Since the Change of 7 November 1987, Tunisia has accomplished many important achievements in all fields owing to the major reforms initiated by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in order to consolidate the democratic process, enlarge political participation and promote human rights.
The constitutional sanction of human rights, the creation of a second legislative body to reinforce legislative power and the empowerment of the Constitutional Council to ascertain the regularity of elections are the major pillars of the democratic reforms brought about by President Ben Ali. All provisions were part of a constitutional reform adopted by a popular referendum in May 2002.
As for the promotion of human rights, numerous measures have been taken to enhance the rights of the individual and translate them into facts. Institutions were created and legal mechanisms introduced so that every member of society can enjoy all his rights, be they political, civic, economic, social or cultural. Since 1987, and within this comprehensive approach, a Constitutional Council has been established and its rulings rendered binding.
Owing to the several reforms that have been undertaken since Change of the Seventh of November 1987, the Tunisian economy has become liberalised and open to competition. Freeing the private initiative and revitalising market mechanisms have been part of the far-reaching structural reforms, which opened the Tunisian economy to the outside world, strengthened its resistance capacity to external shocks and diversified its productive sectors.
Since 1987, the GDP growth rate has averaged about five per cent a year (with a significant acceleration over the past four years) as compared to only 2.4 per cent during the 1982-86 period. The stabilisation of the macroeconomic framework and the improvement of the overall balances is reflected in the curbing of the inflation rate from more than eight per cent in 1987 to less than three per cent in the year 2007, as well as in the reduction of the balance of payments and the state budget deficits.
Tunisia is, henceforth, classified at the head of the emerging economies whose performances are widely recognised. For instance, in 2006, Tunisia occupied the 30th position in terms of global competitiveness according to the last report published by the "Davos World Economic Forum". The United Nations specialised agencies classify Tunisia among the first 20 countries in terms of economic growth and among the first nations that have registered the highest growth rate at the human development level.
The sustainable growth of its economy has enabled Tunisia to become a privileged site for Foreign Direct Investments, which doubled between 1987-2006. Those results were the fruit of a new situation characterised by a an overall effort to enhance the efficiency of business and industry, the adoption of new vocational training methods adapted to the country's needs, the modernisation of the transport and communication infrastructure and diversification of the economic activity.
In fact, more than 2,800 foreign enterprises are currently operating in the country and benefiting from a modern infrastructure as well as a dynamic business environment. Slowly but steadily, the traditional economy has been transformed into a knowledge-based economy that relies on industry and services of a highly value added technology. Various indicators show a substantial improvement in the living standards of all Tunisians, which started to reap the fruit of this economic growth. For instance, the per capita income increased from 952 dollars in 1986 to 3,500 dollars in 2006.
On the social level, the multiple solidarity mechanisms that have been created have contributed to radically reduce poverty (3.8 per cent of the population). A special fund, the National Solidarity Fund, was created in 1993 by President Ben Ali to channel donations and extra-budget allocations into programmes benefiting needy areas and individuals. Building on the exceptional success of this Fund in fighting poverty, a new Fund – the National Employment Fund – was launched in January 2000 for the purpose of creating job opportunities. Created in 1998, the Tunisian Solidarity Bank has offered thousands of micro-credit loans to young graduates and small businesses.
Life expectancy at birth increased from 67 in 1984 to an average of 75.34 years in 2007 and the annual rate of population growth dropped from 1.7 per cent in 1994 to less than one per cent in 2007. Approximately three-quarters of the population are considered middle class and about 80 per cent of Tunisian families own their own homes.
President Ben Ali has made the promotion of human resources a pivotal concern in Tunisia's development strategy by giving priority to education, training and improvement of the citizens' living conditions. In order to promote socio-economic progress through the dissemination of learning, a number of measures have been undertaken including a comprehensive reform of the educational system, the upgrading of the system of vocational training, and the implementation of a myriad of projects aimed at raising the level of competence and adapting qualifications to the needs of higher economic performance.
In addition to free public education at all levels of learning, the educational reform provides for compulsory schooling until the age of 16. The percentage of school-age children of both sexes in full-time education is in excess of 99 per cent. The new curricula prepare pupils and students for meeting the challenges of modern life and aim to instill in them the values of openness, tolerance and civic responsibility. A focus is put on foreign language acquisition and computer technologies. A large-scale effort is currently underway to quickly connect all businesses as well as all education and research establishments to the Internet.
Since 1987, various steps have been taken to consecrate the new status of women as real partners with men. Women today enjoy their full rights and assume a major role in the development process and in all walks of life. This success is also reflected in women's accession to the various sectors of work, production and investment. Politics is no exception, as there are today seven women in the Cabinet. Women also constitute 22.7 per cent of the members of the Chamber of Deputies and 15 per cent of the members of the Chamber of Advisors.
Thanks to its sense of moderation and rationalism while approaching complex regional and international issues, Tunisia has always advocated the respect for international legality and the settlement of conflicts on the basis of the virtues of peace, consensus and tolerance. It has consistently pursued a balanced policy of openness and moderation in its international relations and endeavoured to promote a comprehensive resolution for the Arab-Israeli conflict so as to enable the Palestinian people to fully recover his legitimate rights and edify an independent state. Apart from its advocation of peaceful settlement of conflicts, especially in Africa, Tunisia has participated in various humanitarian relief and peacekeeping operations around the world since the 1960s.
Being itself the victim of terrorist attacks, Tunisia was among the first countries that have warned the international community against the dangers of terrorism on world peace and stability. Within the framework of the fight against this phenomenon, President Ben Ali has called for the organisation of an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations in order to elaborate an international code of conduct to fight the manifestations of extremism. Furthermore, Tunisia has hosted a number of regional and international conferences such as the Symposium on the Teaching of Tolerance in the Mediterranean, which took place in Carthage on 21-22 April 1995 and produced a major document, known as the "Carthage Charter on Tolerance in the Mediterranean, in a bid to further promote dialogue between cultures and civilisations”.
Being aware of the importance of cultivating friendly ties with the neighbouring countries, Tunisia has always supported initiatives aiming at strengthening the bonds of cooperation among the countries lying along the two shores of the Mediterranean basin. In this regard, Tunisia and Malta entertain deeply-rooted historical ties that have been consolidated by the shared cultural legacies and the common political determination that animates the leaders of both countries to further upgrade these relations for the benefit of the two peoples.
The exchange of state and ministerial visits that took place in the past few years testify the continuous evolution of consultations and the encouraging results achieved in the field of bilateral cooperation. The Tunisian-Maltese Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourhood and Cooperation that was signed in 2005 represented a turning point for strengthening bilateral cooperation, and promoting entente and solidarity in the Mediterranean region.
Moreover, the establishment of a Tunisian-Maltese Business Council reflects the common endeavour to stimulate the pace of joint investments between the two countries so as to enlarge the platform of commercial exchanges and enable Tunisian and Maltese businessmen to take advantage of the opportunities and incentives offered by the Euro-Mediterranean free-trade zone.
Article provided by the Tunisian Embassy