This seminar explores the links between democracy and development and asks whether democracy is a necessary element for economic development. This is a vast and complex issue where political rhetoric often supplants rational analysis. The object of the seminar is to eschew the rhetoric and concentrate on the analysis. In his Guidance Note on Democracy, the Secretary-General makes the point that “development is more likely to take hold if people are given a genuine say in their own governance, and a chance to share in the fruits of progress.”