leader in this initiative.
The nation has also been recognized by the United Nations as one of the best countries in the world for development. Tunisia has been successful at promoting both economic and social development within its borders. The economy has sustained an average growth rate of 5 percent over the past 10 years. The majority of the population now belongs to the middle class. Eighty percent of Tunisians own their own home. Education is now compulsory for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 16 and is free at all studies levels. Health services have been improved and are now available to all remote areas. Tunisians have a life expectancy of 72 years today compared to 51 years in 1966.
The National Solidarity Fund (FSN, commonly called fund 26-26 from the number of the postal account in which money is deposited) was instrumental in achieving this success. President Ben Ali created it in 1993 to help finance interventions for low-income populations and rural areas that lack essential infrastructure and services.
Fund 26-26 receives money from individuals and public and private enterprises, the state, national and foreign NGOs and institutions. Between 1993 and 1999, the FSN has intervened in 1,232 impoverished zones, benefiting more than 171,000 families
Considering that the impact of globalization is sometimes merciless and the notion of global village omits the huge gaps between countries because of poverty, an international solidarity fund modeled after Tunisia’s FSN would be a welcome initiative.
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